- begin
- how it works
- results
- online store
- EarBuddies®
- extra headwear
- adhesive tapes
- adhesive remover
- barrier film & cream
- fitting
- professionals
- help
- Sign in
-
-
Worried Baby's ears stick out and want to fix them? Ear Buddies Splints reshape the soft cartilage of baby ears, resulting in a permanent, surgery-free correction. Correct Sticky Out Ears with Ear Buddies.
EarBuddies™ offer babies a simple, affordable, surgery-free, life-changing solution to Stick-Out Ears & ear shape problems. Order online in a few clicks.
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.
PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT
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.
AVOID EXPENSIVE SURGERY
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%.*
PERMANENT SOLUTION
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.
LIFE-CHANGING RESULTS
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.
Ear of the Month - August 2023 🇺🇸
“Our baby Ava was born with a very noticeable Stick-Out Ear on one side. I later came across EarBuddies online and got started when Ava was 3.5 months old. Once it was in place, I found myself frequently checking the EarBuddies Instagram to find stories of success. Seeing other people’s improvement kept me hopeful during the 12 weeks of her wearing it. Ava has had the EarBuddies off for 3 weeks now (photo included) and we are so grateful for the results! I just really hope we can inspire more families who are going through something similar. Thank you EarBuddies!”
Read Christina's story here!Ear of the Month - July 2023 🇺🇸
Since Ezra was born, he had a ‘floppy ear’ that he loved to fold over, especially when sleeping. We mentioned it to the medical providers at his initial well-child visit within the first week of life, but they weren’t concerned. His ear didn’t ‘get better’ - it kept sticking out. We tried using silicone tape to keep him from folding the ear, but the silicone tape squished and flattened the cartilage at the top of the ear. So, we again mentioned the concern to his pediatric team who then put in an ENT referral (when he was 4-weeks old). The ENT team rejected the referral, saying Ezra was now too old to consider splinting. So, I researched online to see if there were splinting options we could try on our own - and found EarBuddies. Ezra used EarBuddies from 4 to 7 weeks of age - we had to switch them out twice as they got wet with spit up, but otherwise didn’t have any issues and are very pleased with the result. Thank you!”
Read Stephanie's Full Story here!
Ear of the Month - June 2023 🇺🇸
“Our daughter's ears began to really stick out at a few months old. Other kids would make comments like she had elf ears and I knew that we had to do something. We found EarBuddies and started it when she was 4 1/2 months old. She wore them for 18 weeks. I was worried people would judge me for having tape on her ears but most people who did ask thought it was neat there was something like EarBuddies that exists. We are so thankful for EarBuddies!”
Read Jasmine's StoryEar of the Month - May 2023 🇺🇸
“Our son was born on 4/16/23 with a folded-over helical rim. The fold was very slight, and we didn’t notice it for a few days. Once discovered, we asked our pediatrician about it, and she referred us to an ENT. Since ear deformities are considered cosmetic, our insurance company will not support funding of the splints, no matter the brand of the splint. The ENT charges $3,500 for ear molds from another company, so we decided to order EarBuddies and fit them ourselves! And I’m so glad we did. Please see the attached pictures! We hope that others are inspired by his story. We have personally told so many people and will continue to do so!”
Read Alexandra's story here!
Fit at Home
IN JUST 20 MINUTES
At 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.
HOW IT WORKS?
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.
Backed by Research
Approved by Experts
Professional Fitting
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.
As Seen In...
