Soothing Your Child’s Earache
Earaches are common in children and is often the result of an ear infection but can be quite a distressing experience if you’re not sure what’s wrong. The information below should not be used to self-diagnose your condition, but to provide you with some knowledge to the causes of earaches.
One of the causes of earaches is infection which commonly takes the form of outer ear infection or middle ear infection.
75 % of middle ear infection cases are found in children under 10. When your child has a cold, bacteria or virus can cause mucus to build up in the middle ear, resulting in part of the ear called the Eustachian tube to become swollen or blocked. If the Eustachian tube becomes blocked then mucus can't drain. This encourages infection to spread to the middle ear. thus causing earache.
Other causes of earaches such as:
- Fluid building up inside the ear
- Ear wax or other objects stuck inside the ear
- Injury to the ear canal from cotton buds or other objects
If you’re not sure what’s causing their earache or if you’re worried about your childs’ hearing, see a doctor.
WHAT ARE SOME SIGNS OF EARACHE?
Earaches in children can be worrying for parents. Signs to look for include:
How can I help relieve my child's earache?
Most earaches usually clear up within a few days. Tips you can try at home include getting your child to rest in an upright position instead of lying down, to help relieve some of the pressure in the middle ear and place a warm flannel against the affected ear to help relieve the pain.
If your child is in pain you can also give them some pain relief medicine such as paracetamol or ibuprofen to soothe their earache. Nurofen for Children contains ibuprofen which has anti-inflammatory properties.
If your child’s earache doesn’t improve or if you have any concerns contact your doctor.
References:
IRL HSE Choices as of 2013
http://www.hse.ie/eng/health/az/E/Ear-infection,-inner/Symptoms-of-otitis-media.html
Nurofen for Children Orange 100mg/5ml Oral Suspension & Nurofen for Children Strawberry 100mg/5ml Oral suspension, contains Ibuprofen. For children’s pain relief. Always read the label.