Is there any way to prevent ear infections?

I have two small boys 19 months and 8 months, and they are constantly getting ear infections. does anyone have any ideas??

My son went thru ear infection after ear infection when he was very small, I know what you are going through.

Here is some info - you may have already got this from your doc, if so great! if not it will help with the list of "don'ts" that follow!

The eustachian tube is a part of the sinus system. It is a small tube just behind the eardrum. By the time a person is 5 or 6 yrs old this tube is angled and allows for easier drainage, but in a small child this tube is almost flat and level, which is one of the reasons young children tend to get more ear infections than older children. As the mucus accumulates in one spot fluid will build up within the middle ear. Bacteria or virus' also get trapped in the middle ear this way, breed and cause an ear infection. The pain felt during an ear infection is caused by the fluid in the middle ear (which normally is filled with air) pushing against the ear drum and other delicate ear parts. The longer the blockage, the more fluid builds up, the more pressure ...

Some higher risk factors for children:
Previous ear infections, particularly if the infections occurred before the child's first birthday;
A family history of ear infections;
Being premature or a low birth weight;
Being a boy (boys tend to have more middle ear infections than girls);
Frequent colds or other infections;
Attending a large group daycare;
Taking a bottle to bed.


Here are a few things that may help:

Make sure they are drinking enough clear fluid EVERY DAY, ear infection, cold or healthy. This is non-dairy, non-formula fluids. Water or sugar-free kool-aid, gator aid, pedia care, etc. This will keep the mucus thinner so it is easier to drain. They should drink more clear fluid when they have colds or congestion or ear infections drinking as little dairy as possible. Dairy thickens the mucus, thick mucus doesn't drain as well. When the mucus doesn't drain it accumulates anywhere it can like the eustachian tube.

Keep smokers outside, no smoking in the car when the children are there (of course quitting is best, but separation may be all you can do.)

No bottles while laying down for nap or bedtime. Not even water. Ear infections are not the only problems here, but that is the one we are talking about.

Keep those colds down to a minimum... lots of fresh fruit & veggies. Ask your doctor about additional Vitamin C supplements. Keep toys, surfaces, basically everything you can get to cleaned with an anti-bacterial child friendly cleaner.

Wash your hands, teach your 19 month old to wash his hands, wash your 8 month old's hands. Wash everybody's hands. More germs are passed by skin contact than by kissing. Think about it.


Ultimately my son ended up with ear tubes because the ear infections simply continued. Every two weeks he started a new course of antibiotics - finally, on my insistance the ear tubes were placed. I should have 'insisted' sooner, he has a 15 % hearing loss in one ear and slightly less in the other. The loss was caused by the scarring from the repeated infections.

That would be the final step for preventing ear infections, asking about ear tubes. Ear tubes have their own issues, but they are minor compared to the pain my son went through with each ear infection, the repeated and intense exposure to antibiotics that weren't ultimately working, the lost sleep, the endless doctor visits etc...

Hope that helps. Email me if you want some more info!

Jen

i would saay clean their ears you know when they come back from the park you never know something might just crawl in or go to the clinic and ask whats goin on

is their neck and shoulder posture screwed up? i would suggest yoga if they seem to have a bit of a 'slump' in their posture. I know that sounds a little weird to us Americans, but i had ear infections and I think my slouch contributed quite a bit to that. stretch neck backwards well, do handstands. i bet chin-ups are good. any well-designed fitness program would be good for them.

other than that, I would consider supplementation. (quality multivitamin) make sure they are getting plenty of B vitamins early in their day, 100% RDA of zinc and calcium (consider food sources) and extra vitamin C.

don't let them have much sugar, especially acidic drinks like soda or lemonade. they are a little 'environmentally sensitive' and they can't just be eating like any old american child. they need some green vegetables daily. dont' feed them refined crud.

oops, i now see how young they are... my problems occurred at a later age. I guess I don't know what to do... reduce allergens in the house. this person below sounds right about 'no dairy' and such.

I would ask the doctor about testing them for allergies. If they are constantly stuffy, it's easy for them to get ear infections because the tubes are so small.

For my kids, ear infections stemmed from drainage. Perhaps if you can give them something to stop the drainage, it will clear up their ears. I had to give my son some kind of decongestant nearly his entire childhood to keep his ears well.

Another thing I have used is echinecea. You can generally find it in a health food store, and I have seen preparations for younger children like yours. It builds up resistance. I don't believe you are supposed to take it for more than 3 weeks though.

As for me and my teen, we take Wellness Formula when illnesses go around. You can also get this at a health food store or order off the net.
And we take Hall's Multi-Blend in a pinch when we can't get hold of the Wellness Formula. You can generally find them for less than $2 at Walmart with the regular cough drops (it is NOT a cough drop, though).

These things help build up your resistance during flu and cold seasons and we have not been sick in years using them.

Often times children at that age who get recurrent ear infections need ear tubes inserted to assist drainage. There is not much else you can do - it's just the physiology of the infant ear. Some babies have problems, others don't. Talk to your pediatrician ASAP. You can try to keep the ears dry as much as possible, but it may not help much.

Yes and no. first you have to probably avoid water and high pitched noises. but that doesn't mean you won't get infected.

Flu vaccines can help with ear infections.

That is about it.

- Dr. Kirsh