Seeking Advice for Comforting a Child with an Ear Infection

Try Chamomilla (homeopathic remedy) for the pain and irritability, Pulsatilla for the mucous, and Hepa Sulph for the infection.

That combo always worked VERY well wtih my children.

Hi H.,
It looks like you have tons of advice. My daughter suffered for 2 years with ear infections every other month. She ended up having tubes put in her ears and adenoids taken out at the age of 4 and it was the best thing for her. So, I remember those sleepless nights. You need to keep her head elevated and give her a decongestion. The heat only works if it helps. If she doesn't like it then don't do it. If she continues to have ear infections, take her to a specialist. Please don't take her to a chiropractor. Having her neck adjusted could cause permanent nerve damage if done incorrectly.
There are drops that help but I would use the one the dr. gives you. If it is an infection int he middle ear, only antibiotics will solve the problem. Like I said, if she continues to have ear infections, she a specialist (with recommendations). Good luck.

Something hubby can do that is really comforting for ear infections, aside from the ear drops mentioned by other posters, is get a washcloth wet with comfortably warm water, ring out, and lay across the painful ear (warmth always helps ear aches). Hope the poor baby begins to feel better, those are really painful for them.
K.

I used some homeopathic remedy from the healthfood store. It contains oils like garlic and olive..I'd always ask your pedi. before you use any alternative medicines with the abx.or other meds.
My husband puts on some soft music, turns down the lights and rocks my son.
Lynelle

I find that ibuprofen works better on my kids than acetaminophen. I also use Mullien and Garlic Oil drops to help relieve the fluid buildup in the ears. You might also try the ear ache tablets in the homeopathic/natural medicine section. With the drops, I put some in the ear and gently massage it to work it in. You might also try a hot water bottle against her ear, it is what my M-I-L did with her kids and seemed to give them a little comfort.

Good luck and it will pass in a day or two when the antibiotics kick in.

Oh, and what I miss most about my mom when I'm sick is the extra pampering.

D.

reading some of the replies, it is obvious that people have different oppinions on using drugs or not. That is up to you as an individual. However, as to your question, try placing just some cotton ball in her ear. Sometimes just blocking the air getting to her eardrum can make a huge difference. Also, the warm compress works too and you could add a couple drops of warm olive oil before placing the cotton ball in. Make sure it is not hot or it will hurt more.

As for your husband, he can help get the warm coth and stuff. Your daughter will let you know what she wants and as her main care giver, she will most likely want you as her comforter. He needs to try to not take it personally. All he can do is keep trying to rock her and comfort her, but be willing to give her to you when she is protesting his efforts.

Hi H. - I am a mom with two boys who had lots of ear infections - I did too as a kid. It is hard to see our little ones go through anything painful but the good thing is it is short term. You have had several suggestions to stop the medication. At this point I would strongly recommend that if you have already started then finish the entire course. You can choose in the future to no have them. The BIG problem with infections & other bugs is when treatment is started but not completed, that is where these infections & other nasty bugs get their resistance from. So my recommendation is to finish this course of medication so there is less likely a chance of that happening with your daughter. Work with your peditrician on other treatments in the future, most docs don't really like to give meds unless there is no other choice or unless parents push for it.

On the soothing side of things due to her age snuggle time, a "warm" hot water bottle, or a heated rice bag (my kids fav) will help. My kids also love taking baths & playing - it helped them to get distracted with something else for a short time. You may want to place cotton balls in her ears to keep any other water from getting in & aggravating the ear canal & drum more. The good thing is it does not last very long.

If your daughter has reoccurring infections ask for a referral to an ENT. They can better diagnose and treat prolonged ear issues and to see if there are any underlying problems. Many times the repeat infections has to deal with the very little drain tube that is below the ear that gets clogged or pressured to close thus causing a backup behind the ear drum and thus an infection. This was the problem with my boys so almost every cough or sniffle would close up those tubes and an ear infection would start up. Both my boys did have surgery to place tubes in their ears and take out their adenoids (that is what helps to apply pressure to the drain tubes) removed, yes they can still get infections after but not to the degree and pain without them. Because I had my boys seeing the ENT he was able to also spot a very negative situation for my youngest and through surgery got that fixed too. I don't like to have any kid in for surgery but when it outweighed the alternate we chose that route.

Dads do feel a little out of sorts when kids run to mom when they don't feel good but again that is short lived and if your husband understands that it is nothing against him then he can relax. But using the rice bag or something else warm on her ears and snuggling together and maybe she and daddy can watch some good PBS Kids shows and relax. Hope this helps & it will get better!

Been there! Nursing is really what your daughter probably wants more than anything else so you're already doing what is probably most comforting for her. I ask for extra help from my husband and when I thank him, I make sure I thank him for taking care of me and our child. For example, he could hold her while I make lunch, but she's more comforted when I hold her so I ask him to make lunch. It's something he can do to take care of her indirectly, but is also gives him something productive to do. If she's okay with it, let your husband hold and rock her. If she stays at least partially upright, she'll be more comfortable than laying flat on her back. At night, if she's in her own bed, it might be helpful to raise the head of her bed. We put phone books under the mattress and that worked well. A good task for a chopped liver dad! :) Maybe your husband can do all the diaper changes since you're providing the extra cuddles?

