Seeking Advice on Baby Pulling at Ears

My 4 yr old son had problems with ear infections and eventually had to have tubes in his ears, but to this day he still holds,rubs,feels,pulls on his ears when drinking from a sippy cup. And he would always do it when he sucked a pacifier too. I think it's just a habit or it just feels good to him. Usually he only does this when he's sleepy.

Just to confirm what some other mothers said... my son pulls at his ears also. I took him to the pediatrician, just like you did, and he told me it was because he was teething. Plus, he knows he gets attention when he pulls at them, so it is a good mechanism for me to hold him. Using a mild pain medication usually helps my son - either Tylenol or Motrin for infants.

Are there are any others sickness or symptoms while he is pulling at his ears. My son from 4 months until he was about 12 months went to the doctor at least once a month and has taken all of the antibiotics that he could. He had really bad allergies and because of the fluids dripping to his ears and throat he stayed sick and with an ear infection. His immune system I guess strengthened because now we do not deal with any infections at all.

L.,

I have a 10month old which does the same. The Dr. said it could be tingling due to teething or just a way of soothing herself. My 6yr old is always having an ear ache so thats why I took my little one. The Dr. did refer me to an ear nose throat Dr. for my 6 yr old but I would wait and just ask your Dr. cause he can refer you if he thinks it is nacessary. Dont be afraid to ask cause sometime you have to push alittle.

sounds like teeth, hon. my daughter was doing the same thing and i worried about ear infection, but her Ped checked her ears out, stuck a gloved finger in her mouth and says she feels her molars coming down. after they poked through, no more ear tugging...until she started cutting her incisors.

My advice would be at least see an ENT just to be safe. Everything in the ears, nose and throat are all interconnected, so sometimes a problem one place can actually indicate something wrong in another place. Usually the antibiotics do knock out the infections, but they can come back very soon after. A number of things could be causing him to pull at his ears. He could simply have a tickling sensation in his throat when he is sucking, but it is much better to be safe than sorry. Wish I had more I could tell you. Good luck.

my son does pull on his ears when he has infections but he also did it when he was teething

he had chronic ear infections and they didn't refer him to an ent for 6 months

when he is nursing or sucking a pacifier, it could just make his ears feel "funny" to him, the movement of the jaw causes different sensations in the ear & the area around it that could be all it is, but since he can't tell you if this actually hurts or just amuses him, i would seek the advice af an ent

I would see a specialist (an ENT). I think the rule is 3 ear infections in a 6 month period before they do tubes. In Chattanooga, Dr. St. Charles is good. Hope this helps.

I have been told that they have to have 5-6 in a 6 month period before they will refer them to a specialist but I have also been told by some mothers that they just called & scheduled an appt themselves w/out a referral.

My 14 month old has had several ear infections since he was 7.5 months old but has not seen a specialist. He pulls at his ears a lot but he does that when he is tired also so I never know if it is because he has an infection or if he is just tired.

my 2 little brothers did that and also liked touching someone elses ears to fall asleep, i think its a comfort thing like the way a blankie is, but sometimes u can never tell if its an infection but they normally tugged on someone elses ears

Hi L.,

My 5 year son did the same thing while he nursed,and when he was sleepy he did have ear infections and when he was about 1 1/2 he had tubes in his ears. He has not had an infection after that and still to this day he pulls at his ears when he is sleepy if he is next to me he pulls and plays with my ears. Like the other mothers said it could be teething it could be an infection, but don't be suprised if it becomes a habit. My 4 year old took on the habit of pulling and playing with mine and his hair when he was nursing or sleepy and still to this day does it. Good luck with it I really hope that he don't have to have tubes but if one day that he does, I hope it works for you like it did for us. My prayers are with you guys..

P.s My Doctor told me that the pacifier could cause some of the earaches cause of the sucking. I got him off the pacifier and it helped a little then the Dr. said that he was using me as a pacifier while I nursed. I did not stop breast feeding till he was a year old, I breast feed my next child too and he only had the paci for 3 months. He never got an ear infection.

M.

I have 2 children and both have chronic ear infections constantly! My oldest is now 3 1/2 and has had tubes put into his ears twice now - the first time he was only 6 months old! My youngest is almost 11 months and has had the SAME PROBLEMS!! He also had tubes put in his ears @ 6 months old. They say that teething can also cause them to pull at the ears. I would go see an Ear-Nose-Throat doctor and get them to look at your child. My oldest son almost lost over 80% of his hearing due to ear infections!! Does your child cry when he is pulling at the ears? Is anything draining from the ears?

My son develops a LOT of wax in his ears, and sometimes pulls at them when there's a lot in there. We use a drop of sweet oil in his ears to keep it soft and coming out like it should. Usually I can tell if there's an infection in mine if they can't sleep or eat properly in addition to the ear pulling (or smacking the side of their heads).

