Ear Infection: Did U Ride It Out or Get Antibiotics?

My son had a ear infection at 7 months old. The doctor told me that in infants they recomend giving them tylonol and if that doesn't work then they give them an antibiotic. Needless to say the tylonol didn't work and they put my son on an antibiotic. I was also told that it is hereditary for children to have problems with their ears if it runs in the family so I would just keep an eye on her and if she gets to the point where you can't handle the crying and fussing I would take her to the doctors.

Hi J. -

Why not get it checked out and a prescription filled ASAP so that you have all of your options open to you this LONG holiday weekend. Last thing you want is an ER trip for something simple, eh? You can decide later tonight or tomorrow whether you want to use it.

As far as to use or not to use -- my oldest daughter had a couple of ear infections and once they came on, I used antibiotics.

I think I would lean towards learning how to be preventative and better prepared next time (for example, we've used essential oils almost exclusively for wellness for years) rather than risk her infection blowing out of control. They can be very painful and being bacterial really need something that's anti-bacterial to combat them.

HOWEVER my second daughter has not been sick enough for a doctor trip ever (she's nearly 5) and I attibute the difference to be my taking a slower more controlled approach to her immunizations.

Do remember to add a pro-biotic to her diet along with the anti-biotic. Darn stuff doesn't care that it kills all the good bacteria too :-p

hth,
A.

my first had an ear infection at 6 weeks. i thought for sure it was a sign that it'd be a constant battle, but she's 3.25 now and hasn't had another. We did do antibiotics at that point since she was so tiny. My second had a borderline infection when he was older - maybe 9 months - we let it go and it healed itself. Most ear infections are viral which is the reason kids don't necessarily need antibiotics to fight them. The improvement seen after starting antibiotics would generally be seen reguardless of meds...just the time the infection/pain runs naturally. My ped tends towards watching when infection doesn't look too progressed and we aren't going into time when getting to docs would be difficult. They try to avoid kids needing to go to ER for all the extra things they can pick up while there. I'd ask your ped for his/her advice and tell them you'd like to be conservative, but also want to be reasonable.

I believe there is a hereditary factor to getting them. Little ones are more likely to get them because the angle isn't very steep in their ears so fluids are more likely to build up and get infected. As they get bigger, the angle generally increases and ear infections become less of a problem.

to answer about chiropractic care - yes, they can see them at birth basically. we took both of our children to see our family chiropractor shortly after birth - within about 5 days. the birthing process can knock them all out of alignment too so it was helpful for both me and the babies. They don't need to be checked as often as adults - every few months maybe. But when they have major attitudes and nothing else works to get them back to themselves, we know it's time and it usually helps instantly. They don't necessarily love going, but we know it doesn't hurt them (we are adjusted frequently too) and know it does help so they sometimes scream for the maybe minute it takes to get adjusted and then they are MUCH better afterwards. We always take them when they get a cold or are sick. We go then ourselves. It instantly reduces the pressure in my head and improves how I feel when I'm sick so I can only guess it does the same for little ones based on mine's behaviors in the past. If you are looking for a great practice, I can give you contact info for ours in the Pittsburgh area.

Hi J.,
I am a licensed acupuncturist and I know that chinese medicine can really help kids and babies with frequent ear infections, which is important since you don't want to use antibiotics any more than you absolutely have to. If you are in Philadelphia or near Jenkintown you can contact me for a free phone consultation to see if you want to come in for an appt., otherwise I could direct you to a practitioner in your area.
Best,
E. Vincent, L.Ac.

Hello J.

My son got his first ear infection at about 8 months. I and my husband's father have a fatal allergy to penicillin and all the derivatives. So, the doctor and I decided to not give antibiotics until he is old enough (1) so that his body has longer before exposure since the first time he is exposed there is no reaction it is the second time but like feeding kids food if there is a history of allergy in the family, the longer you wait, the better chances are that they will escape the allergy and (2) so that he can tell us if something is wrong with the medicine. We did have a back-up antibiotic not in that pen. family just in case. But here is what she told me:

50% of ear infections are viral. Antibiotics do not work on viruses. However, at this age, they generally just give antibiotics anyway because it is hard for parents to see their little angels in pain! The key is, if you are going to try to ride it out, day 4 is critical. If on day 4-5, the symptoms are not improving, then it is bacterial and you MUST treat with antibiotics. If it is viral, the symptoms will subside. (Generally, by the time you get to the doctor, you are on day 3/4, so it just APPEARS that the antibiotics are working anyway).

So to keep her comfortable, give baby tylenol/motrin around the clock. Motrin does not seem to work for my son but some say to alternate between the two, 3 hours between each, don't let the fever spike inbetween doses. If one or the other does not seem to work, only do one. Keep her hydrated and watch that 4th or 5th day closely!

I hope she feels better for her first Christmas!!!

ride it out for 2 days if you child is still in severe pain then get the antibiotics my son has had 4 ear infections in the first 2 years at first i did antibiotics but then i heard using anti biotics may make them immune when they really need them and since ear infections are extremely common to use them only if it persists for more than 2 days

My oldest had ear infections monthly starting at 4 months until she got tubes at 2 years old. She had them year-round. She also has asthma and gets pneumonia one to two times a year. She is eight years old and has her third set up tubes in and I think they are great. Without the tubes, she is unable to hear and fails the hearing tests. We always did the antibiotics and I worried but I also saw that she got better within 24 hours of starting them.

