"Even before the birth of my child, I was well aware of Mr David Gault and I knew about his development of EarBuddies. When little Zachary arrived, his ears seemed absolutely perfect, along with the rest of him. However, as the weeks passed, the tops of both ears started to protrude. I gently mentioned this to my wife, who, a little reluctantly, agreed with me. In a subsequent conversation with her, I mentioned EarBuddies, explained how they worked and described what we would have to do in order to correct our baby’s ears. Thankfully she, knowing my personal views on the matter, agreed to go ahead with the procedure.
At this point, we were due to go on a 2 ½ week holiday to my wife’s family in Eastern Europe. We decided to start with EarBuddies on our return to the UK, when Zachary would be 3.5 months old. In our experience, no one – strangers, friends, acquaintances or family – were openly critical of our use of EarBuddies. Some people were curious. Some were indifferent. Some supportive. I was so grateful of my wife’s support, as she was the one spending most of the time with Zachary. They went to places like the supermarket or his play group, where people were most likely to ask questions about the bandages (which are discrete and can easily be covered with a baby beanie).
Before EarBuddies - 3.5 months
4 months old with EarBuddies fitted
In terms of fitting EarBuddies, the key for us was preparation and establishing routine. Early on a Sunday morning, we would gently remove the adhesive bandages. Shortly afterwards, he would get a bath, including a shampoo hair wash (which is not possible when the bandages are on). After a minimum of 90 minutes to dry (and some milk for Zachary), I would then apply the splints and bandages, while my wife held Zachary, who would enjoy cartoons on a TV. This process took up the best part of the morning every two weeks, and, in total, we performed seven applications of EarBuddies. I wish we had started the splinting while Zachary was a bit younger, perhaps before we went on holiday, as this would have reduced the number of applications. I am nevertheless so very happy with the results.
Before EarBuddies - 3.5 months
After EarBuddies - 6.5 months
After EarBuddies - 6.5 months
Living with abnormal/deformed ears causes significant life-changing psychological problems. I know this from first-hand experience of having protruding ears. It causes bullying in children and low self-confidence as an adult. An operation at 7 years old to pin them back failed. As did remedial operations at 13 years old and 23 years old. These procedures were financially costly, painful and, ultimately, disappointing. Close to giving up hope with respect to my ears, I came across Mr Gault during internet research. He skilfully reconstructed my ears in 2014 when I was 35 years old. I can’t recommend EarBuddies highly enough. I’m absolutely sure that they have made a significantly positive difference to my son’s life."