What Causes Earaches in Babies? How is it Treated?

“Looking for information on earaches in babies? Our comprehensive guide covers the common causes of earaches in babies, as well as treatment options. From infections to allergies, we provide the information you need to understand and manage your baby’s earache. Trust us as your go-to source for all things earaches in babies.”

Since babies do not know how to speak yet, they satisfy their needs by crying. The crying method takes over the task of speaking from the moment they are born. Sometimes you may not be able to figure out what they are crying for. Ear pain in babies can also be the reason for crying that you can’t understand.

Earache Symptoms in Babies

If your little one is very restless during the day, has a full stomach, has no gas and is still crying, ear pain is also a reason to keep in mind. If your baby is active, if he has started playing with objects, that is, if he has started to use his hands, you will see that he touches his ear.

This is an indication that you have a problem with your ear. If she refuses to suckle, it may also indicate that there is a problem with her ear. Because when the ear hurts, the baby may be trying to relieve it by applying pressure to that area with his hand.

As long as you know what the signs are that indicate that your baby has a problem with his ear, you can quickly identify the source of the problem.

• crying and whining
• ear tug movement
• fire outbreak
• feeling uneasy
• Inability to sleep on the ear
• inability to touch the ear
• insomnia problem
• Ear discharge
• balance loss problem
• Nausea problem

What are the Causes of Ear Pain in Babies?

The problem can have many causes, but the following reasons are among the most common causes of earache in babies.

• Airplane travel

Air travel, which is often a problem for adults, can also pose a problem for your baby. The pressure in the ears with the effect of air pressure causes ear pain problem in babies.

• Common cold

The biggest source of earache in babies is the common cold. Since our puppies are very sensitive, they can get sick at the slightest cold. This causes a throat infection. Infection in the throat can also directly damage the area called “middle ear” in the ear. As a result, your pup will become cranky and cause ear pain.

• Ear infection

If some possible microbes reach the ear and cause an infection, pain may occur in the ear.

• Foreign body in the ear

Your children are most active when they are 2-3 years old when they start walking. During this period, he gradually discovers everything and starts to learn what is what. While playing with toys or small parts of objects, they may swallow some objects or even put them in their ears. Both conditions can be the source of pain.

It can be said that there is a foreign body in your child’s ear when you go to the doctor with a complaint of ear pain. In order to avoid such situations, prevent children up to 3 years old from playing with small items that they can swallow or put in their ears. It is especially useful to be careful with round objects, coins and small batteries.

What You Can Do to Prevent Earaches in Babies

• Don’t let your baby go too far with breastfeeding or pacifier use.

It triggers an ear infection in your baby’s sensitive ear. Nothing can give the confidence that you beautiful mothers give to their babies. Even breast milk nourishes your baby in the best way and ensures that he receives natural antibodies. Strengthening immunity will prevent your baby from having ear infections.

• Prevent colds that cause ear infections.

In order to prevent diseases such as colds and colds in your baby, you should pay attention to cold and too hot.

• Do not delay getting the vaccines that prevent diseases.

Regular vaccinations determined by the Ministry of Health are important for babies to gain immunity against certain diseases. In addition to giving immunity to certain diseases, vaccines also increase the body’s resistance against ear infections or other diseases that may arise from microbes in babies. For this reason, vaccinations should be made regularly at appropriate ages and in appropriate doses.

Earache Treatment at Home

There are some ailments that you get caught very often. So much so that now you know that the little things you do for treatment at home without even going to the hospital will be beneficial. Some ear disorders seen in babies are one of them. So, what can you do for your little ones at home?

• Using olive oil is actually a widely preferred method. Even just a drop of olive oil can help relieve the pain. It is even recommended and sold in pharmacies to balance the acidic conditions in the ear. There are also various herbal drops used for the ear. Oils with a lightening effect such as lavender oil can be preferred. You can use these drops by consulting your doctor or pharmacist to help your pup.
• You can choose a warm and moist towel to make a compress to relieve the aching area. You can apply it to the area by using a thin cotton fabric that will not harm your baby’s skin, such as cotton, by heating it with an iron or soaking it in hot water and squeezing it well. It is important to adjust the temperature well here, after heating the diaper with iron or hot water, you should check the diaper before touching it with your skin and make sure that it is warm enough not to burn your baby.
• Hair dryers have become a tool that people use at home for various purposes as well as drying the hair. Sometimes it is used to blow hot air on the back in low back pain, and sometimes it is used to warm your body a little when it gets cold. In addition to these, it can also help to dry the water left in the ear after bathing. If moisture builds up in your baby’s ear after a warm, relaxing bath, it can damage the eardrum. To prevent this, you can blow air into his ear at the lowest speed for no more than one minute. This method can also relieve ear pain in babies.
• You can provide relief to your children by using sea salt water. Be sure to keep seawater sprays used for both ear and nose in a corner of your home.

Since the cause of pain in your puppies will be very diverse, you should make sure that there is a problem with the ear before doing any treatment for therapeutic purposes. Otherwise, you may apply the wrong treatments. That’s why it’s always best to get your doctor’s opinion.

Common Ear Diseases in Babies and Their Treatment

Many diseases can cause ear disorders in babies. When the source of the discomfort changes, the treatment method will change accordingly. The most common ear ailments and treatments are as follows.

• Middle ear infection

The most common ear problem in adults and children is middle ear infection. Usually middle ear problems occur in adults due to other diseases such as “vertigo”. Balance disorders caused by vertigo bring along with it dizziness and otitis media. If problems such as imbalance and nausea occur in babies with ear pain, it means that there is a high probability of experiencing otitis media. A recent throat infection is also effective in ear pain.

The treatment of such middle ear diseases is provided with painkillers and antibiotics recommended by your doctor.

• Outer ear inflammation

It is a disease that is more common in infants and children who enter the sea or pool in the summer months. If you have a water bird child, it is useful to pay attention to his ears in the sea or in the bathroom. The cause of the pain is the formation of fungus due to the moisture left by the water in the ear.

On top of that, if your child has problems such as a hole in the eardrum, it is also an issue that you should pay attention to. You can help your child enjoy a comfortable swimming by using ear plugs sold in pharmacies.

If your pup is suffering from severe ear pain, you should go to the doctor first instead of home remedies. Antibiotics and drops given by your doctor according to ear tests will show their effect in a short time. If problems such as bleeding and discharge in the ear continue, you can go to the doctor again and apply for different treatment methods.

You can also use pain relievers and fever reducers that are suitable for babies at home. During this process, be careful not to clean their ears with a cotton swab. It will cause the dirt accumulated in the ear or cotton residues to go into the ear. This will cause your child to experience bigger ear problems.

Pay attention to the methods you will use to relax your child at home. In cases affecting the eardrum, avoid self-treatment. The healthiest treatment method you can apply for ear pain in babies will be the recommendation of the specialist physician after the doctor’s examination.

You may be interested in reading our “Causes and Treatment of Middle Ear Inflammation in Babies” article.