Managing your child's earaches at home

Managing your child's earaches at home

By Nancy Reid, Staff Writer, myOptumHealth

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Many parents think they need to rush a child to the doctor for antibiotics when they have an ear infection. But most often that is not the case. Studies show that 80 percent of children with ear infections recover without antibiotics. That means eight in every 10 children get over their earaches with just a little TLC at home.

Antibiotics probably won't help anyway. Experts say that most ear infections are caused by viruses. Antibiotics do not work against viruses. Plus, they can cause diarrhea and thrush (yeast infection) in children.

For earaches, experts suggest a wait-and-see approach for the first 48  to 72 hours for otherwise healthy children older than 6 months with mild symptoms. Most doctors agree with this approach because antibiotic overuse has created new strains of germs that are resistant to time-honored antibiotics.

Here's what to do:

1. Assess your child's symptoms.

Symptoms of a mild earache may include:

• Crying and fussiness, especially when lying down
• Pulling on ears
• Fever
• Not eating well

Talk to your doctor, doctor's nurse, local hospital nurse call center or health insurance nurse line to go over symptoms and care.

2. Try some home care remedies:

• Give your child an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as acetaminophen. Follow the directions and any precautions printed on the label. Don't give aspirin to anyone younger than age 19. It's linked to Reye's syndrome, a rare but sometimes fatal condition.
• Hold a warm compress against the sore ear. To do this, soak a hand towel with warm water and wring out.
• Hold and comfort your child in an upright position. Make sure your child gets enough fluids and does not become dehydrated.

3. See your doctor for earache if:

• Your child is 6 months old or younger
• Your child has pain, redness and swelling behind one or both ears
• The earache is severely painful
• There is any discharge or bleeding from the ear
• Your child isn't feeling better within two to three days
• Your child has trouble hearing or complains of ringing in the ear

4. Call the doctor right away if:

• Your child has a high fever or shows signs of serious illness, such as extreme irritability or weakness
• Your child has had any trauma to his ear
• You suspect that he has put something in the ear canal

View the original Step-by-step: managing your child's earaches at home article on myOptumHealth.com 

SOURCES:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About antibiotic resistance. Accessed: 06/22/2009

• Neff MJ, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians. AAP, AAFP release guideline on diagnosis and management of acute otitis media. American Family Physician. 2004;69(11):2713-2715. Accessed: 06/22/2009