Ear Infection and Sleep

it probably just feels better to sleep elevated, especially if he is congested, and also with ear infections the elevation helps. i say let him sleep wherever he wants to (swing, car seat, etc.) i often put my kids in their car seat, buckled them up, then put the car seat IN the crib when they were sick. that way they are still in the routine of sleeping in the crib, have a mobile to look at, and can sleep well too! once he is all well, put him back in his crib and he should transition easily

Hi, K.. I'm a single mom of twin 8 year old boys. I know what it's like to be worn out and tired with a sick kiddo. There were plenty of times I couldn't get mine to stop crying. I have one child that is prone to ear infections too! When my boys were small, we went through times were they didn't want to sleep in their own bed and would cry when I would put him down. The doctors office received many calls from me crying and not knowing what to do. They didn't have a problem with it, and they gave great advice. Since your child is sick, I would call the doctor's office to see what advice they would give. The advice they gave me was to put him in the swing to calm him down. They assured me it wouldn't hurt him, and also, that it was okay to let the baby cry. They told me to walk out of the room with him in the swing, shut the door and it would be okay. After a few minutes, he would stop. I know it's hard to do that, I felt like I was doing something wrong, and it hurt to hear my babies crying.

Also, be careful of putting him on too many antibiotics. When a person is on too many, it can lower their immune system and make the person seem like they are getting worse. Motrin works well for children and pain. Most doctor's recommend it first before other pain relievers.

Hi K., Let me start off by saying I feel your pain. We have a 4 yr old and now 15 month old. Last year was complete missery. We battled the same kind of stuff you are dealing with including a hospital visit. No one tells you how hard it is being a parent when you are dealing with sick children (and how often it happens!!!). First of all, you didn't mention how long he's been on the antibiotics. I'm assuming more than a few days, based off of your sentance. If he's been on the antibiotics for more than 2 days, he should have some relief from the ear infection by now. If you suspect the antibiotics aren't kicking it, you should call the nurse and see if they want you to bring him in again. Last year, my son had an ear infection. They put him on Omnicef and it didn't even phase the infection. They ended up giving him a shot of Rocefin (ouch!). It did the trick. Definitely put him on probiotics. It's great that you are giving him yogurt. Probiotics everyday would probably be a good idea. I still give them to my kids, even when they aren't sick. HEB carries an infant powder that you can mix into his bottles or table food. It's only about $12 and lasts for a long time (Jarrow's is the brand). Talk to the pharmacist if you are unsure. I would stick with the carseat or swing until he is feeling better. Do what you have to do so that all of you get some sleep. You will probably have trouble transitioning him back to the bed but at this point, you probably will anyway. We spent countless nights with the bucket carseat in the center of our bed! Motrin at night is a great idea too. Lastly, if you think his infection is still lingering, get him back to the doctor. You don't want to mess around with ear infections. The infection can quickly spread to the brain, etc. and potentially be VERY dangerous. Don't let me scare you, I just didn't know how serious they could be (in babies in particular) until a double ear infection landed our baby in the hospital. Good luck, hope you all are well soon!

K.,
I completely understand! My son is 1 and when his ears hurt he does not like to lay down at all. First, you might want to take your son back in and see if the ears are still blocked or if they are draining. If he does not have any drainage- the wax could have dried out in his ears and the build up is prevetning drainage. Also, if he is congested at all his ears might hurt as well from all the pressure. One more thing- gripe water added to the last bottle before bed could help with the teething and gas. I never knew the benefits of gripe water until I tried it. You will be amazed. Hang in there.
V.

I would just let him sleep in his swing until he gets over his ear problems. That way you and your husband can get some rest because it sounds like you are exhausted.

My son did the same thing. I ended up just letting him sleep in his bouncy seat in our room. After a few weeks he went back to his crib with no problems.

This is just a phase your baby is going through and it will pass! Hang in there K.!

