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Silicone ear plugs for swimming

Updated: 21 October 2026

You are packing a pool bag, or washing a child’s hair a fortnight after grommets, and the amazon.co.uk title says the putty is waterproof. Silicone ear plugs for swimming can keep a splash off the opening if they stay stuck. They are not a depth rating, and they do not replace the leaflet your surgeon gave you. NHS trusts do not agree on when surface swimming may start. They share one line: no diving or underwater swimming while grommets are in. Peter F., editor for DIY & tools, wrote this page, and a purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The twelve-row table is the [silicone ear plugs comparison](/hub/hearing-protection/silicone-ear-plugs).

You are packing a pool bag, or washing a child’s hair a fortnight after grommets, and the amazon.co.uk title says the putty is waterproof.

Our top picks

Hush Plugz Hush Plugz, 42 skin-tone pairs

Best overall

Hush Plugz Hush Plugz, 42 skin-tone pairs
9.6/10about £14.70
View offer
Hush Plugz Hush Plugz, 7 pairs

Best value

Hush Plugz Hush Plugz, 7 pairs
9.0/10about £4.59
View offer
Top Med Top Med, 6 pairs for children

Alternative

Top Med Top Med, 6 pairs for children
8.0/10about £5.80
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.A waterproof line is a listing claim
  2. 2.Grommets, soap, and diving
  3. 3.Putty, a band, or a custom mould
  4. 4.When shop plugs are the wrong tool

A waterproof line is a listing claim

A waterproof bullet means the seller says the plug can keep water out. None of these files include a depth test, and putty over the opening is not dive kit. A rough 3 metre ceiling appears on fit advice outside this set. It is not printed on our ASINs. Mobi Lock, Knoxzy, Top Med, Frienda, and the Hush packs name swimming or water. JP London lists swimming in a sport field while the title is sleep, and several texts say the tips fall out. Quiets states an SNR and does not state water use.

Grommets, soap, and diving

Trusts publish different clocks, so the leaflet you were given wins. Bedfordshire Hospitals allows swimming without plugs after two weeks, and still says avoid deep underwater swimming. Soap needs cotton wool and Vaseline, because it lowers surface tension. Royal Devon waits for a successful six-week check before surface swimming. Diving stays off while grommets remain, plugs or not. The National Deaf Children’s Society says follow the surgeon, often at least three weeks, and use putty only at the surface. Use the week on your leaflet. A shop title that says waterproof is not a reason to dive.
Hush Plugz Hush Plugz, 42 skin-tone pairs

Testsieger

Hush Plugz Hush Plugz, 42 skin-tone pairs
9.6/10about £14.70
View offer

Putty, a band, or a custom mould

Putty on its own can lift when a child turns. A band holds a seal that would otherwise peel. Top Med is the children’s putty here: six pairs at £5.80, 4.0 from 322 reviews, with only ten UK texts. One pool session for a seven-year-old does not make it safe after grommets, and one review describes pieces a doctor could not remove. Cotton wool and petroleum jelly remain the hospital default for hair washing. If the leaflet says no water yet, a band does not overrule it.

When shop plugs are the wrong tool

A perforation, recent ear surgery, pain, discharge, or dizziness is a reason to phone the clinic first. A buried fragment is the same stop. Diving stays out even if every bullet says waterproof. Royal Devon says plugs do not make underwater swimming acceptable while grommets are in. Do not share a pair, and do not push putty into a cone. If a plug comes out, refit it at the side. Fit steps are on how to fit silicone ear plugs.

Common questions

Are these silicone ear plugs actually waterproof?
They are waterproof only as a listing claim, plus whatever individual reviewers happened to report. Mobi Lock, Knoxzy, Top Med, Frienda, and the Hush packs name swim, bath, or shower use. None of those saved listings include a depth test. A few shower notes say water stayed out, and other notes say the putty moved or tore. Treat a stuck seal at the surface as the most these products can offer. Do not read the word waterproof as a tested depth.
Can a child with grommets use shop putty?
Only if the surgeon’s leaflet allows water, and only in the way that leaflet describes. Trusts disagree on the waiting period. Bedfordshire talks about two weeks, Royal Devon about a successful six-week check, and the National Deaf Children’s Society often about three weeks. They agree that underwater swimming is not the aim. One Top Med review describes an ear bandit after grommets. Another describes fragments a doctor could not remove. Shop putty is not clearance to swim.
Why do hospitals still mention cotton wool and Vaseline?
Because several NHS leaflets still give that as the method for soapy water. Bedfordshire, Royal Devon, Princess Alexandra, and South Tees all mention cotton wool with Vaseline or petroleum jelly for washing, even where swimming advice differs. Soap lowers surface tension, so a gap that holds back pool water can leak in the bath. Silicone putty can be an extra surface seal. It does not retire the method written on your leaflet.
Is diving allowed if the plug says waterproof?
No. A waterproof bullet is not permission to dive, jump in, or swim underwater, particularly with grommets still in place. Royal Devon says that limit applies whether or not you wear plugs. Maker warnings on swim putties outside this set, including a rough 3 metre ceiling and a no-scuba line, are a reminder that shop plugs are surface products. Our listings do not add a depth test of their own. Stay at the surface or stay out, according to the leaflet.
Do I need a headband as well?
You need one when the putty will not stay on its own, or when the leaflet asks for a band. The National Deaf Children’s Society pairs putty with a cap or band for surface swimming. Bedfordshire mentions a neoprene band if pain or infections keep returning. A Top Med review used an ear bandit with the putty after grommets. A band holds the seal. It does not make underwater swimming acceptable, and it does not fix putty that has already torn.
When should I stop and ask ENT?
Stop before the pool if there is pain, discharge, bleeding, dizziness, a perforation, recent ear surgery, or a fragment you cannot see clearly. Stop during the session if water hurts or the plug breaks up. A piece left in the canal needs a clinician, not a cotton bud. Grommet plans, including when swimming may restart, belong to the team that operated. The amazon.co.uk star line cannot make that decision for you.

Related pages

Silicone ear plugs buying guide

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Sources

Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts are from the twelve listings in this comparison. Page updated 21 October 2026.

  1. HSE hearing protection (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK PPE marking (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. BS EN 352-2:2020+A1:2024 preview (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. NHS earwax build-up (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. Royal Devon water precautions (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. NDCS swimming (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. Which? sleeping ear plugs (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  9. Just Ears, using ear plugs (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  10. UCLH aural microsuction (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  11. amazon.co.uk listing example, Deep Sleeps (retrieved 21 October 2026)