Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
There are mainly three kinds of ear infections according to the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders, namely:
Acute otitis media – Sections of the middle ear are infected and swollen leading to fluid build-up behind the eardrum which causes ear pain and fever.
Otitis media with effusion – When fluids remain trapped behind the eardrum after having ear infection.
Chronic otitis media with effusion– When fluids stay trapped for long periods of time behind the eardrum or keeps returning even with no infection. This can impact your baby’s hearing.
Symptoms Of Ear Infections in Children
• Pulling or tugging his ear.
• Crying and fussiness.
• Having trouble sleeping.
• Fever symptoms, particularly in toddlers and babies.
• Problems with balance or unusual clumsiness.
• Problems with hearing and not responding to sounds.
When to consult a doctor
Not all ear infections require treatment with antibiotics. According to the experts, the majority of children will start feeling better after a day or so. However, if the ear pain are in conjunction with any of the following symptoms, you must seek medical advice:
- Any signs of swelling or a knot appearing behind or under the ear area.
- Unexpected high fever symptoms.
- In case of a baby becoming excessively lethargic or fussy.
- Whenever your baby is experiencing a seizure.
- Age plays a vital role. If your baby is younger than six months and are experiencing signs of pain and has high fever together with tugging his ear, a pediatrician must be consulted.
A medical practitioner will most likely give a prescription for antibiotics when a toddler or baby has moderate to severe pain symptoms partnered with high fever and his condition is showing no signs of improvement within 48 hours or if there is a presence of new fluid in the ear canal.
Ear ache….one of the ouchiest pains one can have.
I feel SO sorry for the little ones when they have to go through this because they don’t fully understand what is going on and how to say where it is sore.
I totally agree with you Chantelle – I have only had one ear infection in my life and the pain was excruciating. My sister had so many ear problems as a baby and child, so when my daughter got an ear infection when she was 2 years old I could immediately recognize it for what it was and I took her to the ER in the middle of the night. My husband thought I was batty because at the time I could not even explain to him why I knew it was an ear infection. I guess all those years of watching my little sister suffer came in handy.
I can relate to your sister. Had grommets I think like 3 times as a child and now at the age of 34 I’m most likely going to get grommets again because of recurring middle ear infection.
Oh I am so sorry Chantelle, that must be awful! My sister had grommets put in as a child and it did help her a bit… but from a baby up until her teens she would constantly get ear infections and her ear drums burst a number of times. She has thankfully as an adult not had too many problems but she does have to be careful with the activities that she does. For example her doctor has warned her against watersports, in particular scuba diving!
Ear infections, children shouldn’t have to go through this horrendous pain. My son had an ear infection when he was 1 year 6 months and his temperature went up to 40 degrees.
very helpful tips here, thank you lynne
The tugging of the ear was always my son’s given action. We then knew instantly something was wrong
Thank you for this it is really helpful and will definitely be of use.