I noticed there's a lot of discussion about meds in other posts. Do what feels right. I don't like to medicate my child, but I also don't want her fever to go super high and I don't want her to be in pain. In general, we've found that ibuprofen tends to bring the fever down quicker and help her be more comfortable quicker than tylenol. Ask your doctor about any med choices that you're considering. Most pediatricians have a 24 hour nurse hotline.

H.,

Sometimes this happens. The best thing I've found is to pamper her just a little more than usual. In the grand scheme of things an ear infection is a short, small problem. Just keep trying and telling her that Mommy and Daddy lover her very much.

That's what we do with either one of my kids when they are sick. They get more cuddles and a little pampering until they are better.

On another note, my daughter will be two in March and has only just now started to get away from her Mommy Phase. And now that I've said that, I've jinxed it all and she'll go back to clinging to me like a barnacle.

Oh, maybe try and do something special with/for your hubby so he knows he's still appreciated even though he's being excluded.

Hope this rambling helps,
Melissa

Hi H.,

I too tossed the antibiotic and the tylenol prescription and used both breastmilk and mullien and garlic oil in my daughter's ear. Her ear infection is probably due to teething and most ear infections clear up on their own without antibiotics. In fact the antibiotics are harmful because they wipe out all of her bodies natural defenses against everything. They also create antibiotic resistant bacteria. A fever is also fighting the infection and tylenol takes away her bodies natural way of fighting it. It may be hard to watch our little ones with a fever and pain, but their bodies are well equipped to handle it on their own and it will pass in a few days without drugs made by drug companies who's only interest is in keeping us sick so they can sell us MORE drugs and make more money. The mullien garlic oil can be found in a health food store and is very soothing, I even gave mine to my daughter in her sleep and it didn't wake her. Garlic is a very powerful antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal and it is actually good for their little bodies instead of being hard on their little kidneys and livers. I just held my daughter through her entire ordeal and put in the mullien garlic oil and breast milk and tried to get her to nurse as often as she would.

Dad is just going to have to accept that baby wants you right now and that's the way it is. I think all Daddies feel a little put out by it, but they are grown men and are just going to have to deal with it. Babies want their Mommies when they are sick, that's just the way it is. Dad will have plenty of time to play and cuddle with her when she is better.

Just a quick query, does your daughter prefer to nurse on one side over the other? Breast milk also has antibiotic and antiviral properties and getting the breast milk to flow over the infected ear by placing it down will help. My daughter preferred one breast and I think that facilitated her getting the ear infection in the ear that was always up because that good healthy milk wasn't flowing over the one ear and then teething started and caused an irritation and it took off from there. Best of luck and I hope she feels better soon.

H.,

You could put a wet, warm washcloth on it. Get it warm, ring it out, and hold it next to her ear. It should help at least a little.

I had 16 ear infections been ages 3-4 (this is 30+ years ago!) and I remember waiting tearfully while my mom heated salt in a cast-iron skillet on the stove. She'd pour it into a double-layered sweat sock and tie off the end, and I'd hold the warm sock against my ear and the pain would fade away. Now that I've typed this, I'll bet a "bucky" in the microwave would have the same effect! Good luck - I hope you and your little one find relief. :)

Strange as this may sound the best solution I ever came across for an ear infection was to toss the medication and squirt some breastmilk in my little one's ear. The medication didn't do any good, but the breast milk cleared the infection up completely within 48 hours and she showed no signs of pain or discomfort within minutes. Now when her ears hurt she asks for a squirt, lol.

There are drops that you can put in their ears to help with the discomfort. When my niece had an ear infection that is all they gave her. What I don't know is if they are over the counter or if you need a prescription.
Good luck!

toss the antibiotics, they are doing more harm than good. ear infections will go away on their own in 2-3 days. frequent use of antibiotics can create superbugs, or bacterial infections that are resistant to antibiotics. also, they won't reduce her pain level for at least 24 hours, if at all.
warm compresses, lots of patience, lots of cuddles. i know it's hard when your child is sick to just sit and "do nothing", but in most cases of cold, sore throats (NOT strep), ear infections, etc that really is the best option for your child, for you, and for public health and safety.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16140545/ is a good article about the overuse of antibiotics in ear infections.

If it is pressure making him hurt, a little rice in a sock heated up helps a lot. I still get ear infections and the heat really helps ease the pressure.

There are ear drops that I think you get by prescription. Emmanuel Hospital used them on my son to relieve an ear infection immediately. This was many years ago. I'd call the advice nurse to ask.

My daughter had chronic ear infections and some home grown things that I do to help her is a warm wet washcloth on her ear and elevating the head of the crib to a 45 degree angle (a perfect daddy job if I ever saw one!).

