Ear Infections: Why Every Parent Should Own an Otoscope

When you buy a new lawnmower or washing machine, you get a huge instruction manual or even a tool. When you get a new baby, you really get zilch, unless you go out and by a few books to read up on children's illnesses, and collect your own, home "black bag". I have always felt that education is much better than medications. Education also lasts longer, is less expensive, and has little or no side effects. And, speaking of medical tools... for ear infections, you just need a good home otoscope and some dedicated practice.

A large percentage of my day is dedicated to dealing with suspected (or real) ear infections, so I spend a considerable amount of time with parents - especially NEW parents - on how do deal with simple ear infections. These are TEN educational EAR points that I like to make:

1. Not every fussy and feverish baby has an ear infection.


2. Just because a child pulls on his ears, it in no way means they have an ear infection.


3. Just because they had one ear infection in the past, does not mean they will be getting another one soon.


4. Ear wax is not dirt and should not be removed (unless you can see it at the ear opening). Q-tips have no place inside the ear canal.


5. The amount and consistency of ear wax is genetically-determined. There is really nothing you can do to prevent it, but you can blame your parents.


6. Nearly all ear infections are painful. Some are simply annoying due to the stuffiness. Painful ear infections should be treated with pain medications, too. Every ear infection does NOT need an antibiotic.


7. Getting water in the ear from bathing or swimming does not cause MIDDLE ear infections. It can cause otitis externa (swimmer's ear); an entirely different issue.


8. Children who have tubes can still get middle ear infections. Tubes last about a year if you are lucky; and will fall out when they want - no matter how much you paid to get them put in.


9. Adults can get ear infections, too. Adults occasionally need tubes, just like kids.


10. Parents with children who have ear infections or who are prone to wax impactions should own a good otoscope and learn how to properly use it.

Some children are more prone to ear infections, either genetically (narrowed eustachian tubes), short/stocky neck, or by other risk factors. Some of the risk factors for middle ear infection in children are:

Colds: Children get 6-9 colds per year, any of which can set the stage for a middle ear infection. Preventing the colds would prevent ear infections, but preventing all colds is really impossible. Children in day care get many more colds than those cared for at home.

Day-care Attendance: Children who attend day-care, especially as an infant, are just asking for ear infections. The smaller the day-care, the less biological exposure a child is likely to get.

Allergies: Just like colds, allergies can help set the stage for middle ear infection by contributing to stagnant fluid in the middle ear space, or by clogging eustachian tubes. Identifying the allergen may not be particularly helpful.

Smoke: Exposure to secondary smoke from cigarettes (or even wood-burning fireplaces in the colder climates) can make a child more prone.

Night time bottles: Bottle fed babies get more ear infections than breast-fed babies. Breast milk is loaded with disease-preventing immunoglobulins. Babies that are handed a bottle to hold at night (and drink while lying down) are definitely at risk.

Pacifiers: Sucking on pacifier all day helps create negative ear pressure (ear pressure is supposed to be equalized to the outside atmosphere) and is a contributing factor. Using a pacifier for a short time at naps or bedtime may not be that problematic.

Poor hygiene: Most respiratory viruses enter the body through the nose or when a child rubs the eyes with unwashed hands. Efforts to promote hand-washing, discourage nose-picking, or nose/eye rubbing would reduce viral exposure.

Adenoids: Children with large, obstructive adenoids - the ones with a nasal quality voice - and the ones who snore like lumberjacks, are more prone to ear infections. Children with just big tonsils are not considered at risk.

Family History: If both parents had middle ear infections (or tubes) as a child, then the apple does not fall far from the tree - they may have children who are equally as ear infection-prone.

Over-treatment: Middle ear infections in children are definitely over-diagnosed and over-treated. Antibiotics are often inappropriately prescribed; too often and too soon. Allowing the immune system to naturally fight off these common infections for several days can go a long way in preventing recurrent middle ear infections. Just because an eardrum is pink or even red, is not a definitive sign of an ear infection - it is only a presumptive sign. The vast majority of ear infections in children over six months of age will go away...on their own...without antibiotics...IF you give the body a chance.

Making a decision to take a more active role in your child's ear infections is a huge decision. You have to do your homework and read as much as you can - in books and online - about ear infections. You have to avoid those non-medical sites that promote scientifically unproven "miracle" cures like herbal drops, chiropractic adjustments, ear candles, etc. Most are a waste of money; some are potentially dangerous. And, you MUST have a good otoscope and know how to use it.

