Earaches are a common childhood ailment, and kids during their first two to four years of life are more vulnerable to them according to KidsHealth.org. This is due to infections caused by environmental factors and physical factors such as a tendency to have shorter Eustachian tubes and/or enlarged adenoids. Things like cotton swabs, shampoo, and even water can also cause earaches in kids. Fortunately, pain usually goes away within a day or two, and there are remedies parents can use to provide relief.
Symptoms of Ear Pain
Young children in particular are often unable to articulate that they have ear pain according to KidsHealth.org. Instead, they may tug at the ear, act more irritable than usual, or cry with greater frequency or intensity. In infants, telltale signs of ear pain include trouble sleeping or eating less. This is because lying down, chewing and sucking cause pressure changes in the middle ear that can be painful.
Safe Home Care Treatments
Seattle Children's Hospital recommends applying a cold or hot pack or even a cold or warm wet washcloth to the outer ear for 20 minutes. Parents can choose between hot or warm options based on preference. Three small drops of olive oil can also help provide earache relief, but only in children without surgical ear tubes.
Parents can give chewing gum to older children, according to the National Institutes of Health website Medline Plus, as a way to help relieve pain and pressure.
Over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen are also safe for temporary ear pain relief.
Warnings
Never put earplugs or even cotton balls into the ears as a way to drain pus or fluid from the ear. Although this drainage is likely to help a child's ear pain, it is also a sign the eardrum has ruptured from an ear infection. Be sure to wipe pus away, because pus can cause irritation and spread any infection. Seattle Children's Hospital also advises parents to avoid using eardrops once the eardrum has ruptured.
When to Seek Medical Attention
Make an appointment to see a doctor if symptoms do not improve after 24-48 hours. However, in certain conditions, a doctor should be contacted sooner than that.
Seattle Children's hospital tells parents to call a doctor whenever an earache is severe and does not improve two hours after taking ibuprofen or if it exists with a fever that does not go down two hours after taking ibuprofen.
Notify a doctor immediately if the earache is concurrent with a stiff neck or pink or red swelling behind the ear. In addition, Medline Plus advises parents to contact a doctor immediately if the eardrum has burst or if pain occurs together with dizziness, a severe headache, or facial muscle weakness.
Children with Special Considerations
Skip the "wait-and-see" approach for children with conditions like cleft palate or genetic conditions like Down's syndrome according to KidsHealth.org. Instead, children with these conditions should see a doctor as soon as ear pain appears. Parents should also avoid waiting for recovery when a child has a history of recurrent middle ear infections or if they suffer from an immune system disorder.
