Ear Infections at Night

Hello AJS.
When my daughter had chronic ear infections I was desperate. Her doc was talking tubes. I just knew there had to be more out there. i talked to a lady at a health food store and I bought Willow and Garlic Oil to put in her ears. That did wonders. I also got the name of a chiropractor that specialized in children with chronic health issues (i.e. ear infections, asthma, etc.) which both of my kids had. This doctor told ME which ear was the one that kept getting infected and why. I couldn't believe it. She adjusted her and to date, Elaina still has periodic adjustments, but rarely (maybe once a year) ear infections. My other daughter, no more asthmatic symptoms. I stopped all dairy as it causes bacteria to travel betwen throat and ears. My friend adopted a little girl from the Ukraine. She had chronic ear infections to the point of hearing loss (they were never treated in the orphanage). She took her to a local chiro that does children that was very reputable and Lilly no longer has any infections and does not have hearing loss. She also restricted her dairy intake as well.
Just food for thought. Good luck!
W.

You can also warm a towel in the dryer and lay her down on her infected ear on the towel and after a couple minutes of that after some Tylenol or Motrin and she should be out like a light!!! It works wonders.

Hi AJ~
I would try not to put her to bed with a bottle while she's in bed. Also try to elevate one end of the bed, put something underneath one end of the mattress and gravity should help the fluid drain. One thing you can try if she's rolling over on her own is to put her on her stomach, but please use caution. At this age SIDS is starting to decrease, but use caution. Maybe do this with naps. There is a great ENT but he is in Chapel Hill at UNC. His name is Dr. Buckmire in case you wanted to check it out.

Good luck!

My 4 1/2 year old son had frequent ear infections when he was younger. Amoxocillin never worked for him either. Ask you doctor about Omnicef. It is the only thing that worked for him. We did try many others with no luck. Now that we have found how well it works that's all his Dr. will give him. So far it still works for him whether it's his ears or strep. It usually only takes one dose and he is back to himself again. Good luck.

.

The Cold Socks treatment works great! Go here http://www.liferesearchuniversal.com/ear.html and scroll down.

Also, I agree that chiropractic treatment might work because cranial osteopathy ended my daughter's recurrent ear infections at 18 months old. Craniosacral therapy is also a good approach. Dr. Weil's book "Spontaneous Healing" is what led me to cranial osteopathy. If you want more information, just email me or search for my previous responses regarding ear infections.

My son had ear infections from age 5 month to about 16 months, so I feel for you. Motrin always worked really well to help with pain at night. As far as ENTs, we saw Dr. Hulka- we saw him in Durham, but he might have a Raleigh practice as well. We were very happy with him and still see him for check ups (my son got tubes).

My son had an ear infection for 3 months straight before we had to get tubes. At night, I would give him Tylonel and have him sleep in his infant car seat. The car seat seemed to help b/c he wasn't laying flat on his back, which relieved the pressure in his ears.

Even after getting tubes, he kept getting ear infections. The best thing that worked was when we took him out of daycare during the summer (I'm a teacher too).

As a very young child I had horrible ear infections! While I am in my thirties now, I still remember the terrible pain. I also remember the most comforting thing my mother did for me...she'd lay me on my side, very close to her (like spooning) and she would very softly blow in my ear. The warm air was so soothing and would put me right back to sleep. Your little one is younger than I was when I had ear infections, but no reason to not give it a try! Good luck!

Lots of good advice so far. I agree with putting a warm compress on the ear. I myself as an older child used to get lots of earaches and infections. The doctor had my mom let me lie down with my ear on a hot water bottle (wrapped with a thin towel -- which I as a kid always removed as the heat felt so good on the ear that I could fall asleep). So a really good warm compress might do the trick. Good luck!

Give her some baby motrin. Motrin works better than tylenol but you should alternate the two.

When my child's ear is red and her doctor, who doesn't over prescribe antibiotics sends us home and says "wait and see," a remedy I use is 6-7 drops of hydrogen peroxide in both ears for several days. I follow up with a elderberry and echinacea two or three times a day (we get liquid tinctures at Whole Foods) drops in her juice and we have not had get any prescriptions yet. A probiotic made for kids is also at Whole Foods to counteract the effects of being on antibiotics so much. I had tubes put in her ears to stop the cycle of antibiotics,that was when she was 8 months old she will be three in September.

