The answer

Nadia has been given the correct advice on both counts.

Some surgeons advise that swimming is avoided while a child has grommets because an ear infection may develop if water gets into the middle ear through the tiny tube (grommet) that is placed in the eardrum. However, others say that it is OK to swim, as long as a few precautions are taken. These include allowing a few weeks to elapse after the grommets have been fitted, wearing a tight fitting cap while swimming, not diving/jumping into water and avoiding water that is not chlorinated.

Grommets do not need to be surgically removed. As the tympanic membrane (eardrum) heals, the tube is slowly pushed further and further out and eventually falls out. This takes six to 12 months and is usually painless.