Carrie & her daughter Joanna

February 12, 2024

“My daughter was born with a conchal crus on one side and mild helical rim deformity (pointed on the side). I asked the pediatrician about the conchal crus (not knowing that’s what it was called) immediately after delivery and they said they thought her ears looked “fine”. I had no idea of the potential implications of this - that she may not be able to wear in-ear headphones or hearing aids if needed. I had no idea about splinting, and did not realize this was an option until I was trying to name her deformity around 2 months of age. I was disappointed that I did not order EarBuddies right away at birth since the whole process could have been done in about 2 weeks if started immediately. But it’s a challenging time and our priority at that stage of her life was just surviving! On the one hand, my daughter was perfect and I didn’t care about her slightly different ear. On the other hand, with this limited window with which you can reshape cartilage painlessly, it felt silly NOT to try (for only about $90!) if there was even a chance she would one day feel self-conscious about her ear or have limitations in its function with headphones or hearing aids. We ordered EarBuddies when she was about 2.5 months old and received them right at 3 months due to an international shipping disruption. We started that day. We changed the tapes right around 5 days and the shape of her helical rim had already changed dramatically. This was minor and aesthetic only but was really amazing to see and gave me hope that the conchal crus might resolve too. I so appreciate having this option. I appreciate the cost, the quality of the item, the ease of use, the ability to do this yourself, and the international shipping. I am an OBGYN and will share your product with any parent that asks about their child’s ears. It is so simple to use and can prevent much potential suffering. I am so amazed with this product. I only wish it were more widely known about. Regarding conchal crus corrections specifically, I began molding tape into the shape of the conchal bowl (as described in the conchal crus tab at Step 5 of the Fitting Guide) and placed that molding on top of the EarBuddies molded into a heart shape. We did some trial and error and this worked best for us. While her ears are still a little unique, the shape of the conchal bowl on both sides is dramatically improved. I feel they are beautiful. This was well worth the effort. Thank you so much!”

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