Since infants are too young to talk, it can be difficult for parents to figure out what's wrong when they cry. But if infants rub or pull on their ears while fussing, they may be suffering from ear pain. Several factors may cause ear aches in infants. Once parents determine the likely cause of infants' ear aches, they can take steps to help their babies.
Ear Infections
An ear infection is the culprit behind most ear aches in infants, according to FamilyDoctor.org, and most infants suffer from an ear infection because their Eustachian tubes--which normally let fluid drain out of the middle ear toward the back of the nose--are not yet fully developed and are more prone to becoming clogged with fluid than the mature Eustachian tubes of older children and adults. Fluid sitting inside babies' ears can promote the growth of bacteria and viruses that cause infection, while also putting painful pressure on the infants' eardrums, FamilyDoctor.org says.
Ear Wax Buildup
Infants can suffer ear aches because they have too much wax built up inside their ears, according to BabyCenter.com. Ear wax gets denser than normal and tends to build up faster than the body can expel it if infants are dehydrated, so parents should make sure that they're offering their babies all the fluids their pediatricians recommend. Infants who aren't running a fever yet are pulling at their ears while crying may have ear wax buildup rather than an ear infection. BabyCenter.com encourages parents to look inside their infants' ears to see if they can spot an abundance of ear wax or notice any yellow or brown discharge, which is a sign of ear wax buildup. However, do not place anything--such as a finger or a cotton swab--into an infant's ears while checking them, since doing so could jam ear wax farther into the ear canal or even puncture the eardrum.
Allergies
Babies who have nasal allergies can experience ear aches when their allergies cause fluid to clog their sinus passages that run between their noses and ears, causing painful pressure, says BabyCenter.com. Infants with nasal allergies are also more prone than other infants to ear infections that cause ear aches. The most common nasal allergies among infants, according to BabyCenter.com, are mold found in damp places like basements or bathrooms, dander that animals shed from their skin, and tiny organisms called dust mites that live inside dust, but other less-common triggers for nasal allergies than cause ear aches are tobacco smoke, wool blankets, and pillows made from down or feathers.
