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Ear Pain in Infants

Ear pain, like any pain in infants, can be distressing to both baby and parents because your child cannot communicate where the pain is located or how severe it is. Ear pain can occur frequently during the first few years of life both as a problem itself and as a symptom of another issue. Careful monitoring of symptoms can usually help you determine what the source of the problem is so you can treat it effectively and relieve your baby's pain.

  1. Ear Infection

    • Symptoms of an ear infection can include pulling at ears, fussiness, fever over 100 degrees F, low appetite, difficulty eating, diarrhea, and fluid draining from the ear; ear infections also frequently occur after or along with colds. You should contact your doctor if you suspect your baby has an ear infection so he can check your child and confirm the problem. The doctor will most likely prescribe an antibiotic to clear up the infection in a few days and possibly recommend acetaminophen or other pain reliever in the meantime.

    Teething

    • Side effects of teething may be irritability, drooling, difficulty feeding and sleeping, runny nose, gum sensitivity and loose bowel movements. Chewing on a teething toy or cold washcloth may provide your baby with some temporary pain relief; if he is old enough to eat solids you can also try some cold food or a teething cracker. If these home remedies don't help, ask your doctor if it's okay to try an infant pain reliever like acetaminophen or a teething gel.

    Swimmer's Ear

    • Swimmer's ear is an infection of the outer ear characterized by itching, tenderness, redness or discharge, as well as pain that gets worse when baby chews or when you gently tug her earlobe. This condition can be cause by lake or pool water or even too much water in the bath or shower. Another possible cause is a scratch in the ear lining that allows infection to occur. Make an appointment with your doctor to confirm the infection and ask permission to give your baby an over-the-counter pain reliever. Your doctor may prescribe ear drops to kill the bacteria and will probably instruct you to keep the ear dry.

    Object in Ear

    • If you suspect your baby has something lodged in his ear, do a visual check. Signs of this problem might include an odor, redness, bleeding, swelling or rubbing the ears. Do not use your fingers, tweezers, or anything else to try to dislodge the object unless it is very close to the surface and obviously easy to remove. Otherwise, let the doctor do it in order to avoid pushing the object further in and causing serious damage.

    Ruptured Eardrum

    • Signs of a ruptured or perforated eardrum may be drainage, hearing loss, or a sudden decrease in pain accompanied by drainage. This problem can occur as a result of an ear infection, a scratch in the ear or insertion of a foreign object. Your doctor will be able to tell whether your baby's eardrum is ruptured and may prescribe antibiotics while the eardrum heals itself. Healing usually takes about 2 months; keeping the ear clean and dry can help the healing process.

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