Surviving Infant Ear Infections

Posted by Rachel Lister Feb 4, 2008

When my 2 year old woke up in the middle of the night screaming and pulling on his ear I knew we were in for a rough couple of days. He had been sleeping through the night for nearly a year so waking up in the middle of the night was very unusual for him. After trying to comfort him while he screamed for several hours he was finally able to fall asleep and I scheduled an appointment for him as soon as I woke up in the morning. I wasn't surprised when his pediatrician confirmed that he had a bad ear infection. Antibiotics can take several days to take effect so your toddler may need some additional pain relief until it kicks in.

Motrin can help relieve some swelling and ease the pain of an ear infection. Be sure and check with your pediatrician to make sure that you give your toddler the correct dose. You can heat a wet towel until it is just slightly warm and put it on your toddlers ear to ease seom of the pain. Some parents swear that the sound of the vacuum can comfort toddlers when they are suffering through a painful ear infection.

Give yourself permission to ignore the non-essential things in your life for a few days while you care for your toddler. Take a nap with your toddler if he will sleep to make sure that you have the energy that you will need if your toddler has trouble sleeping at night.

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