Cleaning Baby’s Eyes, Ears, and Nose – Guide for Parents

Safe and gentle ways to clean your babys eyes ears and nose with simple steps newborn hygiene tips and parent friendly guidance.

By Mrunal | Updated: 27/01/2026

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In this Article

Why You Should Keep Your Baby’s Nose, Eyes, and Ears Clean?
Expert Tips to Clean Baby’s Eyes, Ears and Nose Thoroughly
General Tips for Baby’s Bath-Time or Cleaning-Time
FAQs

Bath-time and cleaning-time for babies can be challenging. A baby’s skin is very sensitive, particularly his face. This is why parents and caregivers must be careful while cleaning the baby’s eyes, ears and nose. We have compiled for you the best tips recommended by paediatricians to gently clean your baby’s body.

Setting up a suitable bath and cleaning time for the baby is the first step to making him comfortable with this as a routine. You might need to clean his facial skin (including ears, eyes and nose) more frequently during the day.

Why You Should Keep Your Baby’s Nose, Eyes, and Ears Clean?

Even when a baby is wrapped up most of the time, their face remains uncovered. This leaves their eyes, nose, and ears exposed to dust, moisture, and germs. Since their skin is still developing in the early months, it is delicate and reacts easily to buildup or dirt.

This is why gently cleaning these areas more often than the regular bath days becomes essential. It’s more like a part of basic care. Gently removing the wax in the ears, discharge from the eyes, and mucus from the nose, and regularly and gently wiping the face, with your paediatrician’s approval, helps clear away dried milk, mucus, dirt, and drool. This simple routine supports healthy skin and lowers the risk of infections (1).

Expert Tips to Clean Baby’s Eyes, Ears and Nose Thoroughly

How to Clean a Newborn’s Eyes? (2)

Keep some cotton balls at hand.
Soak cotton balls in warm water and use them to clean the baby’s face around the eyes.
Use a fresh cotton ball for each of his eyes (and also fresh ones for his ears and nose).
To clean a baby’s eyes, wipe from one corner to the other of each eye.

How to Clean a Baby’s Ears?

Wipe behind each ear and around the outside of each ear.
Do not stick anything inside the baby’s ears, not even ear buds.
Use a washcloth to clean earwax from the outer ear. Do not try to clean wax from the ear canal using any earbuds. Refer to these safe tips to clean baby earwax instead.
The key is to be gentle.

How to Clean a Newborn’s Nose?

Use plain water to clean the nose, as the baby’s facial skin is very sensitive to soap.
Use the corner of a wet washcloth to wipe your baby’s nostrils gently to get rid of mucus.
Do not put anything inside your baby’s nostrils – not even cotton buds. This can damage the lining of the nose.
Remember that cleaning a baby’s nose may cause him to get cranky. Sing a song to soothe him or whisper gently to reassure him when you clean his nose.
Gently wipe under the baby’s chin and neck, too.

General Tips for Baby’s Bath-Time or Cleaning-Time

Always give paramount importance to safety when bathing or cleaning babies. Some essential safety tips to follow are:

Remember – bathing a baby once a day is sufficient, depending on the weather. Bathing too many times a day can expose babies to the risk of catching a cold. Bathing once a day before bedtime is sufficient.
Once your baby is able to sit up, it’s better to bathe him in a bathtub. For newborns and babies who are not old enough to sit up, use your hands to support the baby while you bathe or clean.
Always use lukewarm water to bathe your child.
Never leave your baby alone or unattended in the bath area.
Do not attend phone calls while bathing your baby. Rather, concentrate only on bathing your child. Do not get distracted while bathing him.
Do not keep any electrical appliances or soaps within the baby’s reach while bathing him.
Test the water before using it for your baby. Do not use very hot or very cold water as it may harm your baby.
After you finish bathing your child, wrap him with a towel, put him in a cot and keep him warm.

FAQs

1. How often should I clean my baby’s eyes, ears, and nose?

You can clean your baby’s eyes, ears, and nose every day with a soft cotton wool or a soft cotton cloth and lukewarm water. Make sure not to use any soap, as it can disrupt the baby’s skin pH balance.

2. What do I do if my baby gets upset while cleaning his ears, eyes, and nose?

That is totally normal. You can choose to sing or talk to your baby while cleaning their eyes, ears, and nose so they are distracted and focused on what’s going on their body. Make sure not to clean them when they are hungry, fidgety, or right after their feed.

3. Can I remove my baby’s earwax?

No, you should not remove your child’s earwax, as it is there to protect your little one from infection-causing germs that could enter the eardrum and infect it. The body automatically does it, so there is no need to manually remove earwax from a child’s ears (3). Gently wipe the outer area of your baby’s ears with a soft, damp cloth and do not put any kind of object, a cotton bud, or your fingers in your baby’s ear canal (4).

Cleaning a newborn’s ears, eyes, and nose is easy. Remember that keeping the baby warm and comfortable during bath time is key to making bath time part of his routine. Bathing babies is a good time to bond with your child. But make sure you do a good job of cleaning your child, as it is the first step to hygiene for him. All the best!

Also Read:

Ways to Wash Baby’s Hair
Hygiene Essentials for your Baby
How to Wash Baby’s Face Properly

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