It takes your doctor years to get good at using an otoscope, and I have to say that many well-trained medical professionals are STILL not very good at it. At the home level, all you can do is observe the appearance of the eardrum. Since home otoscopes do not have pneumatic attachments (that little bulb syringe that is attached to the professional models), novice home-otoscopers will not be able to observe eardrum movement/mobility - perhaps the MOST IMPORTANT component of a comprehensive medical assessment of the ears, and unfortunately, the component most likely skipped by your medical provider. Don't ask me why they gave it up.

I was searching eBay and found dozens of otoscopes, including some ancient ones that you should avoid, and some professional models that parents really do not need. There are several really good NEW home otoscopes ranging from $20 or so to a $100 at various Internet sites. You definitely need one with a good light source, and one with fresh batteries, but you don't have to spend a lot of money.

Parents who practice using a home otoscope can get darn good at it. The more ears they see, the better they get (just like your doctor). By examining children (and adults) when they are well, you will get a good idea what normal is; and you may be able to avoid many of those medical "false-alarms", high insurance co-payments, and time off from work.

You will still need a cooperative, trusting partner - namely, your medical provider. Most will require medical confirmation of an infection before blindly issuing an antibiotic (should they be needed). You also need a supportive medical provider that is not going to pooh-pooh your newly-acquired otoscopic skills. Most medical providers will be happy with any effort to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use, including offering WASP prescriptions (means "Wait and See Prescriptions").

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: Treating Ear Infections
• Earache: Cold or Ear Infection?

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Life Lessons from Dr. Moser

Lesson 1: When you need help moving, your friends and family have other plans.

My adult daughter needed some help moving to a new apartment. Her father (me) just happens to own a truck and trailer. I offered to help as long as she could line up some of her buff brothers and their friends to carry the big stuff. One brother (who also has a truck) was out. He had knee surgery for a meniscus tear earlier in the week. The injury occurred from coaching Little League baseball (don't ask). Two other brothers live out of town. And the last brother suspiciously wouldn't answer his cell phone.

Of course, her new apartment is on the second floor requiring a tricky navigation of wooden steps, turns, and other hazards. My daughter did find two friends to help on day one, but day two was all my wife and me. There is nothing I love to do more than lug a big couch, heavy shelves, and mattresses up a few flights of stairs.

My daughter has agreed to provide a home for my parrot, Dorian. Dorian is an African Grey and is about 30 years old. Besides myself, my daughter is really the only person that can handle her. Dorian was a male (presumably) for nearly 16 years, until he/she decided to start laying eggs on a regular basis. Of course, she does not have a mate (other than me), so the eggs are just for practice. Dorian does not like my wife, or cats. I have both, so she is going to live with my daughter, at least for now.

Lesson 2: When someone hits your vehicle, they develop memory loss.

I had an interesting weekend, highlighted by being involved in a four car accident on the freeway. I not exactly sure what went on behind me, but there was a lot of screeching of tires and swerving, quickly followed by the thud of a large object hitting the side of my trailer. This, of course, caused a little butt-tightening fish-tailing, but I was able to control it and pull to the side.

A young boy stopped behind me. He said that he didn't remember hitting my car, but the paint on my trailer did match the paint on his passenger side door and I did have a bit of his green paint on my trailer - an odd coincidence. And I thought I had a short-term memory! As much as I can piece together based on witnesses who stopped, two other vehicles tried to occupy the same lane, causing them to hit each other, and so forth. I was just an innocent bystander, traveling along minding my own business. Now, I will need to get my trailer fixed...

Lesson 3: Heavy books should be packed in little boxes.

Several of my daughter's heavily-packed boxes contained books. One cardboard box must have weighed three thousand pounds (perhaps, I exaggerate). Some smaller boxes seemed to contain helium balloons or cotton. Being the only male in the Sunday moving crew, I was assigned the heavy boxes, of course. So, instead of lugging a huge box of books up the stairs, risking a hernia, I had to repack the boxes at the bottom of the stairs, or carry up a stack at a time.

Lesson 4: Turkeys do not respect landscaping.

Large amounts of bark have been appearing in my lawn along the edges of the planters. I rake it back, but the next day it appears again. This weekend, I caught the culprits - a family of wild turkeys; Mom and her seven juvenile (delinquent) turkeyettes. My dog happily chased them away, but they simply walked back in a few minutes and continued their ongoing destruction of my landscaping. I don't mind them eating the bugs, but I do mind the excavation. This morning, the devastation was even worse.