My second and third children had the same history but they both had tubes before they were a year old. My middle child only required one set while my youngest is on his second set.

My husband had ear infections as a child and he and all three of my children suffer from allergies and asthma. He has a niece who has the same history as my children. I think it is a hereditary thing.

My daughter is 4 years old now and when she was about 6 months old I dealt with reoccurant ear infections. I did the antibiotics every time. They put tubes in her ears before she was 2. She still has problems but not as many as before the tubes. I am now dealing with reoccurant strep throat problems. I would not ride it out. Ear infections can be very painful and with her being so young, you can only imagine how she feels. I have also been told from the DR. that from sucking a bottle it causes pain, and pressure. I have also used a hot compress and a heating pad to help with the problem. Good luck to you.

Hello, I Just thought I'd share my experience with you. My first daughter who is 12 now had her first ear infection at8 months and 1day before christmas. I didnt notice the symtoms being a new unexperienced and Single Mom at the time, She would cry and i d give tylonal and shed go back to sleep. Apparently it was just enough to take the edge off of the pain.. I finally got her into the doctors office and found she had a fever, and double ear infection and we wwere giving penicillan throught the night...as she wasnt sleeping, the dr advised me as s he was so stuffed up in her nose to elevate her crib wich i did by stacking books underneath the head of the crib where she slept the most. The only good thing about the illness was that her not being able to breath thru her nose... She wouldnt take a pacifier any more YAY!!! shed suck for a second and spit it out so i never gavve it back and she didnt fuss for it. But if you let it go without treatment... you may run into other problems such as fluid behind her eardrum hearing loss and other problems..I was one of the chronic ear infection children myself and had tubes in an out of my ears for years as a child, as a result i have a hole in my ear drum(even know it was patched) i still dont hear correctly out of that ear and i wear a hearing aid..
Just friendly advice.
M. C
Merry Christmas and a Happy HEALTHY New Year

My son, who's now 2, got his first ear infection just before his first birthday. Within the following 3 months, he had a total of 8 ear infections. He had antibiotics every time, but from things I have read since, ear infections don't always need to be treated with antibiotics. It all depends on how bad the infection is. My son ended up getting tubes put in his ears and has been wonderful ever since. His dr. thinks the reason he got so many ear infections in such a short period of time was because he was in child care and his teacher didn't wipe down the toys as often as she should have (I taught in the classroom across the hall and was able to see what went on in the room during the day) and he just kept getting one cold after another causing him to have ear infections. I hope your daughter feels better soon.

Merry Christmas!!!

J., I am very iffy when it comes to ear infections. my girls had one ear infection their first year of life./ lingered for a few weeks even with antibiotic.
the reason nowadays, even though my girls are two and a half, i do not wait a day when i notice something is because one of my girls, at 15 months of age got diagnosed with severe high frequency eharing loss in one ear. after three months it was mild high frequency hearing loss, and exactly a year later isnce our ordeal started she regained her normal hearing. needless to say, anything and everything about their ears, i am all about medicating and preventing and healing.
yes, i second the one mom who suggested get the antibiotic. tomorrow being saturday, ped's office might be open (ours is until 1 pm) or call the doc. on call to call in a prescritpion at your pharmacy
good luck
vlora

Just for your info, riding it out with a true ear infection can cause hearing loss. The first year, the ears get infected but after 1 year, the ear canals grow and the infections almost magically disappear....hearing loss doesn't. Have the MD check, don't self-diagnose and call for antibiotics, it could be something else, but with fever, you must be careful. Lovely holidays, enjoy them! W.

Hi J.,

Ear infections are no stranger to me and my kids. My middle son who is now 7, had between 12-15 ear infections before the age of 2. My other children, had a few but not as many as he. My pediatrican always tells me a fever could be a sign of infection...especially if the child had one before and within a few days it reoccurs. Also I know from experience, ear tugging, stuffy noses,being miserable are all symptoms of ear problems. My kids would absolutely hate to lie down, they would scream and very much wanted to be held upright. Tylenol does help but if there's an infection present it won't go away by itself...antibiotics are needed. You were also wondering if it could be heredity. I would have to strongly agree that it could be. I suffered many ear infections as a child...and even had a few as adult. What I find interesting now is that now there's a vaccine called Prevnar which is suppose to help protect against ear infections in young children. My youngest kids have had it and so far have had very few ear infections. So it makes ya wonder! After saying all of that, I am also very much for chiropractic care. And yes, as scary it may sound to some, I do have my Chiropractor work on my children...and started them going to him even when they were babies. I have seen how Chiropractic care has helped us with our overall health...even with ear problems. He is able to adjust the spine to allow your ears/sinuses to drain. Adjustments for us have allowed us to heal faster without much medication. Hope that helps some...and that your little girl is feeling better soon. Merry Christmas!

All good advice, something I learned too late was that the ears need to be checked after the course of antibiotics. You may have to insist, since doc may not agree. My daughter, now 17 was not properly treated until puberty and it took 3 different kinds of antibiotics and months to clear up totally. Of course that was a different ped than who treated her as an infant & child. She has scar tissue and some hearing loss.