All Resources about Ear Infection

An ear infection occurs when germs such as bacteria get into the middle ear. It’s a common childhood problem, but it may be one that’s hard to diagnose, especially if your child is under two and can’t talk to tell you where it hurts.

The ear has three parts, the outer, middle, and inner ear. The middle ear is a pocket of air behind the eardrum that is connected to your throat by a passage called the Eustachian tube. In babies and toddlers, these tubes are very small and it’s easy for the tubes to get blocked up by colds and allergies, thus creating a nest for germs and bacteria to breed.

There are several symptoms associated with ear infections. They include: colds with runny noses that have yellow or green puss, your baby is fussier than usual, waking up in the middle of the night, fever, and ear drainage. Toddlers who are talking might be able to tell you that their ears hurt, but if they can’t, you might notice your toddler or infant pulling on their ears. With ear pulling, keep in mind that it is not a “stand alone” symptom. If your child has a fever and is pulling on their ears or has ear drainage, then the likely suspect is an ear infection. If he or she is pulling on their ears with none of the above symptoms, they probably don’t have an ear infection. Infants and toddlers will pull on their ears if they’re teething, especially between 6 months to two years, because they think the pain is coming from their ears, or they are curious about the unusual appendages sticking out from the side of their head.

Ear infections are usually treated with antibiotics. Pain relievers such as infant’s Tylenol and Motrin can be given to help manage the pain until it goes away. It’s important to take the medication as prescribed to kill all the bacteria. By using antibiotics, it helps your child feel better faster and eliminates the pain quicker. If you don’t treat an ear infection with antibiotics, the infection itself will heal on its own, but at a much slower pace. Also, while antibiotics clear up the infection, there might be a fluid build up in the Eustachian tubes. Fluid plugs up the tubes and dampens the sounds in the ears. Fluid drains slowly, between two to three weeks. Sometimes it hasn’t drained completely and your child may get another ear infection. This incomplete drain leads to chronic ear fluid.

Some causes of chronic fluid on the ears are Eustachian tubes that don’t drain properly, and fluid in the ears that becomes thick and gooey, called “ear glue.” If this happens before your infant or toddler becomes two, they might be subjected to muffling/muted sounds when someone talks to them which might cause speech delays. When ear infections have become so acute to cause chronic fluid on the ears, having an ENT insert tubes into the ears are recommend. Inserting tubes help to prevent future infections and keep the Eustachian tubes clear.

By understanding the symptoms and knowing your baby’s moods, it will be easier to suspect an ear infection when it occurs.