Ever since we seriously reduced the family of coyotes living on our hill, we have been up to our butts in turkeys. When the coyotes finished eating the turkeys and rabbits, they ate my favorite cat, George. It is just one ecological disaster after another in the Sierra Foothills.

I guess I could lay out some feed and fatten them up for Thanksgiving. The last time I killed and ate a wild turkey was when I was a high school teenager in Pennsylvania. It tasted pretty bad; very stringy - certainly not as good as those hormone-injected and artificially-fattened store birds.

I spent some time on the Internet researching turkey repellents; and yes, there are such things. I have not decided if I am going to spend the money and buy one though. Maybe I will see if I can get the coyotes to come back.

Lesson 5: If you don't want to tramp in dog poop, walk in the grass.

I take a lot of pride in my lawns. They are green and lush and I water them regularly when our irrigation system is functioning. We have two dogs and about three acres for them to roam and poop wherever and whenever they want - sort of a Poop Heaven. Do they poop in the lawn like most dogs? No, they poop in the sidewalk; right in the middle where a human walks. Perhaps they do not want to be eaten by a rogue coyote during their morning constitution; or perhaps they do not want to get grass on their feet. Regardless of the reason, my sandals seemed to have some sort of poop magnet.

Lesson 6: You can't spend $20 at Costco.

I needed a box of copy paper. It was cheaper at Costco than the local stationary store, so I stopped on the way home. I ended up spending over $200 on stuff that I really didn't need, and they didn't even have the proper copy paper. I had to buy it at the local stationary store.

Lesson 7: Always look in the mirror before you leave the house.

I wake up about 5:30 AM, partly due to the dogs and partly due to my own bladder. I tend to have plenty of time to have a leisurely cup of coffee, watch the news, take a shower, and get dressed for work. I have never been late for work in my life. This morning (Monday), I was a mile from home when I noticed that I had not dried or combed my hair after my shower. It had that same, spiky look when you towel dry it. I had to go back home and finish my grooming. I still made it to work on time and did not spend the day looking like a derelict.

Life truly is a on-going series of lessons.

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• Martha Beck's Five (New) Best Pieces of Advice
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Dealing with Swimmer's Ear - Even If You Don't Swim

Summertime is the season for swimmer's ear, medically known as otitis externa (OE). Basically, OE is a skin infection that just happens to be in the ear canal. Ninety percent of the time, the opportunistic organism that causes OE is a bacterial. About 10% of the time, it is fungal.

The ear canal is a warm, dark, most tunnel about 2.5 cm long, lined with sebaceous (oil) and ceruminous (wax) glands. A healthy ear canal is lined with a thin layer of acidic wax, protecting this sensitive skin from water and moisture, as well as inhibiting bacterial and fungal growth. The shape and angle of the ear canal allows for natural drainage of excess wax and debris. When these natural, protective measures fail, otitis externa can result.

In the summer months, people love to swim. Combined with the warmer (wax-melting) temperatures, moist perspiration, and excess water exposure, it doesn't take long for this protective wax coating to be depleted. Showers and bathing can also be factors. Year-round, we often have another underlying culprit - the frequent use of cotton-tipped applicators (Q-tips), or other instruments (paper clips, bobby pins, fingernails, etc.). If you happen to have a dry, itchy skin condition like eczema (atopic dermatitis) or psoriasis, this can occur in the ear canal as well.

Because the ear canal is rich in sensory nerves, OE is considered one of the more painful ear conditions. It can come on slow over a week or so, often starting as an annoying itch; or it can come on painfully fast with profound pain, swelling, or even drainage from the ear canal. It can become so painful, in fact, that people often cannot even touch their ears. OE is one of the many causes of ear pain that does not require an otoscope to diagnose.

The classic MIDDLE EAR infection, common in children, does not cause pain when the outer ear is moved or the tragus (the little flap of skin directly in front of the ear canal opening) is compressed. More often than never, if it hurts to move the outer ear or push on the tragus, you most likely have OE.

OE can be somewhat challenging to diagnose and treat. If the ear canal is painful and swollen, it can be nearly impossible for your medical provider to completely examine your ear. If there is considerable swelling, getting those eardrops in will also be a challenge. In severe cases, medical providers often insert little wicks made of compressed seaweed. These wicks gradually and painlessly expand and allow the penetration of antibiotic and antibiotic/steroid eardrops. It is rarely necessary to take oral antibiotics for OE, but some practitioners still give them anyway.