I am going through this right now as well. I have a 9 month old and my baby's pediatrician said the best thing to do is to keep her comfortable. If there is a fever, give Tylenol (according to body weight, not age) I have a 25 pounder so she gets 1.6 (two .8 droppers full) If the fever does not go down, then when it's time for the next dose of a fever reducer, give Infant's Motrin. Cool towels, cold apple juice, water, saline drops, a cool mist or vaporizer, a cool bath....even if you have to get in too. My baby had an ear infection in both ears at the same time a couple of months ago and these were my instructions. Now I think she is teething as well because the fever is not consistent (only at night and in the early morning), and she is not as fussy as she was when she had the ear infection. She also keeps running her tongue from side to side. She will play fine, but her little hands, feet, and forehead will be warm.

I am a huge supporter of children sleeping in their own beds, but if they are going through a round of illnesses, by all means do what you need to for everyone to get some sleep. When everyone is healthy, then you will have some clean up to do, but you all need to get some sleep now or these illnesses will just keep coming. Good luck and hang in there.
Oh, another thing,you need to sanitize EVERYTHING and have the daycare do it also. He needs a completly sanitized environment until his system gets back into good operation. You might ever offer to help at the daycare just to be sure that it gets done to your liking.

My 3 year old has had tubes twice and had to have his adnoids out as well...I have had my share take on ear infections...have you tried Hylands Ear Ache Tablets...they melt in their mouth...similar to their Teething Tablets...which I swear by....here is the link...Whole Foods or the natural section in HEB might have it...FYI - these melt in the mouth very quickly...so he will be fine just in case you haven't used their products before.
http://www.hylands.com/products/earache.php

Good Luck!

K.,
I feel your pain been there done that with ear infections. My gut feeling is that your son still has an ear infection and if he only had it in one ear may be in the other ear. I would take him back to the doctor even though he's on antibiotics because the medicine isn't working. He should have gotten relief after 24 hours. He may need a different antibiotic and ear drops. My son once had to get a shot in each leg plus go through 2 to 3 series of different antibiotics. He eventually had to get tubes in his ears and that was a blessing!

Did the car seat trick and it worked it will not hurt them, it could be the incline with the head and ears. Mom's and Dad's also need their sleep and desperate acts do sometimes work. This will clear up and then will be the time for going back to the bed.

Eww. that is a tough one, have you tried a humidifier in the babies' room? Tylenol for pain? Continuous antibiotics worry me though.... I understand the need... what about acidopholous supplements? It is not something I am very well versed in. I would do some research into taking so many antibiotics and the effect on the gut and what you can do. Try some hollistic treatments if you can. HEB and Whole Foods sell a lot of nice otc products that can help. Best wishes to the little guy, he has been through too much in his little life. Hang in there mom!!

My daughter slept in her swing for the first 3 months of her life and she's fine. Never had any issues going to her crib later. It's just what she preferred. We got a good nights sleep and so did she which made for much happier parents and baby. She still opts for it when she gets the sniffles. Helps her head stay clear and for some reason the snugly feeling I think makes her feel more comfortable when she's sick. I have no clue what I'll do when she grows out of it! For your son my advice is, if he will sleep in the swing let him. Right now he's trying to fight what sounds like a pretty bad bug and he needs all the sleep he can get to get healthier. By denying him the chance you're not giving his body a chance. Let him sleep where he can. It won't do any harm and can only do good for everyone. Haven't you ever preferred to be on the couch or snuggled up in a chair when you felt bad? Same thing, littler person.

Also, to help with the yogurt you can also get probiotic granules from a pharmacy. They keep them in the fridge behind their counters but it's not a prescription drug. Ask the pharmacist how much to use for your sons size. You can only feed so much yogurt but this you can add to any drink or meal. We give it to our daughter when she gets sick and we also use it ourselves when necessary.

Good luck!
Jen
http://www.mommysjoy.com

You haven't said if you are giving him Tylenol or Motrin for the pain. Ear infections are very painful and laying down increases the pain and pressure. I am all for having children sleep in their own bed, but I agree that for the time being - the car seat in the crib is a good compromise. Hope things get better soon.

The ear infections is most likely the reason he doesn't want to sleep lying down. The upright position helps relieve the pressure on the ears. It's possible the antibiotics are not working. My newphew had a ear infection for months because the antibiotics wouldn't work. They finally found one that did, thank goodness!
You're going through a very rough time and I know how helpless us moms feels when we can't make the pain go away.
I hope everything gets better real soon. Sounds like you have a real nice, loving family. Happy Holidays to you all.