Some doctors (Dr. Stephanie Cave and more) think certain vaccinations for some kids have caused a rise in acute otitis media, a belief I am sure AAP does not agree with. I think all should read up and do homework to make a fully informed decision. That of course is just my opinion.

http://www.vran.org

"Eighty to 90 percent of ear infections resolve on their own without the use of antibiotics, which can cause side effects or foster drug-resistant bacteria.
Lingering fluid in the ear does not indicate an infection and should not be treated with antibiotics.
Many doctors believe that the wait-and-see approach is valid for treating ear infections, but few use it." http://www.nytimes.com/ref/health/healthguide/esn-earinfe...

I am a Peds nurse, you need to call you Pediatrician and get a Prescription for Auraglan drops, They are numbing ear drops and help wonderfully. Also you can alternate motrin and tylenol every 3 hours. You give tylenol and 3 hours later give motrin, by the time 3 more hours roll around its been 6 hours since she has had tylenol. Also you can take a hot wash rag and hold on her ears. The best thing is Ear drops. I have a 4 year old son and he has had 2 sts of tubes and had his adnoids out. That was the best thing I ever did. Anyway let me know if you have anymore questions. J.

When my little ones had ear infections they did better sleeping sitting up. I would hold them to sleep during the day with their head on my shoulder. At night I would sleep with them in the recliner or put them in a little chair to sleep.

AJ,

This is going to be hard but keep her upright when she sleeps. When my daugther would get them, (with every tooth!), I would have to sit in my lazyboy keeping her upright as possbile at night. It was rough on me, but she did get sleep. When you lay her down, the pressure increases and that is what is hurting her.

I hope the new antibiotic works. Good luck.

E.

I would try a warm compress. As for ENT's. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND Dr H. Craig Price with Capital Ear Nose and Throat located on Blue Ridge road near Rex Hospital. He has done two major surgeries on my daughter. One for ears and one for throat and adnoids. He has also been my surgeon for two different thyroid surgeries. I have been a patient of his for over 14 years. I can not begin to tell you what a wonderful practice it is. Hope this helps. L.

I didn't see anyone here mention Chiropractic care. Many times having ajustments done by a pediatric chiropractor can resolve the recurrent ear infections and stop the cycle of antibiotics, tubes and other complications. I have been there and done that with my daughter and only wish that someone had told me about chiropractic care before she became resistant to so many antibiotics and had to have her eardrum repaired due to the tubes and ruptures.

Our pediatrician recommended drops for ear pain. I think you can get them over the counter, but he prescribed them for me. They seem to help. Also some tylenol at your doctor's prescribed dose.

When my son would wake up at night with ear pain (he is 2) i would give him some Tyenol and just try to comfort him till his pain went away.i let him watch tv and let him have a snack or a drink whatever made him happy good luck with the ENT we went through the hole tubes and adnoids and so far things have been great no problems and he is talking much planer and it has been 5 months and as far as the surgery it he acted like it was nothing

Poor baby girl, I know exactly what you are going through. My daughter would get one infection right after another. I can help you with this. If you would email me at ____@____.com, I will tell you what to get and where to get it. It is very safe and will not hurt at all. Others have used these drops and have actually cleared up ear infections without medication.

My ped. said to raise one end of the bed slightly or I have also set up with him instead of laying him down. Of course we also use the Motrin. I'm lucky we don't get ear infections with tubes, but as soon as they come out he immediately starts getting them again. He is five and he just got another set last week.

Hi AJ!

Sorry to hear your lo is dealing with ear infections. I thought you might find these previous posts helpful in dealing with ear infections. Good luck and I hope your lo is feeling better soon.

http://www.mamasource.com/request/5708042735865298945

http://www.mamasource.com/request/16985174215936180225

J.

this may sound very odd but at night the gravity pull from the moon is grater causing more pressure on the ears thats why they wake up crying... if she seems to be waking up around the same time each night about 4 hours after going to bed give her tylonol before bed to help the pain. also i would ask your ped for a refferal to a ENT. ear tubes helped my daughter a ton!! she had infections every month im not kidding we got the tubes and she hasnt had an infection since, even tho they fell out!! good luck!