There are many different types of eardrops; some containing just an antibiotic and others containing a combination of an antibiotic (or two) plus a steroid. Why steroids? First, they are not the "bad steroids", so don't expect muscles to grow and foreheads to widen. These safe, topical steroids are used to help reduce the often-severe swelling and inflammation so that the topical antibiotics can do their job.

I am constantly puzzled why these eardrops are so darn expensive. Some of the older ones that we use have been around for decades. They should be dirt-cheap, but they are not. The newer ones, like Floxin or Ciprodex, can retail for nearly a hundred dollars, sometimes more. And, people complain about the price of gasoline! If eardrops sold be the gallon, they would be cost over ten thousand dollars. Of course, no one really needs a gallon of this stuff.

OE eardrops should always be instilled at body temperature. Why? The ear is extremely sensitive to temperature. If you put ice cold drops (some people mistakenly put these eardrops in the refrigerator) or even room temperature drops of anything in the ear, you could experience a caloric response. Your eyes will rapidly twitch from side to side (nystagmus), and you may get profoundly dizzy and nauseated; could even vomit. So, warm up those drops up in your hand or under your arm before putting them in your ear.

Do earplugs help? Sometimes; basically anything that keeps the water out of the ear canal may help. The trick is keeping the earplugs in place unless you are also wearing a bathing cap - not a fashion statement that kids are fond of making. Children, in particular, tend to lose earplugs relatively fast; so if you do use them, but the cheaper wax or silicon ones. Kids will also scream louder during water play when they using ear plugs and parents find it more difficult to yell at them for doing something wrong. For this reason, I rarely recommend them routinely, unless the child has surgical tubes in place.

Part of reason why earwax is so protective against infection is that it is acidic. Bacteria and fungus does not do well in an acidic environment. So what can we do to make sure the ear canal is more acidic? The answer is in your kitchen cabinets - vinegar. If you are particularly prone to getting OE, a 50/50 solution of white vinegar (acetic acid) and water is a cheap and very effective preventative. Just instill a few drops (at body temperature!) of this solution after swimming or showering will help prevent OE. Many of the over-the-counter swimmer's ear drops are primarily acetic acid mixed with rubbing alcohol.

Alcohol-based eardrops are safe as long as you do not have tubes, a ruptured eardrum, or a break in the skin lining. If you do, expect that those drops are going to burn...burn a lot! For this reason, I tend to prefer the homemade vinegar-only eardrops over products containing alcohol.

A final word about fungus: About 10% of OE will be fungal; often yeast. Unless properly diagnosed, fungal infections can last a long time and be an itching nightmare. Guess what? Many fungal infections in the ear canal will respond to the vinegar (acetic acid) solution. Some will require anti-fungal therapy, however, so it is important to consult your medical provider when home and/or prescription medications seem to be failing.

Now, go swimming and have a good time.

Related Topics:

• Q-Tips - Weapons of Ear Destruction?
• Ear Canal Problems: Swimmer's Ear

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Dolphin Encounters - Therapeutic or Not?

As a child, I watched a show called Flipper. It was about a bottle-nose dolphin that lived in Florida and apparently had a PhD in psychology. Each week, Flipper would happily save someone's life or solve some puzzling criminal investigation. He would follow his triumphs with a happy dance and that voice of his. I once saw a cartoon that showed Flipper removing his outer skin (there was a zipper in the back), only to reveal that Lassie was inside. Lassie was always getting Timmy out of a well; his Flipper persona could have just dove in and saved him.

I would read stories about clandestine military dolphins trained to detect underwater explosives and help recover accidentally-dropped hydrogen bombs. I would go to Sea World and see captive dolphins jumping through flaming hoops (something they often encounter in the wild, apparently), playing beach ball, or catching thrown rings. Their reward was a few dead fish, a clean tank, and top-notch veterinarian care.

I think that dolphins are fascinating creatures and I am glad that we share our world with them. I am also pleased that humans have not developed a taste for bottle-nose dolphins and eat them. Of course, bottle-nose dolphins do not eat us, either - a nice trade-off in my opinion.

About 15 years ago, I was in Florida for a medical conference with several of my professional colleagues. They decided to head to the Florida Keys and swim with the dolphins. A group of entrepreneurial people had made an inlet to the ocean and lured some wild dolphins into some swimming pool-like pens. According to the trainers, the dolphins were free to come and go as they pleased, but many simply chose to hang around and eat the free fish. In exchange for these handouts, the dolphins would have to tolerate paying people bobbing around in their pool.

This dolphin research facility also allows for developmentally-disabled children, especially those with autism, to have these therapeutic encounters for free.

