Home Remedies for Your Baby’s Ear Infection

What is an ear infection?
If your baby is fussy, cries more than usual, and tugs at their ear, they may have an ear infection. Five out of six children will have an ear infection before their 3rd birthday, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
An ear infection, or otitis media, is a painful inflammation of the middle ear. Most middle ear infections occur between the ear drum and the eustachian tube, which connects the ears, nose, and throat.

Ear infections often follow a cold. Bacteria or viruses are usually the cause. The infection causes inflammation and swelling of the eustachian tube. The tube narrows and fluid builds behind the eardrum, causing pressure and pain. Children have shorter and narrower eustachian tubes than adults. Also, their tubes are more horizontal, so it’s easier for them to get blocked.
Approximately 5 to 10 percent of children with an ear infection will experience a ruptured eardrum, according to the Children’s National Health System. The eardrum usually heals within one to two weeks, and rarely causes permanent damage to the child’s hearing.

Symptoms of an ear infection
Earaches can be painful and your baby can’t tell you what hurts. But there are several common signs:
• irritability
• pulling or batting at the ear (note that if your baby has no other symptoms this is an unreliable sign)
• loss of appetite
• trouble sleeping
• fever
• fluid draining from ear

Ear infections can cause dizziness. If your baby has reached the wobbling stage, take extra care to protect them from falls.
Antibiotics
For years, antibiotics were prescribed for ear infections. We now know that antibiotics are often not the best option. A research review published in The Journal of the American Medical Association notes that among average-risk children with ear infections, 80 percent recover in about three days without the use of antibiotics. Using antibiotics to treat an ear infection may cause the bacteria responsible for ear infections to become resistant to antibiotics. This makes it harder to treat future infections.

What you can do
Ear infections can cause pain, but there are measures you can take to help ease the pain. Here are six home remedies.
Warm compress
Try placing a warm, moist compress over your child’s ear for about 10 to 15 minutes. This may help reduce pain.
Acetaminophen
If your baby is older than 6 months, acetaminophen (Tylenol) may help relieve pain and fever. Use the medication as recommended by your doctor and the instructions on the pain reliever’s bottle. For best results, try giving your child a dose before bed.

Warm oil
If there is no fluid draining from your child’s ear and a ruptured eardrum isn’t suspected, place a few drops of room temperature or slightly warmed olive oil or sesame oil in the affected ear.
Stay hydrated
Offer your child fluids often. Swallowing can help open the eustachian tube so the trapped fluid can drain.
Elevate your baby’s head
Slightly elevate the crib at the head to improve your baby’s sinus drainage. Do not place pillows under your baby’s head. Instead, place a pillow or two under the mattress.