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Ear Infection

May 24, 2014
By B

Having a sick baby is one of the worst things ever! It messes with their diet, their sleep, their energy which in turn puts a twist in your routine as well. It’s so sad to see your sweet baby sick 🙁 I’ve put together some tips I’ve learned this past year of all the research I did when my son got ear infections (he had 7 of them). Hope it helps!

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Ear Infections 101:

Ear infections almost always occur after baby has a cold. The cold lowers the baby’s immune system weakening the body’s ability to prevent bacteria from entering the middle ear. Middle Ear Infections are one of the most prevalent treatable childhood illness, occurring most often in children between 6 months and 3 years of age. 2/3 of all children have at least one ear infection by their second birthday.

What happens is fluid gets stuck behind the ear drum in a little cavity, called the middle ear cavity. There is a tub attached to that cavity (eustachian tube) that is more horizontal in infants. That tube is lengthens and grows more vertically the older the kid gets. Because of that, the fluid can’t drain down properly. About 18 months – 2 years the tube is vertical enough that the fluid won’t get stuck in the cavity.

Ear Infection Facts:

Researchers aren’t sure why, but boys have more middle ear infections than girls.
Children under one year of age who spend time in a child care program tend to get more middle ear infections primarily because they are exposed to more viruses.
Also, infants who self-feed when lying on their back are more susceptible to ear infections since this may allow small amounts of formula to enter the eustachian tube (remember that the ear, nose, and throat are all connected).
Another fact about middle ear infections are they can run in families. Those children who have parents or siblings who’ve had numerous ear infections are more likely to have repeated middle ear infections themselves.
It’s been proven that children who breathe in secondhand tobacco smoke have a markedly increased risk of ear infections as well as respiratory infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, and asthma.
Ear infections are most common during cold and flu season of winter and early spring.
About 1/3 of all ear infections actually go unnoticed. They are mild enough that you might have a fussy baby, but wont expect anything. The mild ear infections only last 2 – 3 days. For those ear infections that are worse and need medical attention, contact your pediatrician!

Ear Infection Signs/Symptoms:

Tugging on the ears – it goes without saying, middle ear infections are painful. You will notice your baby tugging on their ears. Now, as a side note, a crazy thing I learned is that when a baby tugs on their ears it is not always a sign of an ear infection. It could mean a few things. Babies get differed pain when they are teething. Since their ears are easy enough to grab it could be from the pain of teething. Another thing my pediatrician told me was that there are a good portion of infants who use their ears as a self-soothing mechanism. Just like sucking on a thumb, some babies choose to pull their ears. And obviously, the last possible reason is an ear infection. The way to tell the difference between the three is just knowing your babies normal routine. Is it normal for your baby to pull on their ears when they are not sick?
Resistance to eating. Since ear infections are so painful, babies resist feedings because sucking and swallowing cause severe painful pressure changes in the middle ear. This goes for nursing, formula fed, or solid foods.
Sleepless nights. I know, babies aren’t great sleepers in the first place, but if you notice an abnormally difficult night, an ear infection could be the sign. One thing my pediatrician said was that a good way to tell the difference between teething pains and ear infection pains are the nights. How is your baby sleeping? There is more pain when your baby is laying down, due to the pressure in the middle ear. So if your baby is acting normal, but struggles sleeping, it could be an ear infection. Sometimes that is the only sign. That is according to my pediatrician.
Fevers are another warning sign. About 1 in 3 ear infections are accompanied by an elevated temperature ranging anywhere from 100.4 to 104 degrees (Fahrenheit) or 38 to 40 degrees (Celsius). I would recommend that if your baby is ever at 101 degrees Fahrenheit, call your doctor. Even if there aren’t any other signs.
Pus draining from the infected ear. This is actually a bad sign, that hopefully you don’t encounter. This means that the eardrum has developed a small hole which is allowing the pus (usually blood-tinged yellow fluid) to exit the ear. It goes without saying, you’ll definitely need to see and consult with your doctor on this one.

Ear Infections Treatment :

Make an appointment with your pediatrician. Unfortunately the only way to know for sure if your child has an ear infection is if the doctor looks into his ear. There have been multiple times I’ve gone in to just have the doctor check his ears.
Your doctor will most likely prescribe antibiotics. They are usually 10 days, make sure to take all 10 days, it’s important.
Depending on your doctor’s style of practice he will most likely suggest using acetaminophen. This is totally fine to do, but some might not be open to such harsh treatments on such precious infants. It’s your choice, but I will say I’ve learned these things about acetaminophen – first, Motrin is better than Tylenol. And there is a difference in the Children’s Motrin vs the Infants Motrin. The dosage is much higher, and this is one of those things that you shouldn’t just “make due”. I know, the Infant’s Motrin is THE most expensive, and what you pay for comes in the smallest little bottle. But it is worth it. Trust me. Don’t risk overdosing your infant, not worth that headache. Also, I will say, I really really hesitate just “drugging” the baby, or even myself just because their might be slight pain. I’m one of those weird people who don’t really like taking tylenol/motrin for myself, I believe it’s a placebo effect, so you can imagine how difficult it was for me to decide if I should give it to my little baby. I learned that when your baby is sick you have this incredible helpless feeling, and you just want to make it better. Babies don’t have the ability to just “fake” a headache or a fever, if they have a fever it’s for real. Motrin really helps to break the fever. I noticed dramatic differences between the days I’d give my son Motrin vs the days I wouldn’t. And here is what I saw; the days of Motrin and no fever would allow him to eat better and sleep more, the days without Motrin would be continuous crying/fussing, bad eating and bag sleeping. You don’t need to use the Motrin for long, just enough to help his little body fight the sickness. There you go, that’s my rant about Infant Motrin on my soapbox…. I’ll get down now. 🙂 For those who like a more wholistic approach HERE and HERE are a few awesome mommy blogs that have a few suggestions.

Last, but most certainly not least – Give yourself permission to put down whatever laundry, dishes or work you need to do and hold your baby. He needs extra love right now. And those hugs/loves you give him does more wonders for his emotional/mental health than you realize! (For a good read on that, I’d recommend the book The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog. It was written for psychiatrist/therapists, but if you read it from a parent stand point there is a lot to learn.)