We arrived at the Dolphin Encounter, paid our fee, and entered the water. There were about four "wild" dolphins swimming around. We were told to stick our heads underwater and make dolphin noises. Dolphins are apparently tricked in to believing our very strange, underwater whistles, shouts, and clicks were somehow other dolphins.

The dolphins were swimming around looking at us. Once they determined that we were not packing fish, they would swim on. One particularly amorous dolphin took a liking to a young woman in a bikini. He would not leave her alone, perhaps attempting to have a little inter-species love making (Once you go human, you don't go back). A bit intimidated by this unwelcome attention, she left the water. So, instead of a sleek, thin young woman to cuddle-up with, the dolphins were left with a handful of hairy men treading water, and a few ample women bobbing around like manatees. They were not impressed. During my hour in the murky, dolphin-poop pool, I was only able to briefly touch one as he (she?) went quickly by. I guess that was worth eighty bucks at that time.

Photo Credit: Rod Moser

For the last two years, we have been driving about 1500 miles south to Loreto, Baja Mexico. Kayaking or boating in the clear waters of the Sea of Cortez is a real dolphin experience. It is not unusual to see hundreds of dolphins playing in the boat's wake, or feeding on the abundance of fish in this area. Loreto Bay is a protected marine sanctuary, so it is prohibited to chase or molest any marine mammals.

Knowing from past experiences that dolphins do not like hairy men, I did not attempt to enter the water with them. They were free to jump up and enter mine, but that was as close as I was going to get. I got this one in the air trying to have his "human encounter". I wonder how much he paid?

The Mexican people love dolphins and consider them lucky. Of course, feeding dolphins also help locate fish for the fisherman. The dolphins do not seem to mind sharing their fish.

Photo Credit: Rod Moser

My teenage granddaughter wants to be a marine biologist , so for her birthday, my wife and I arranged a dolphin encounter for her at Six Flags Marine World in Vallejo, CA. For about two hundred dollars, she could actually enter the training tank, one on one with an instructor/trainer, and commune with those fascinating mammals. It was an overcast, rainy day; a bit cold to be plunging into a tank of sea water in my opinion. She ended up being the only person who showed up for the Dolphin Encounter that day. After a brief class and some instruction, she donned her wet suit and headed to the tank. There were two or three dolphins waiting for her. She stood on an underwater platform with a dolphin trainer and had the time of her life.

Apparently, the animal rights activists are not happy about these encounters and other dolphin encounters that have appeared all over the world, including Disney World. They consider any dolphin encounters a type of animal abuse. Capturing dolphins in the wild and forcing them to swim with humans is not a good idea, but for dolphins born in captivity, this appears to be fun (and therapeutic) for them, too. The picture is my granddaughter, Shelby, communing with a dolphin. Doesn't seem a bit abusive to me at all. I thought the two hundred bucks was a bit abusive, but I was assured that part of this money goes toward ongoing dolphin research, and of course, the care and feeding of them.

Being in California, these dolphins appeared to have a much better disposition then those delinquent ones in Florida. (Of course, the ones in Florida were wild.) She could freely touch and hug them and the dolphins did not seem to consider it harassment (or even foreplay). These were "nice" dolphins; mellow in fact. This behavior was certainly due to their constant socialization with humans.

Personally, I wouldn't mind trying to swim with the dolphins again. Maybe these California dolphins will be a bit more tolerant of a hairy man; maybe even like them. On second thought, I think I will just take pictures of them from the dry land.

If I were somehow reincarnated as a dolphin, I would prefer to be one of those Mexican ones frolicking free in the Sea of Cortez. However, I wouldn't mind retiring at Six Flags. Just kick back, eat some fish, and play with the kids.

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• Caution Urged for Autism Treatments
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Creating a Time Capsule

Photo Credit: Rod Moser

Lucas was born twenty-one years ago, the son of one of my best friends. As a gift to the family, my wife and I decided to create a time capsule in a big PVC pipe; one to be opened on his 21st birthday. Since this first capsule, we have created them for all of our grandchildren, and I have launched a few hundred with my patients. I tell all new parents about creating time capsules.

So, what has changed in the last 21 years?
January, 1987: the Dow Jones closed for the first time over 2000.
February, 1987: The Unabomber was up to his antics.
In April that year, Mike Schmidt joined the 500 Home Run club.
Iran and Iraq were fighting each other; and there was the Iran-Contra Affair going on in Washington

Much has changed in the Smiley family since Lucas was born. For instance, they now have two grandchildren. One of the sons, Judson, could not be present for the picture. Some things have not changed in 21 years - Lucas is still living at home, but in a bigger bed.

