Coping with Ear Infections
Treating ear infections in infants
If you suspect your baby has an ear infection, your doctor can check your child’s ears and make the diagnosis. Children under two years who have an ear infection are typically treated with antibiotics; those over two may be observed (usually for one or two days) to see if they can fight off the infection without antibiotics.
It may take a day or two for the antibiotics to start working. In the meantime, giving your baby a pain reliever such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), or ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin) if she is older than six months can help relieve the pain (talk to your doctor before you give pain medicine to a baby younger than six months). Applying a warm compress to the infected ear may also be soothing.
Your doctor may also prescribe numbing drops to put in the ear. (Always check with your doctor before using eardrops because some can be harmful if used when the eardrum has burst.)
