EarBuddies were invented in 1990 by Plastic Surgeon David Gault FRCS, one of the world’s leading experts on reconstructive surgery of the outer ear, to treat his newborn son. EarBuddies are designed to be fitted at home by parents, and are also used in some of the most eminent children’s hospitals worldwide, including the NHS (UK), Mayo Clinic (USA), The Portland Hospital (London), and Boston Children’s Hospital (Harvard).
By treating babies early and avoiding surgery, EarBuddies provide better results, without risk, at lower cost, and avoid the bullying and psychological trauma that usually leads to surgery. Almost thirty years after EarBuddies were first developed, it is the world’s best selling Early Ear Correction™ system, and has helped thousands of babies to grow up comfortable and confident with their ears.
Stick-out ears like Santi's can make life miserable and lead to "reduced quality of life & self-esteem, social avoidance and poor performance in school." Children and adults are often teased and while names like 'Dumbo, Big Ears, Yoda, Spock & Wing Nut' can be meant in jest, they can have a deeper psychological impact.
Once, corrective ear surgery (Otoplasty/ Pinnaplasty) was the only option, costing up to £5000 for the average UK paediatric case. General anaesthesia and time off school or work are usually needed, and while post-op pain can be managed*, complication rates e.g. scarring can be as high as 10%.*
Now there's an ingenious way to fix your baby's ear problems before they are aware of them, avoiding the emotional impact of bullying & teasing, and the costs & complications of surgery. EarBuddies splints reshape the soft cartilage of baby's ears, resulting in a permanent, surgery-free correction.
We think of it like fitting braces to a child’s teeth, only more affordable and quicker. Newborn babies can get great results in just 2 weeks. If your baby is older, this can take longer. Santi was 5 months old when his mother fitted EarBuddies. 4 weeks later, he can grow up comfortable and confident with his ears.
“I am so thrilled with the amazing transformation in our son’s ear. He was born with Conchal Crus in his left ear. My mama gut told me to try to find answers and my online search quickly led me to the EarBuddies website where I immediately realized what deformity my baby had. It alarmed me to read that people with this deformity may not be able to use in-ear devices like hearing aids. We decided to take a chance and order EarBuddies.
It was such a great decision. At two weeks old we inserted the splint and taped our son’s ear without him ever waking from his nap. He never seemed bothered by the tapes or splint during the two weeks we kept it in. When we removed the splint at four weeks old, we were amazed. I am so grateful for EarBuddies. People cannot believe the difference when we show them his before picture. Thank you so much EarBuddies!”
Read Rebecca's full story here!“Jacob was born with one ear sticking out and no fold, this was causing his ear to fold over when sleeping which was making it worse. I decided to have a browse on the internet to see if there was anything I could do, this is when I come across EarBuddies.
I have always disliked my ears and to be honest I wish this was around for my mom to do when I was a baby! It would have saved me a lot of insecurities. So I decided to ignore everyone and do what I thought was best for my son.... and woah the results are amazing!! Jacob was 6 weeks old when I first fitted his EarBuddies. I followed the instructions word for word, Jacob has not had one sore from the tape, his delicate baby skin is still smooth and healthy! I would highly recommend to any parent.”
Read Amy's full story here!“Can I just start by saying thank you so much for this amazing super simple solution to what could have been an enormous emotional roller coaster in years to come. As I was searching I came across EarBuddies and immediately started going through all the information and pictures. I knew straight away I had to try it and am ever so thankful I did. I ordered straight away and fitted as soon as it arrived after Christmas. Even the kit it comes in is lovely and very well presented.
Fitting them was easy once you got the hang of it after the first time. As my son was 3 months at the time the recommended time for splintage was 3 months. After the first two weeks of splintage, while changing the tapes, I could not believe how much the ears had moved in. They had both moved in a good 5 to 8 mm. I removed them yesterday (after 3 months) and am soooo happy with the results. I will tell everyone about EarBuddies and now have the proof to show people who may question it. Thank you so so much from Amy and baby Tyler, who will thank you in years to come 🙂”
Read Amy's Story hereAt least 5% of people have abnormally shaped or Stick-Out ears. Stick-Out ears are the most common ear deformity, and around 2% of babies develop Stick-Out ears in the first 6 months of life. EarBuddies can be fitted by parents at home in under 20 minutes. An independent study at the Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow in 2012 showed a 78% success rate in newborns when splints are fitted by parents, with 73% rating ease of use as 'easy' or 'incredibly easy'. With early splintage and dedication, fantastic results continue to be achieved by parents at home.
When your baby is born, the cartilage framework of the ears is extremely soft because of Mum’s hormones. Some squashing of the ears is natural at birth, but if the ears remain an odd shape after 48 hours, or if they start to stick out, this will quite quickly become permanent as the cartilage hardens. EarBuddies splints re-mould the cartilage folds in a baby's ears to restore the natural curves and hold the ear close to the side of the head so that when the framework hardens in the controlled shape, there is a permanent, surgery-free correction.
While the majority of EarBuddies™ are fitted by parents at home, when professionally fitted and the treatment supervised, success rates rise to up to 92%, even in older babies or those with difficult ear problems.
Professional fitting combines the surgery-free, permanent correction of EarBuddies™ with the clinical experience of trained fitters. Choose amongst our global network of EarBuddies™ Professionals.