Infant Allergies
Infant ear infection is one of the most common reasons children are taken to see the doctor and is especially common in infants up to two years of age. The problem with babies and infants is establishing ear infection as the cause of discomfort because unlike older children who will tell you their ear is aching, toddlers cannot and parents need to be aware of other tell tale signs.
Infant Allergies
Infant Ear Infections - Pain Is The Biggest Clue
Infant Allergies
Ear aches can come on very quickly and the accompanying symptoms will be pain and usually fever. Pain is obviously the biggest giveaway in toddler ear infections because make no mistake, they hurt!
Infant Allergies
This is one of the reasons if a child continually pulls on it's ear but appears to be in no discomfort at all that ear infection is usually ruled out. There could be a host of other reasons why the child is tugging it's ear such as teething, curiosity by the child, itching and yes, even habitual. A little like sucking the thumb. But what does an adult with their first child and no relative experience in this area do? The most obvious course of action is to head to the doctor.
Ear Infection Fact
There are several risk factors for infant ear infection. Some of the more common include colds, flus and allergies which may be picked up by a child during daycare and pre school facilities which can then lead to ear infection developing, recurrent infection and changes in climate.
Detecting Toddler And Baby Ear Infections
Children's eustachian tubes, the connection between the middle ear and the nose, are a lot shorter than those of adults. In fact, in babies, the Eustachian tube is at least one third the length of an adults so fluid drainage can become a problem.
Following a bout of cold and flu or allergy attack, babies can become more susceptible to developing an ear infection. The Eustachian tube can become blocked which leads to fluid gathering in the middle ear and not being released. Bacteria then breeds and if unchecked, swelling and pain, followed by fever, is usually the result.
If your baby suddenly displays a change in attitude such as becoming irritable and unco-operative, crys and screams often in short bursts then something is usually wrong and ear infection is usually one of the suspects.While there may be other reasons the child may be aggravated a visit to your doctor should be your first priority as they can quickly determine if there is infection present in the ear.
Although infant ear infections are common, they can be serious and without any diagnosis or treatment, ruptures to the eardrum are possible while in more serious cases, possible loss of hearing could be the result.
Treatment Of Infant Ear Infection
Over half of infant ear infection episodes may improve without treatment. There is a theory that waiting three to four days once a diagnosis has been made could be the best course of action initially but if the symptoms haven't improved, then treatment intervention is usually pursued.
Debate continues on whether antibiotic treatment is the best course of action although with very young children, doctors will usually play it safe and prescribe them. Associated pain relieving medication may also be suggested to accompany the antibiotic treatment.
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