For ear infections you might try 1 drop of Melaleuca oil(tea tree oil) in 1 teaspoon of olive oil-dab a piece of cotton ball in it and put it in the ear over night. I am a Mom and Grana , my grandkids are 6 years old now-when something hurts they yell for the Melaleuca-ha. Good for lots of things. Hope this helps.

I can understand where you are coming from. My son had ear infections almost constantly until we had his ear tubes put in March of this year. No antibiotic ever worked, except the shots, but only for a short period of time. If you feel comfortable giving your baby a pain reliever, I always found that a full dose(based on weight, not necessarily age) of Infants Motrin before putting him down helped the most. I know how painful those things can be - my heart goes out to you and your little one. I agree with those who said to slightly elevate one end of your baby's crib. Lying flat will make the pain worse. I don't know if your baby will sleep in a swing or the car seat, but that very well may help.

The only other thing I can add is maybe to put a warm compress on the outside of the ear/side of her face combined with messaging the neck behind the ear. This will make the fluid less thick (heat) and the message might help the fluid to drain back down the Eustachian tube.

I hope your little one gets feeling better soon!!

Hi AJ,
I feel your pain. My daughter had an ear infection that began last week and was up most of the night. She would fall asleep for a while and wake up with a scream. She's 20 mos. and neither of us got much sleep. I agree with some of the other moms that antibiotics aren't necessary. I go to a doctor who has knowledge of homeopathic medicine. She gave us Cu Au Ag (copper, gold, silver)from Gammadyn (only $5!). She took this chewable tablet (which could be crushed up and put in milk or water) twice a day for five days and the first morning woke up acting the like the little princess she always is. It has properties that are antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammitory. We also used homeopathic eardrops for the pain (Hyland's Earach Drops), which worked great! Good luck in which ever route you decide to take! I'm so grateful for all the other advice the other mom's have given, as this was my daughter's first ear infection. Now I have other options!
A.

try propping the end of her bed up a little to keep her hear allavateded so the fluid drains down a little better. also a dose of baby motrin or tylenol would probably help. also, i've ssen this stuff at walmart call sinilisan(sp?) it a homeopathic drop that is supposed to help reduce the pain of ear aches and is safe to use with antibiotics. i'v enever tried it myself, but it might be worth looking into. it's in the pharmacy section.

We put a pillow under the top end of the mattress to prop it up and that helps a bit. Also, if the air is very dry in her room, a humidifier might help. You also might try warm garlic oil in her ears to help draw out the infection and loosen it up. If she's in pain, A/B Otic drops are great for that (prescription, so you'd have to get it from your doctor). Hope these tips help. God bless!

My son had ear infections from the time that he was six months old to just after a year old. (He is now 6 and has been ear infection free since age 1 w/o tubes, so there will be an end to it!) Anyway, Similisan makes a homeopathic ear drop that will sooth the pain. They are all natural without any medication in them so they can't harm any age child. You can find them in any pharmacy. Get them, they will be a life saver to you!!!

I have so been there. My youngest had year infections at least 3-4 every year until we had tubes in.

Here are some things that we did:
1. Propped the head of her bed up slightly with 1-2 towels or old baby blankets. *you don't want it to high up otherwisae the roll down to the bottom*

2. Sit up in the lazy boy with a warm wash cloth on the sore ear. Mine usually fell asleep during this time.

3. Motrin was always a good friend during that time.

4. We cut back on the milk products (this may not apply to you because of your babies age) less phelm in her throat meant mucas could drain down her throat.

5. Talk to her doctor. If she is having repeated ear infections the tubes may work for her... If I had known how well they were going to work for my daughter I NEVER would have even left the hospital with her until she had them. Her first 7 years were ear infection after ear infection.

If your in Raleigh your close to Duke hospital aren't you? Call the ENT department and ask them for a referal to someone closer to your home. They would know who's good.

Good Luck!

A little mineral oil in her ear might help soothe her.