Hi H.-
I have heard that running a hair dryer on low and cool or warm on the sore ear helps dry out some of the moisture and relieves some of the pressure. Hope it helps.
Annemarie

The American Pediatric association even claims that antibiotics don't help ear infections. Try some natural ear infection drops, you can get some at new seasons. If you are givign her dairy, then try stopping it, most kids who get ear infections are allergic to dairy. Or try a naturopath. When i was little, my mom heated up salt & put it in a sock that she tied off. THen I put the sock up to my ear& the heat really relieved the pain. I still o this & it works great...but i made one mistake...I didn't know that salt can get really, really hot & melt...say a countertop! So please make sure you just heat it up alittle to get it warm & then it works great!

Something we found for our daughter when she was 1 1/2. The ear mullen oil others have spoken about, cranial-sacral work - helps to open up the ear and relieve the pressure, so the pain is gone right away. For preventitive, stop with all dairy. She is now 8 and has not had ear tubes, medications, ect. She has had a couple of ear aches, when she has had ice cream and several days in a row of birthday parties. I hope your little one is better soon. Does any one know the old time remedy of using a potatoe, cut and held by the ear?

When nursing (which I think is best) make sure your child is elevated, almost in a sitting position to keep liquid from settling in the ear.
Secondly, I read a lot of these about tylenol and not using it, etc. If you choose not to use it please be aware of the chance of a fever seizure (been through 3 with my children so I know first hand, and 1 with a grandson). I don't want to scare anyone but what I would like to suggest is this. Take your childs temp every hour, and keep a close eye on said temp. If it rises quickly (and a lot of times they do just that) you have a child who can easily go into a seizure.
Here are some suggestions for keeping the babies temps from rising quickly.
1 keep the house temp. at 68 or so, and allow your little one to be in just a t-shirt or something light.
2 If you are going to hold the child keep in mind you might be helping with raising the temp. (That is what happened with my grandson who had a ear infection, and runny nose and fever daddy was holding him when he got home from work and moments later he was having a seizure).
3 If the temp is above 102. get them in a temped bath and with the washcloths rub up and down their back and front to try and break the fever, I know it won't be comfortable for you or the baby but trust me it is much better then having them seize.
Also remember that a child can have a temp that remains 101 or there about's all day long and can suddenly spike.
But if you can keep these things in mind, I think it will decrease the chance of a fever seizure.
I do hope this helps and doesn't scare anyone, but having lived through so many of these I figure getting the information out is the best way to avoid someone going through what I had to go through.
God Bless

Dear H.,
Have you considered taking her to a chiropractor? Her spine might be out of alignment which could slow the healing process and possibly cause more distress. Some beliefs are with the spine out of alignment the child could be prone to have repeated ear infections.
I have been taking my daughter to a chiropractor since she was about 2 weeks old and thankfully we have not had any ear infections to date (or anything worse than a cold).
The best to you and your family during this difficult time.
God Bless-

Thirty-five plus years ago when we had one of those Seattle storms like we just had and my step son had woke up with and ear ache in the middle of the night screaming, I called my mother in law for help. She suggested having him lay on a heated towel. Put the towel in the dryer for a while and have your daughter put her ear on the towel. It worked for my son.

Old wives remedy. Anything in a pinch I always say.

Hi H.
what i have found that sometimes works and it does help relieve pressure we take a wasg cloth get it as hot as the hands can handle with hot water , wring it out and as you fold it into a square it cools a little and then hold it to the ear. my grandson has been doing this for himself if his ear hurts he has had tubes twice. we do have to ring out the cloth for him but he likes to do the holding
Paula

Have your doctor prescribe A/B Optic Drops.

My 20 month old has had many ear infections and the drops take away the pain in the first days of using the antibiotic. I found that they were better than the acetaminophen.

Good luck!

I know that there are some people that prefer to not give their families antibiotics, however, if you have already started the course of antibiotics, then it is best to finish the whole treatment. If you stop partway through, then it allows the body to build up an immunity to that antibiotic, and if you really need it later on, it can diminish its effectiveness (the whole superbug thing). so if you are thinking of going that route, I would ask a medical person about it before discontinuing treatment. Good luck, and as I tell myself when these types of things happen, this won't last forever!
J.

Warm compresses to the infected ear.... have Dad hold with the sore ear resting on his chest with a 'warm' hot water bottle between them. The warmth will ease the pain. Also, try getting her to drink from a straw. This type of sucking helps to clear the inner ear, drawing the infection out and down the eustacian tube to the digestive track, getting rid of it. If the pain persists, talk to your dr about ear drops that have a numbing effect, warmed sweet oil drops were ofter prescribed for my brothers when they had severe ear infections. And now when I get an ear infection, my dr. prescribes Cipro antibiotic drops. I have a tube in my one ear, so it drains to the outside. Something to think and ask about. Best of luck. The warm compresses really do help, even when you get older.