What causes infants to frequently scratch their ears?

Infants frequently poking at their ears may be caused by various factors, with a common reason being ear canal itching or discomfort. An infant's ear canal is relatively sensitive and may become itchy due to earwax buildup, mild skin dryness, or eczema. Additionally, if an infant suffers from otitis media or other ear infections, it may lead to ear pain or discomfort, thus prompting the behavior of poking the ears. Another possibility is that during teething, the eruption of teeth may stimulate nearby nerves, causing discomfort around the ears. Of course, it could also simply be a habitual movement without any underlying health issue.

When noticing an infant frequently poking at their ears, carefully observe whether it is accompanied by other abnormal symptoms such as ear discharge, redness and swelling, persistent crying, or fever. If any of these symptoms are present, timely medical consultation is necessary to rule out infections or other diseases. Under normal circumstances, attention should be paid to keeping the infant's ear canal clean and dry, avoiding the use of cotton swabs or other tools to clean deeply inside the ear canal, to prevent injury to the ear canal skin. At the same time, appropriately diverting the infant's attention may help reduce this behavior.