My daughter pulled and scratched at her ears and I took her to the doctor and it was from teething. When the teeth are coming in it can cause the babys ear/ears to itch. Normally your pediatrician will not refer you to a ENT unless the child has chronic ear infections. Also an ear infection can take up to 6 weeks to run its course. My son had a constant ear infection for about a year, constantly on antibiotics untill we went to an ENT and he had tubes. Plus at 11 months you may want to make sure they are infections before consulting an ENT and possible tubes.

I had a problem with my son doing this around 6 or 7 months and I would take him to the doctor and there was never an infection or anything. He had a lot of hair so finally after paying 3 copays to the doctor ($60 total), I decided to get him a $15.00 hair cut and my troubles were over. The pediatrician kept telling me that it was probably just from his hair tickling him and it definitely was our problem.

A couple of other instances that I know of...my niece was having a problem w/an ear infection - it just wouldn't clear up with oral antibiotics so they finally gave her the Rosefrin shots. It cleared up but she did have to have tubes put in when she was around 9 months old.

My daughter had multiple ear infections but it turned out that she was only getting them when she was actually getting a tooth. I kept a chart and if she ever started pulling at her ears w/in 2 days her tooth would pop through the skin. We had to take her to see the ENT specialist and he said if we wanted we could wait until her teeth came in and then see about tubes. We waited and after her molars came in she never had another ear infection.

Good luck! (sorry so long)

I wouldn't think ear pulling alone would be a definite sign of ear problems. My kids pulled at their ears when they were tired. My son did have chronic ear issues that required tubes, but before an ENT would see us we had to have been through so many ear infections in so many months and try the whole gamut of antibiotics.

L.,
My son did that too but he never had an ear infection. My son is 2 yrs old now and he still plays with his ears when he is tired. If he is laying next to me he trys to rub my ears. I think it help sooth him to sleep. But it is really up to you cause you will know if he has an ear infection. If you feel like there is something wrong then definetly get a second opinion. Now when my 11 month old daughter got an ear infection she had a fever and kept waking up during the night so I knew something was wrong with her. I just wanted to let you know that in some cases they may just like to rub their ears. I have also read that when they are teething that they pull on their ears too. I hope this helps.

J.

to me it sounds like it may just be a qwerk of his, when hes sucking on soemthng he pulls on his ears. keep an eye on it if he develops a fever then thats a sure sign of infection. you dont usually have an ear infection w/o a fever. He may have a lot of presure in his ears like when you have sinuses stopped up and you can hear yourself more than others. pulling on your ear sometimes opens it up a bit.

My daughter is now 7 months old and when she is tired or just comfy she plays with her earlobe or rubs her ear. Your son might just have a habit, unless it looks like its really bothering him..... good luck!

Talk to your pediatrician - they may recommend tubes. I refused that for my kids, but some kids need it (the problem my son had was the antibiotic wasn't strong enough so the infection kept recurring.)

Question - does your son cry and pull at his ears? If not, it may not be an infection. You might want to go to an ENT (pediatric if possible) - I took my son once, and 1 Dr said no infection, the other said there was an infection!

S.

He may not have an infection but his ears could itch. I have to put oil because my ears itch so. Also, he may have developed a habit of pulling his ears from at one time having an infection. After we pireced my daughters ears at 1 year old she developed the habit of pulling on hers. We took her back and forth to the doctor for checks but the doctor said it was habit. Anyhow, if you are concerned, do go to a specialist. You will always worry until you do find something out what is causing him to pull. At least get a second opinion.

It is not necessarily an ear infection, my son pulled at his ears when his teeth started to come in. They bothered him and caused his ears to hurt, so he pulled at them. More pressure is applied to the gums when he sucks so he will pull at them more during this time. Run your finger along the gum line and you will be able to feel the ridges where the teeth are coming in.

Hi L.,

He could be teething as well. But try safe herbal remedies like Echinacea. I also used Garlic/ Mullein leaf oil a few drops in the ears. Hope this helps.

My 9 mo. old son also played with/pulled on his ears sometimes when he was nursing or taking a bottle. Sometimes he pulled his hair. My son has had 4 ear infections and we go to the ENT next week, but I could always tell when he had one because of the change in his eating and sleeping habits. Has your baby been irratable or not eating/sleeping well? That is usually the best way to tell if something is wrong. I don't think just pulling on the ears will be your only sign.

Is he teething his back teeth? I heard that could make them pull their ears. I really don't have any experience with ear infections yet (thank God). I would be a little hesitant to have him on antibiotics so much. Maybe a secound opinion from another peditrician would help. I take my daughter to Dr. Wells in Mt. Juliet.