3 Recurrent Ear Infectons in My Toddler/speech Problem?

Hi,
My daughter is almost 2 1/2 and she had her first ear infection in January, and in February too. As one of the posts mentioned, I cut out milk and substituted it w/ regular Almond milk and/or coconut milk by the brand SILK b/c it has the most calcium. So far we have been ear infection free (fingers crossed) and she has been doing great. The transition from milk has been smooth and she couldn't tell the difference. I hope this helps =) BTW, allergy season is here and that also get them clogged up....I would use a saline spray to clean her out so it doesn't settle in her ear!

Hi Kate,

My oldest daughter had numerous ear infections and our pediatrician was sitting on the fence about tubes. She was about 3 and our doctor only thought tubes should be used in extreme circumstance. We went to a chiropractor and she never had another infection. We now go to the largest pediatric chiropractic clinic in our state. They have tremendously good results avoiding ear infection....no drugs, no surgery. Chiropractic care is not simply for back problems but for complete overall health. If you understand the spine is the center of the neurological system, then you can understand how important it is for overall health.

If you don't have one or don't know where to look, go to upcspine.com and find one in your area. Interview them as you would a pediatrician. If they don't understand the immune system, keep looking, you're in the wrong office.

Hope this helps!

M.

A lot of times chiropractic treatment can help with recurring ear infections, I've seen it help all but one out of probably ten kids personally. It's very safe and I'd always try that first!

before you go with tubes try sweet oil in her ears with cotton ball everyday for short periods 30 minutes to hour or overnight,my son had constant fluid in his ears that would not drain and i live by the fact that something about that sweet oil cleared up his fluid this was told to us by a pharmacist that used this for her kids so it did not just come from nowhere. worth a try. see while the fluid stays it's easier being wet in there for the ear infections to develop and at that age the ear is nor developed to drain on it's own. hope she gets better soon.

My daughter had many ear infections as a baby and ended up with auditory processing problems. It was much later that I found out she had issues with milk, too, that may have been the culprit. You could try cutting out milk products and find another acceptable source and see how she does. So many of the children I see for learning disabilities had many sets of tubes - they did not help the overall problem in the long run.

Don't worry, just work on the problem and she will be fine! Good luck with your daughter and your new baby in June!

K. Johnson, MS Ed
Author, The Roadmap From Learning Disabilities to Success

Several of my sister's kids had tubes as infants and toddlers, and she was happy with the results--far fewer ear infections. Just a thought...have you checked about dairy? My ped said it's a little known fact that frequent ear infections can be a hidden dairy allergy or sensitivity. Good luck to you!

My daughter was getting sinus and ear infections every month for a year. Her speech was also delayed. We took her to a ENT specialist last year and scheduled the tubes. Since then her speech has improved dramatically and has only had two ear infections in the last year.

I recommend getting the procedure done. I was apprehensive and freaked out because she was 3 1/2 when we got it done and I didn't want my baby to have to go through it, but it was the best decision for her.

Kate,
Before I started the supplement program we use, the doctors were almost begging me to get tubes for my son, who was three at the time. He never had another problem after I started him on the vitamins. I was so thankful that we did not have to risk surgery and anesthesia.
The nontoxic cleaning products we use are also wonderful.
Let me know if you are interested.
Good luck and God bless
Victoria

I would have her tested for environmental allergies. yes having several ear infections in a row can effect your speech and your responses.

M.

quick answer regarding the speech concern: whether or not you end up needing tubes, fluid in the ears does sometimes effect the way the child hears, which in turn effects speech and language development; also: if you are concerned about speech/language development- go ahead and call your local early intervention program- you can get a free evaluation and get started with some easy language strategies....early intervention always helps- and even if you don't qualify it is worth the information you will receive during the evaluation ;-)

My son is now and on his third set of ear tubes and also had his adnoids out. His first set was at age of 10 months or so... his balance and speech improved greatly after the surgery.
At this point the doc is worried about damage to his ear drums from all the infections. His ear drum perforated twice in last year (before 3rd set was put in) due to the infections.
i know it is scarey.. but as his ENT explained there are some kids who just will need the tubes due to the structure of the ears. They will keep getting infections and they can cause hearing loss and damage.
Listen to the ENT with an open mind, and if you are still uncomfortable get a second opinion

Hi when my younger 2 kids just turned 3yrs and 5yrs. They had their andeiods removed( near tonsils) and fluid drained from their ears. They also tubes put in both sets of ears.
For about 11/2yrs previously my children PED told me on numerous occasion not to be concerned with the fluid in the ears. Finally I started to doubt his opinion so we took the kids to a ear,nose,throat specialist. He told us their was comprised by 25%. He said oncee the tubes were put in the hearing would go to normal. After the aneiods were taken out my daughter speech improved immediately. Please send me a message if you have any more questions.

I have beeen through this twice. the first the tubes cleared up his speech delay the second one the tubes didn't phase him. Yes the ear infection and fluid will effect her speech. tubes I think are a no brainer after already being through this. Both of my boys had tubes after infection 4. I strongly advise tubes after my first one my second one is hard of hearing and I am a better safe than sorry person and HIGHLY ADVISE TUBES IF THEY SUGGEST THEM.

Our neighbors grandson started speaking around age 1 (normal milestone age for starting to talk). Then, he got multiple recurring ear infections. And he stopped speaking.... Turns out, he had hearing loss from the infections. After X number of ear infections (it was recurring multiple times over 6 months), they had tubes put in. He was so much better, immediately. Unfortunately, he is seriously speech delayed now (he's 26m) and he talks about as well as a 1yr..... and his behavior is not good, I think partly because he cannot communicate well. The neighbors are concerned, too, (I've voiced my concern enough that I'm uncomfortable saying anything more) but his parents seem to want to ignore this issue (he does have a heart murmur, and they are more focused on that....). It makes me so sad seeing this little boy, who, with some speech therapy would be caught up in little time..... If they continue to wait, studies have shown that it will be so much harder for him to start preschool or kindergarten being behind/having speech delay. And once they are in school, you're at the mercy of the school system, and if you're school system or individual school is not well equipped and/or proactive, it's hard to get the help that is needed....

Anyway, I'm not trying to scare you, but I think you should get a hearing evaluation. If your ENT doesn't recommend one, ask/demand that it get done. In the state where I live, there is a program to help kids under age 3 that need therapy get it free of charge, so ask your pediatrician and/or the ENT about it, if she does need speech therapy (and if she does, she might only need it for a short while, till she's caught up). The sooner its checked and started, if needed, the sooner and faster it will be fixed/improved.