# newborn's sort of folded/floppy ear ?



## asaunders

I've tried searching all over to find other references to this, but I can't seem to, so I figured I'd ask around...does anyone or has anyone ever had a baby who had an ear that folded over really easily? Colin's right ear will get sort of stuck over when he's laying on that side..it will unstick by itself after a few seconds, but it's a different shape from the other one and it just feels really soft, like maybe there's no cartilage there? He's 6 weeks old now. I briefly mentioned it to the ped at 2 weeks old and she didn't seem concerned, but didn't say if it was "normal" and will eventually fix itself as he grows, or if it is just one of those "imperfect" (he's perfect to me, regardless, of course!!) things he's going to always have. I'm asking more out of curiosity and interest, rather than concern (I know it's a cosmetic thing, not something to worry about...) Thanks in advance for any responses!


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## Ellp

My friend's baby was born with a folded over ear. It probably grew that way in the womb, pressed against something. It was really obvious in pictures when he was a newborn. However, by the time he was 3 months old, he had grown out of it, and you'd never know now (today is his 2nd birthday!) that he ever had a folded ear.


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## WhaleinGaloshes

My baby's ear sounds like what you're describing; one ear seemed more flexible and sometimes when I lay her down it would be stuck folded over. For her, it was also her right ear which was (and still is) the ear that gets pressed into my elbow when she gets rocked to sleep with her head on my left side. I don't know if this is what caused it, but it was my theory when she was younger.

It bugged me, and around 3 months I started laying a soft, thick blanket over my elbow to give her some cushion, especially if I was in short-sleeves. I also got in the habit of checking to make sure the ear wasn't folded when I cuddled and held her close in my arms (and I still, at 15 months, find myself peeking at the ear when I get set to rock her a bit.) I asked the Dr. and he was unconcerned.

Now as a toddler, I haven't really thought about it in a long time. I think it's resolved itself, or I just got used to it but no one else has ever noticed, including her Dad, even when I tried to point it out.


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## gnutter

wyatt's ear was folded over from birth until he was maybe 4 months-It is the same as the other ear now at almost 8 mths. Dr. said it was positional from before birth.


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## 2 in August

This sounds like both my kids. My dd was born with a permanent crease in the top of her ear. When she was just a few days old we figured out it was because she would hold onto her ear and must have done it for awhile before birth. Within a few months it went away as she held her ear less. Ds is almost 5mo and his ear folds over when I nurse him. I'm in the habit now of checking and fixing it, but it always pops back to normal fairly quickly and the is no permanent line or crease.


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## Peppamint

My brother had a really flexible ear, so flexible that he could tuck the top of his ear into the opening of his ear canal (the tragus) and it would stay. Now he's 19 and his ears look normal.


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## cheygirl

DD is 5 mos and her ear still does this, occasionally. Never noticed if it's always one ear or both. We think it's kind of cute when she rolls over and we discover this folded over ear stuck to her head. Never thought to ask a doctor about it....we just assumed that it's due to a baby's cartilage being naturally extra soft....


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## mags

Yes, my oldest son has this. He is missing a crease in his ear, so his right ear is very floppy. I lovingly refer to it as his puppy ear, since he looked like a little puppy when he was a baby with his floppy ear. Luckily, his hearing is fine. Our ped did have a renal u/s done to make sure there were not renal problems (in utereo, the ears and kidneys develop at the same time, so if there is a problem with one, they usually check the other to make sure everything is ok). His kidneys are fine too. It turns out it runs in my dad's side of the family. His aunt has TWO ears that are like this and we never noticed until she saw my son and said, "oh, he has my ears." We were like, "huh?" So, I think in our case, it was genetic. Now that he is older, and his hair is shaggier, you don't notice it as much, but as a baby, it was really obvious. I now notice other ppl with this condition more easily, I guess I am more aware of it. My mil and my DH want my son to get plastic surgery done to get it fixed. The doctor said they do it around five yrs old, so they don't get teased at school. I'm not sure if I want him to get plastic surgery or not, but I know that some children (myself being one of them) are VERY sensitive about their looks and looking different. So, we will see what happens. So far he has not noticed his ear is different. Our insurance is supposed to cover congenital issues, so it *should* be covered by our insurance if we go the plastic surgery route. I'm not crazy about any type of surgery, so hope to avoid this route, but if he wants to get it done, I will not stop him from doing it.


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## Dreamer

I know I shouldn't laugh, but it's because when my own son was born, the top of one of his ears was folded over like that and EVERYONE that came to see us at the hospital commented about 'his poor little ear'... I mean, for months, people would be like, "Did his ear ever get ok?"... He's 6 years old now, and when I see people I haven't seen in a while, that I remember them commenting about the ear in the hospital, it always makes me giggle on the inside to think about them asking about his ear, six years later!









Mama, your baby's ear is FINE!!!!! It is absolutely normal for ears to 'flop' like that, and no there is not a drop of cartilage in there to keep it 'open' right now... The ear will pop out though, so do not stress over it! Just enjoy every beautiful part of your baby while he's still a baby because soon enough, he's going to have big kid ears & you're going to miss that little floppy one!









Check out ds's pic in the siggy... that's *the ear*... and a very PRETTY ear if I don't say so myself!







:


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## SaraBravo

my babe is now 3 months and she was born with a floppy ear i guess you would say. its like the cartlige was folded or something because she has a kind of a bump right below the floppy part that she doesn't have on her other ear. when she was first born the top of her ear would not stand up at all but now it looks a little more normal. the tip is still soft though and doesn't feel like it has any cartlige in it at all. maybe when she is older she will get it peirced. lol. hopefully she won't be self contious about it. that is all i worry about. i hope that she is proud of everything about her.


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## stacyann21

My ds didn't have a floppy ear but he was born with one ear bent out of shape







. He had one normal ear and one pointy little elf ear. I was a little concerned at first but it looks like it's evening out a little more everyday.


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