Helping Your Child Deal With Ear Infections

As a parent you probably know what I am taking about. My friend's children have had ear infections at least four times prior to their first birthday. She started to feel like she was at the end of her rope. My children however have never had ear infections, and we were curious to find out what exactly causes ear infection and is there any way to ease your child's pain once they have one.

An ear infection usually develops by fluid accumulating within the middle ear space, when the Eustachian tube, becomes blocked. According to my Pediatrician it is due to swelling and congestion of the nasal lining that occurs during a cold or with seasonal allergies. She also said that if my family had a history of ear infections or if they were in day care the risk for infection would be rather high.

There is however a few things that you can do to try and prevent ear infections. The best way is to breastfeed you baby. This helps to build their immune systems, and it has been proven that children who are breastfed develop fewer colds and allergies. Also not smoking can help to prevent infection. Did you know that tobacco smoke contains small particles that can clog the Eustachian tube? You also may want to stop the nighttime bottle feedings. The sucking motion combined with the way the baby is lying when they are drinking can cause fluid to back up into the ear.

But if you child does get an ear infection there are a few simple things you can do to make them fell a little more comfortable. The first is to apply a warm washcloth over the ear and leaving it on until it cools. I would recommend that you try this several times a day. My friend tried this and it made her daughter feel a lot more comfortable. Also by placing your child in an upright position when they are going to sleep can help to relieve some of the pressure placed on the ear.

Of course the final way would be with ear drops. A good one that you can get without a prescription is Similasan earache relief. It helps to sooth the paid and is safe for children of any age. You will however want to check with your child's pediatrician before you try anything else. If you child has more than three ear infections within a 6 to 7 month time period your pediatrician may recommend you see a ear, nose, and throat specialist.

Once that that helped many of my friends knows the information that I mentioned above. Whenever your child is sick talk to your pediatrician and make sure that you understand everything. You may even want to do a little more research on your own, just to give yourself a little piece of mind.