Photo Credit: Rod Moser

What we put in Lucas' time capsule (some of the things):

• A nice bottle of wine to celebrate


• A pack of condoms


• Firecrackers (for the celebration, of course)


• Party hats, balloons, etc.


• We picked out an outfit for Lucas to wear on this 21st birthday: a pair of surfer shorts and a t-shirt with the California Raisins ("I heard it through the grapevine"). I even included the receipt and encouraged him to try and return it (21 years later) if it didn’t fit! But it did fit - see photo.


• A collection of magazines published the month of his birth, including a Playboy.*


• A video of shows that were on television, including the news and a lot of commercials. The video also had precious interviews by his older brothers, aged 5 and 7.
• Birthday cards: Written 21 years ago.


• An autographed blow-up dog (with signatures of everyone)


• Stamps


• Mementos: Collectible baseball cards, two antique medical bottles (from me), Canadian money (now worth more)


• A funky, cheap digital watch (it had stopped)
• Stickers and Disney memorabilia


• A Baby's First Christmas Hallmark ornament

Photo Credit: Rod Moser

*Strangely, we included a Sports Illustrated magazine that had a vicious-looking pit bull on the cover. For the last ten years or so, they own a near identical dog (not vicious, of course) now. See photo.

Every Time Capsule should be unique to the person or family. For our grandchildren, they included some of the following; some are suggestions:

• Clothes - we really spent time predicting sizes and tried to pick contemporary styles of the day; the more-weird, the better, like a bathing suit. Sports clothing items are a plus. Include some interesting underwear if you want, or one of Dad's shirts or Mom's bra!


• As many magazines, newspapers, etc. from the day or month of the birth as we can stuff into the box (fits well on the top).


• An expensive, collectible Barbie doll or Star War or GI Joe figures


• McDonald give-away toys from those Happy Meals


• Collectible comic books
• Small, interesting toys, trinkets, and (little) stuffed animals


• Sports memorabilia, like a signed baseball


• Birthday cards from grandparents and great-grandparents who may not be present when the capsule is opened 21 years in the future


• Hand-written, stamped, and sealed letters and life-stories from relatives (especially the grandparents and great-grandparents)
• Collectible coin sets


• Future predictions (We made a list of 20 questions for people to fill out, trying to guess the weight, height, occupation, etc. of the child at age 21).


• Stock certificate (Yes, that worked out)


• Jewelry from grandparents, etc.


• Other family heirlooms


• Local tourist collectibles like banners, flags, post-cards, etc.


• Video tapes (DVDs or CDs), pictures, and a few baby items.


• A "packing list", including an explanation of some of the more confusing items. Delete this list from your computer files, so you will be surprised.

Don't leave any room in the time capsule box - stuff it!

What you should NOT include:

• Don't use a PVC pipe! Too small and too difficult to open.


• Wine – not only did the sealed time capsule not protect the wine, it leaked on some of the other stuff. Perhaps, anything in liquid is not a good idea


• Things that a heat sensitive; stuff that could melt. Balloons and other latex items, like condoms, are not reliable and should only be included for the humor element.


• Things not sealed in proper protective packaging. You don't want a Mickey Mantle rookie card getting ruined.


• Anything edible


• Large amounts of money – you don’t want the kids breaking in to it.


• Anything that you might need in the next 21 years.

How to get started: Buy a big, opaque-plastic file box or other suitable container that can be permanently sealed. Don't get them too big or they will become annoying over the next 21 years moving them around; or too small that you cannot include everything that is collected. Buy a big tube of silicon to seal the box. Write the date this capsule will be opened, who owns it, etc. with a permanent marker. Have a safe, cool place to store it, like a bedroom closet. Start collecting some things BEFORE the baby is born, or at least shortly thereafter. It would be great to have letters and cards mailed and postmarked on the day of the birth. You can seal the box anytime, but it must be sealed by the first birthday.

Photo Credit: Rod Moser

In 21 years, you can invite people that contributed to the time capsule for the Grand Opening party or get-together. Some items will have significantly increased in value; others will have questionable significance. The personal letters may need to be read in private, especially letters from relatives or family members that are no longer with us. Technology rapidly changes - make sure to retain a device to play any electronic items (We had to hold back a VCR player).

You are preparing for a celebration in the future. Let your mind go wild and have fun.

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