{"id":31040,"date":"2023-03-03T16:13:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-03T21:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pentadocs.fm1.dev\/?p=31040"},"modified":"2023-10-11T19:17:02","modified_gmt":"2023-10-11T23:17:02","slug":"how-to-care-for-your-child-when-they-have-an-ear-infection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pentadocs.com\/how-to-care-for-your-child-when-they-have-an-ear-infection\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Care for Your Child When They Have an Ear Infection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ear infections\u00a0are extremely common in children, largely because their immune systems are weaker, and their Eustachian tubes\u2014the passageways between the middle ears and back of the throat\u2014are much more horizontal than adults. In fact, according to a 2020\u00a0article<\/a>, \u201cAbout 50% of all children will have at least 1 ear infection by the time they reach their second birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An ENT physician will recommend a wait-and-see approach for milder ear infections. If this is the case for your child, you can do the following to care for them until they\u2019ve cleared the infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manage Pain & Fever with Over-the-Counter Medications<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Over-the-counter medications can be given to most children with\u00a0earaches\u00a0until their infection clears. The medication you give, as well as the dose, is dependent on your child\u2019s age and weight. Always consult their pediatrician or a pharmacist at Philadelphia Pharmacy on East Leigh Avenue before administering these medications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rule of thumb is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • For babies under six months: <\/strong>only give acetaminophen (TYLENOL\u00ae).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • For children over six months:<\/strong> may also be given ibuprofen (Advil).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • For children of any age:<\/strong> never give aspirin.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Apply a Compress to Relieve Discomfort<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Some children prefer a warm compress, while others prefer a cool compress. Wet a washcloth with different temperatures of water to see which they prefer to relieve their discomfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Give Lots of Fluids<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Make sure you provide your child with a lot of fluids to keep them hydrated. Babies under six months need to be given formula or breast milk, while older children can be given both water and electrolytes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Keep Their Head Elevated<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Elevating your child\u2019s head can relieve the pressure in their ears. If your child is over the age of two and doesn\u2019t sleep in a crib, you can elevate their head with a pillow. If they\u2019re younger, you can put them in a car seat for short periods of time or hold them. Never put them in their crib with a pillow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Watch for Drainage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Your child\u2019s ears may drain. If this happens, simply wipe it away. Don\u2019t plug the ears with cotton balls or anything else, or this can lead to infection in the ear canal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Pinnacle ENT today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Ear infections\u00a0are extremely common in children, largely because their immune systems are weaker, and their Eustachian tubes\u2014the passageways between the middle ears and back of the throat\u2014are much more horizontal than adults. In fact, according to a 2020\u00a0article, \u201cAbout 50% of all children will have at least 1 ear infection by the time they reach…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31045,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[102,107],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ear","category-pediatrics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pentadocs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31040"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pentadocs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pentadocs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pentadocs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pentadocs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31040"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pentadocs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31040\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pentadocs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31045"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pentadocs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pentadocs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pentadocs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}