Ear Infections in Children

Ear infections affect almost all the people at one time or another. It is a common infection caused by cold or viruses that attack the body at regular intervals. It has been found that ear infections attack children more than adults.

Causes of Ear Infections in Children

The Eustachian tube located in ear is responsible for draining out the mucus. When it gets blocked, the pressure in the ear increases and the ear starts to ache.

This infection is more likely to happen to children than adults as the Eustachian tube is more horizontal than vertical when the child is below three years of age. This can hinder the draining of mucus from the ear and cause pain and infection. As the child turns older the tube gets into a horizontal position and the drainage becomes easier.

Other reason ear infections occur is because the Eustachian tube is smaller in children. Most of the children out grow this infection when the ear canal changes in structure over the years. This makes the drainage process easier and alleviates the ear pain.

Some Important Facts About Ear Infections in Children and Babies:

1. Ear infection is difficult to diagnose in children especially in infant babies who cannot speak yet. Kids who can speak will express their pain and ache while babies and toddlers will hold or point towards their ears while crying. The feeling of irritation and fever will be apparent in both cases.
2. Since there is a pressure in ear, many times the child may experience difficulty in hearing. This hearing loss usually disappears with the earaches.
3. One important thing is that frequent ear infections in babies and children could result in scarring and permanent loss of hearing. If this happens during the learning and development processes of the child, it may slow down the speech and learning development
4. Children may also get ear infections if they spend too much time in company of other children like in school or day care. Having a parent with lots of ear infections or a parent who smokes also contributes towards frequent ear infections and aches.
5. Drinking or eating while lying down can also cause buildup or fluid behind ear drum and lead to ear infections.  Always remember that while feeding, the babies head should be at an angle of 300º.

Treating Ear Infections

Doctors usually prescribe antibiotics like Amoxicillin and Augmentin for treating ear infections in children. These drugs help in killing the bacteria. However, antibiotics are given after waiting for 48 hours if the infection does not show any sign of abating. According to studies done in Netherlands, it has been established that a child can fight ear infections with help of the nervous system.

If you are following the medication prescribed by doctor, make sure that the entire prescription is finished.

Some other things can also be done to ease this pain. Massaging the ear by gently pushing the earflap downwards or massaging the line behind ear till the lower back of the jaw bone can help in easing the pain. Massaging the ear in a circular motion on the front side also helps.

Some Home Remedies for Ear Infections

Home remedies can be tried for treating ear infections in children. Dropping one or two drops of onion or garlic juice in the ear has been known to help ear infections. The raw juice might sting the ear so it is best to dilute it with cool boiled water.

To draw out the pus from the ear, it is recommended that you fill a sock or a small bag with salt and press it against the ear. Ear candling is also an effective method for removing pus. As these special candles are placed in ear and burned, they draw impurities out of the ear.

Vitamin C is also helpful in ear infections. Consumption of dairy products should be avoided as they increase mucus production in the body that can worsen the pain. If the pain or the ear infection does not go away after 2-3 days, it is necessary to a specialist.