Can a baby have an ear infection without a temperature? My 6mo has been pretty whiny over the weekend, has rubbed his ears a couple times, and hasn't taken very good naps. He does not have a temp though. Could it be teething instead?
Took him to the doctor this morning, and yup, ear infection!! No fever, no cold....just an ear infection! He's taken one dose of meds and is almost back to his normal self. Thanks for all your help!
Laura -
My son has had 2 ear infections in 3 years and neither time did I even know he had one. I took him in due to a bad cold. He never ran a fever at all. It is very common.
My 5 1/2 month old has an ear infection right now and has not had a fever at all. So yes, could be. Also could be both in combination too teething and ear infection.
Hey Laura~ Yep, they can have ear infections when they are that small. My oldest had a double at 3 months...due to none other than teething. Every time he had a tooth coming in, it caused his nose to get stuffy and as a result would get an ear infection. It's all a drainge issue now. It was always hard for me to tell if it was his ears but somehow, I just knew. Oh yes, he never ran a temp either. That was the big thing. So it was all gut instincts and there were a few times I can remember being wrong but at least I knew. My youngest, almost 11 mos, was horribly miserable a month ago cutting his two top teeth. I just kept giving him a little ibuprofen for discomfort. All he wanted me to do was hold him. It was pitiful! I hope the info helps...but go with what you think is best. Take him in to be sure or wait out today and see what happens. :)
One of the best purchases I ever made was an "EarChek" meter for $60 at Wal-mart. It will tell you if there is fluid in the ear without having to take them to the ped. If there is, take them to the chiropractor. I've also used ear candles on little ones to clear the gunk out- works great.
yes it's possible. mine had an infection in both ears and no fever.
My baby had constant ear infections and rarely a fever. I'd go see the Pediatrician.
My 6 month old just had an ear infection with no fever. The only symptom I noticed was that she was waking up at night almost moaning - not her normal cry. I think the pressure bothered her when she was laying down.
Laura,
I just came back from the Dr. office today. My son, (4 months) was crankier than usual but at times still very content, and had troubles sleeping at night. He was also not eating as well. However, no fever! I remembered that when my first son was this age, the only way I ever knew he had an ear infection was because he would wake up in the middle of the night SCREAMING! He never had a fever. So today I went to the Dr. and... ear infection! So it is definitely possible for your son to have an ear infection! Better to go to the Dr. and have it checked out! Good luck!
Yes, it is possible to have an ear infection without a fever. If you do have problems with ear infections I agree with the post about going to a chiropractor. They can help about 90% of kids with ear infections. It really does solve the problem!
It is probably either an ear infection or teething. Best way to know is to take him to the doctor to have his ears checked.
It is sometimes hard to tell if they are teething or there is an ear infection. If he is drooling, likes to bite on things and not very cranky, he is probably teething. If the above is not true but instead he looks uncomfortable and irritable, had a recent respiratory infection (cold, drainage from the nose or the throat, etc) it may be an ear infection, even without a high temp.
Btw, my son also wakes up in the middle of the night or during his nap, and rubs his ears when he is teething.
my daughter (7 mo) got an ear infection and did not have a temperature.. she was just extremely cranky for about an hr. If you are nursing try and nurse him to help relieve the pressure, or also run the shower and get the steam going to help. It could be teething too, my daugh just pulls at her ears for no reason. She is teething now too and is really drooly,wont take good naps, and still no fever too. I would see how he does the next day or so, and if he just screams for no reason for a long period of time, i would have him checked out. I was told the eardrum could rupture if left untreated and gets really bad.
My kids, including my 2yo that had chronic ear infections until tubes were put in, have never had a fever because of an ear infection. They've had fevers because they were sick with something else and an ear infection developed, but never with just an ear infection.
It could be teething, though. Does Motrin or Tylenol help? If it does, I wouldn't worry too much. I keep hearing that doctors are starting to encourage treating the pain and letting the infection clear up on it's own because children are building a resistance to antibiotics due to overuse. My 2yo had that problem and was requiring 2 rounds of strong antibiotics to clear up each infection.
Yes, my daughter had her first ear infection and absolutely no fever.
They don't have to have a temperature to have an ear infection. One easy way to tell with babies is to give a little tug on the ear lobe of the ear that you think may be bothering him. He will let you know if it hurts. I learned this trick from the doctor, my daughter was about a year old when she had tube put in her ears. Good Luck.
Yes they can. My little one has been teething and rubbing his ears a little bit, but no fever. He seems to be getting over it though. Sometimes it can be pressure in the ears.
I've have 4 children, all with multiple ear infections and tubes - and rarily they had temps with the ear infection. If they are crabby and touching ears- take them in!
My daughter always spiked a fever with ear infections, but my son had one and I didn't even know it. My sister had the same thing happen with her daughter. You think it's just teething b/c they're just whiny, no temp, and still sleeping well.
My doctor was doing a regular exam when we found that one of my son's ears was infected. He gave us the option whether we wanted to treat it with antibiotics or not. Some kids just get mild infections that they clear on their own.
If your son hasn't had his 6 month check up yet, you could mention it to the doctor. Otherwise, I would probably call to get them checked if it's interfering with your son's sleep.
That has happend to my son a couple times. Dont; know how it works but the Dr. said a viral ear infection may not cause a fever but a bacterial one should. They did not give us anything for it because Antibiotics don't work on viruses. They did however tell us they can become bacterial and that we only had to call if he developed a fever.
Give your Dr. a call and ask them if there is anything you can do.
Good Luck!
R.
It's possible (though not as likely). But I haven't seen anyone mention teething, which is very possible at 6mo. Both my sons had sore ears during teething. Their ears were very sensitive, and the soreness in their jaws seemed to bother them. We took them in plenty of times thinking they had an ear infection when they really didn't, mainly because they were rubbing at their ears. I'd keep an eye on it and if the pain seems to bother him, you could always give him a little ibuprofin, which would help with either teething or an ear infection. Good luck!
Take him to the CHIROPRACTOR! If it's his ears, that will help him. If he's just out of alignment and so uncomfortable he can't sleep it will help him!
They have fixed every doctor diagnosed ear infection my kids have ever had! They have never taken a prescription for it. (Been prescribed but I don't fill them. Just bring them to the chiropractor.) When we went back to recheck the doc even said, "Keep taking the meds they must really be doing a good job, her ears are all better already." SHE NEVER GOT THE MEDS! Just a chiropractor. LOL.
Laura - I would say yes. When my son was little he would have ear infections regularly. The only way we knew was that he was really, really naughty. It always took a day to figure out what was going on. We'd take him into the doctor and sure enough, an ear infection. He had no other signs of an ear infection just naughty!!
Good luck,
Absolutely! My eight year old had 12 ear infections prior to getting tubes in her ears and she never had a fever, also, my 16 month old had four infections prior to tubes, and he also had no fever...so yes, it happens! Good luck! Hope your little guy is feeling better soon!
My oldest daughter had a few ear infections and the only way I knew was she would pull on her ear and throw up. The one time her fever spiked super high was the first time & I had no idea. She ended up with a double ear infection and the doctor couldn't believe we didn't bring her in sooner. So for her the fever was the last sign and by then it was very bad. So it is possible.
