If your child's ear hurts, or he's having trouble hearing, there are several things that could be causing it. Different types of infections, as well as complications from them and other unrelated ear problems are common in young kids. Treatment options vary, and some issues are naturally outgrown over time, but only a doctor can let you know for sure how best to handle them.
Outer Ear Infections
Outer ear infections are officially known as otitis externa but are often called "swimmer ear" since the infection and inflammation is often caused by water in the ear. Fever is not likely, but discharge is possible, and pain will get worse when you move your child's outer earlobe. Antibiotic ear drops are the most common treatment.
Middle Ear Infections
"Middle ear infections, also known as otitis media, are among the most common illnesses of early childhood," according to MayoClinic.com, the online health resource from the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Three out of four kids get at least one infection by the age of 3, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. But it gets worse than that: by the age of 7 "approximately 93 percent of children in the United States have had at least one ear infection and 75 percent have had recurrent ear infections," according to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. At that point, the ear matures and infections become less common.
Symptoms of a middle ear infection can include pain, redness, irritability and fever, and the infection may be acute or chronic. If no symptoms are present it's called otitis media with effusion, or OME. Antiobiotics may be prescribed for an infection caused by bacteria rather than a virus; ear drops are another common recommendation.
Glue Ear
After a middle ear infection, thick pus can build up in a child's ears. This is a form of OME commonly called "glue ear," which results in muffled hearing. Antibiotics are usually the first course of action to clear it up. However, if an oral prescription doesn't work, strong antibiotics may be injected instead. Another treatment option is an operation in which a tube, or grommet, is inserted to drain the fluid. The good news is, "glue ear becomes less common as the child grows older," according to the Australian government's Better Health Channel.
Earaches
Middle ears have a tube called the eustachian tube which normally allows fluid to drain from the middle ear, but if it gets swollen and fills with mucus, "bacteria can grow in the fluid, increasing pressure behind the eardrum and causing pain," according to FamilyDoctor.org, a website put out by the American Academy of Family Physicians. This swelling might be due to an infection, such as a cold, allergies or enlarged adenoids. If fluid stays in the ear following the initial infection, it can lead to further infections or hearing loss.
Ear pain in kids can also be caused by water, soap or shampoo left in the ear after bathing, irritation from cleaning with cotton-tipped swabs, or a foreign object that's been inserted out of curiosity. Beyond treating the cause, children more than 18 months old can be given a children's pain reliever, or you can put a warm--not hot--heating pad over your child's ear to reduce pain.
Wax Buildup
If your child has trouble hearing, it could be a symptom of infection. However, it might also simply be from a buildup of ear wax. Doctors can remove the wax plug by gently using a syringe to fill a child's ear canal with warm water, which causes the wax to float out.
