Ear Infection - Philadelphia,PA

We've done saline drops with our son since birth, starting with just a drop, not caring if it all got in his nose.

It started with him crying, then onto tolerating it, then onto thinking it was fun, and now on to demanding it, haha. We do it every morning/night. Unless he had a cold (he's had 2), then we did every diaper change and more if needed to keep the mucuous flowing out.

He definitely likes the mist better than the drops - maybe you could try that?

Good luck!!

Kids are all different. Maybe your little guy has a high tolerance to pain? In any event, the important thing is that the infection was caught and is being addressed. He'll be fine. I, too, have heard stories of an unknown infection until the eardrum ruptures and even then, the kids heal completely.

We used a vaporizer instead of a humidifier. The difference is that a vaporizer shoots out hot steam and humidifier shoots out cold. I would put a dab of Vicks vapor rub on the vaporizer and it would make the room smell like eucalyptus and really helped the kids sleep better.
As a child I used to get terrible ear infections and now at age fifty something, I do have some difficulty hearing all the things that my husband can hear (that's not always a bad thing). It has not been a serious problem for me growing up or as an adult.
Good luck with your baby -- I love this forum also. :)
N

Hi Holly, Ear infections can be a pain. I have three girls (all teens now) and our total count of ear infections since birth: ONE!!! Here's my secret: dirty ears! Do not clean ears with Q-tips. When you see the wax in ears just wipe with a soft, damp towel...wax comming out means the ear is working and cleaning itself the way it was designed to. Sometimes ear infections can develop as a result of a cold, those you really have no control over. If your Doctor only suggested using the saline and it really bothers your son, don't do it. Most ear infections do not cause permant damage...and there are lots of things that the Doctor can do to prevent that from happening. Just talk to him about it and your fears. Communication is key! Remember as your son grows to follow your instincts, use plenty of common sense and don't let fear "rule your world"! No one is perfact. Best wishes and Happy Holidays.

Deep breath! Ear infections are no fun for either of you. My daughter doesn't get a fever or any symptoms. As a baby her eye would get goopy, but other than that, she would just become Princess Cranky Pants and I knew something was up.

Ear damage generally happens when the ear drum bursts, which you would DEFINITELY know from the screams that usually accompany it.

His little ears will be fine. They may be a bit clogged, so he may not be able to hear as well, but don't panic. Once the meds kick in, he'll be back to his old self.

Antibiotics can cause some diarrhea, so don't worry if that happens, too.

Big hug!

Kali

most ear infections will get rid of themselves, most kids get them and they can least a week or 2 and there's no permanent damage, don't worry, the only time they worry is if your child keeps getting ear infections, but their would be signs, also most ear infections are caused by viral infections which can;t be cured with antibiotics, so if your child has J. gotten over a cold and then gets an ear infection its most likely viral and then antibiotics wouldn't speed the process at all, but I'm not sure if they take a proactive stance with babies, my daughter was dis=agnosed with an ear infection when she was 3 or 4 months old and I J. didn't feel she had one, I gave her the meds the 1st day they made her stomach upset, and I J. felt she didn't need them so I brought her back to my doctor's office to see the doctor we ussually see and she had no ear infection and then he told M. all the stuff above about viral infections, i looked it up to confirm and now whenever she has a cold if she does get an ear infection I watch it for a week and then get her checked if a week later there is still signs...as for the saline drops we did them but they never seemed to work, those plug in vaporizers work for us, and they have vicks baby rub

hope that helped

i always used dr sears website when i have a question, it's awesome

Holly,
I think you did the right thing. If you waited a couple of weeks and the baby had a high fever that would be something to worry over.As long as your baby does not show any signs of being sick, exfever or tugging at the ears your baby will be fine. When they are young you need to take them in as soon as you become aware of ear problems.We did the saline solution. Its not fun for them or an adult.

Good luck!

My daughter (who is now 13 months) has been diagnosed with several ear infections, so many that we were refered to a specialist. My daughter is also very shy and cries eveytime the doctor looks at her. The specialist did a few test and said she does not need tubes and that everything looks great. However, the specialist said that almost as soon as babies begin to cry, their eardrums appear red. Not saying that my babies doctor was always wrong, but I think she may have thought ear infection a little too quickly (which Im sure its hard to look in the ear of a baby who is squirming and crying!) The specialist thought her eardrums may have appeared red from the crying, but were not always infected. She picks at her ears from time to time, and also has not really begun to speak yet, but Im told none of this is a result of her ear infections/ or red ears. Don't feel bad about your son, Im sure no damage was done! If your son was upset when the doctor was looking in his ears, it may be the same situation I have experienced with my daughter. I know its really hard when babies are that young (espically if this is your first) but I have found that babies are alot tougher than you would think! I hope sharing my experiences with ear infections helped you in some way!Good Luck and God Bless!!
PS..I have also used the saline wash (for stuffy noses, etc) and although they may not like it, it does truly help. Just remember to point the tip to the outer part of the nostril, it seems to not be such a shock that way:)

Kids at times have infections that lead to their ear drums rupturing, it heals and they are fine. Don't beat yourself up about it. I have gone to well visits more than once and left with prescriptions for antibiotics for ear infections. They are really less harmful than people fear, usually kids are just miserable. Many pediatricians are starting to believe that ear infections don't actually need to have antibiotics to heal. We have had a doctor misdiagnose our ears and I had to go back and insist on a different doctor to get the correct diagnosis and antibiotics. Big deep breath Momma, you little man will be fine!!!

Holly
My daughter has had 10 ear infections from the time she was a baby up to 3 year old. I think some children are just prone to them but anytime the symptoms of fever and rubbing of the ears occur,I knew. I have used the saline and yes it killed me to do it and they dont like it but sometimes it has to be done. I also opted for the hot shower to run in the bathroom and then just stand or sit and hold her in there to absorb the steam to break up the mucus or you can run a humidifier in their room. There was never any permanent damage. You probably could do that by cleaning their ears with a q-tip and go in too far and rupture their ear drum more than an ear infection. The atibotics take the full 10 days doses and if my daughter had a double ear it would take the full 2 weeks to see improvement and make sure you give your baby the entire bottle of antibotics even if they show signs of improvement because it can come back if you dont do the entire course.
Thats my advice hope it helps you!
S.

I know little about ear infections but...

As far as saline keep doing it. I use them on all my kids(2 20 months and 1, 3.5 year old) and it is great! We have used a bunch of brands and I usually go with what is on sale but my kids definately prefer "little noses" brand it seems to be milder in some way. We have had plenty of colds and no infections. When they are congested we do it before nap and bed and when younger before breast feedings or bottle feedings.
It actually makes them more comfortable even if it is a temporary annoyance. It actually runs down into the throat and breaks up mucus in the throat too. It with the humidifier makes for much better sleeping during colds.