Fact Sheet on Ear Infections |
Your baby's eustachian tube is short, wide, and set more evenly with the throat than your own. These characteristics allow germs to travel more easily from the throat into the ears. As your baby grows, the tube will lengthen and angle in a way that will make it harder for germs to travel from the throat to the ears.
During an ear infection, fluid (the same fluid you see in your baby's nose) builds up behind the ear drums. This causes pressure within your baby's ears, and most often will cause your baby to become irritable. The fluid accumulates and causes a significant amount of pressure and pain for your baby, especially when he/she is lying down. During the first year, an infant may have at least 2-3 ear infections. Don't be alarmed if they occur beyond the first year of life. Ear Infections are common and usually follow upper respiratory tract infections.
Signs to look for:
- unwillingness to lie flat
- crying and screaming
- thick and colored nasal secretions
- fluid draining from the ears
- fluid draining from the eyes
- ear tugging
- fever
- cold symptoms
- fussiness
- ear pain
Treatments to use before seeing your doctor include: giving Tylenol or acetaminophen placing a heating pad or warm cloth over the ear heating vegetable or olive oil just slightly and using an eye-dropper to place it inside your little one's ears; massage the outer canal of the ear after putting in the drops place your baby on the side of the good ear to let them sleep drain excess fluids from your baby's nose by giving them a steam bath.
If you think your child has an ear infection, call your physician. If you do see your physician, he/she might prescribe an antibiotic. If an antibiotic is prescribed for your little one, be sure to see your physician again in 2 to 3 weeks later to make sure the infection has healed. Remember, antibiotics do not work right away. It might take a day or so before you see improvement in your child.
Steps to take to prevent ear infections:
- breastfeed your baby
- reduce your baby's exposure to such things as cigarette smoke, dust particles, animal dandruff, etc...
- reduce your baby's exposure to other sick babies
- when feeding your baby, be sure that he/she is positioned so the head and body are position at a 45 degree angle
- keep nose clear of fluid
This information was provided by Clinical Tools' Health Center
(http://www.health-center.com) and is copyright, Clinical Tools, Inc.
