Our 8 month old has his first ear infection (in both ears). We just started him on meds yesterday (amoxycillin for the infection and numbing drops for the pain). We've given him both tonight and also gave him Tylenol, but nothing is working! He's crying, crying, crying. It's been over an hour of straight crying, fussing and no position seems to bring him relief. He seemed fine during the day. How did you comfort you baby to go to sleep when he had an ear infection? When should I bring him back to the ER?
Well, I ran out to get Motrin immediately while my husband took over for me. I alternated the Tylenol and Motrin. Within 15 minutes of giving the Motrin, I could see the pain subside and the relief for him. Motrin is like magic! I'm going to look into chiropratics too. I've heard that can be very effective. By the way, I talked with a triage nurse and she said that if we'd given antibiotics for 24 hours and Ibuprofen for 2 hours and he's still crying, we should bring him into the ER. Good to know and pass on. Thank you for your speedy responses! You mamas rock!
My son has had tons of ear infections, hot washcloth on the ear relieves the pain quickly. Also massage behind the ear to release the backup fluid.
I'm seconding the chiropractic! I've seen it help many kids with ear infections, including my own daughter's first one. Both of my kids have been adjusted since day one, and it works!! If he's eating any dairy, stop. If he's still nursing then you should cut out dairy. If he's on a milk based formula try switching.
I gave my son teething tablets. He only cried once when I forgot to give him them. He's had an ear infection for the past three weeks. It's the only thing that really helped. At this age I hear that everything is still connected, so I tried the teething tablets. Just to see. And it worked!!
So sorry your little one is dealing with ear infections. I recommend that you focus on keeping him comfortable for tonight and then in the morning find a chiropractor in your area. International Chiropractic Pediatric Association is a great place to start. http://icpa4kids.com/index.php Click find a doctor from the side bar to the left. Chiropractic adjustments can help clear any interference and allows for the body to heal itself. I have 4 children and we've had great success with adjustments to treat ear infections and have avoided using any meds.
Hugs to you. It's so hard seeing them in pain.
Peace,
J.
Although I don't have much experience with my daughter on these, my husband recently had one (believe it or not). Sleeping with his head propped (or as others said in a seated position (maybe the carseat?) Also, you can interweave Tylenol (acetaminophen) and Motrin (Ibuprofen). This might help knock out the pain better and since they are different pain killers they can be used alternately and overlap some. I wish your little one well.
laying him down will probably hurt his ears, i know it did mine when I had a bad infection. I slept upright in the recliner. Perhaps you could sit up like that and hold him to sleep, so that it wont hurt his ears as much? So sorry you have to deal with this!
My daughter had a bad double ear infection her first christmas and the only thing that helped was letting her scream herself to sleep after we gave her infant's motrin. It was the longest few hours of my life, much worse than childbirth.
try a warm wash cloth? or one of those stress pillows heated up in the microwave. moist heat seems to help I've used that before when I had a bad ear infection. No fun. Also, motrin may be more effective b.c it's anti-inflammatory. Some peds say it's ok to alternate tylenol followed by motrin 2 hours later. See if you have an ask a nurse number. They usually have great tips. HOpe your night passes fast. Oh, you could elevate the crib a little too so he isn't laying flat. May help reduce some of the pain.
Can he sleep sitting up? Like maybe in his car seat. Poor little guy, I hope he feels better soon. Try warm washcloths on his ears as well.
If the numbing drops aren't working, you can try holding a very warm (not hot) wet wash cloth to his ears and see if that helps. The amoxycillin hasn't had enough time to work, so taking him back to the ER would be pointless. However if you don't see an improvement in a few days, bringing him to his pediatrician may be necessary as it is possible that his ear infection isn't suceptible to the amoxycillian and needs a different antibiotic.
Sorry to be adding my 2 cents so much later but since my answer was different than the others I wanted to offer my thoughts/experience. After I had my 3rd child and he was afflicted with chronic ear infections just like his older brother (my second child) had been. I was determined that he would not suffer like his older brother did. He couldn't take ibuprofen because of allergies and some kids/adults cannot tolerate the side effects of ibuprofen (trade name Motrin). Of course, alternating tylenol with ibuprofen is often helpful for many kids and adults if they can tolerate it.
I was given liquid tylenol with codeine which is a narcotic and helps when the pain is severe as it can be with an ear infection. It was wonderful! I rarely needed to use it but when he developed an infection I was able to use it and interrupt the pain cycle and he could sleep and or rest without that terrible pain. He was a happy camper and my husband and I no longer dreaded the ear infections that our boys were prone to. Of course, before you would ask for such strong medicine you might first want to consult with an eye, ear, nose and throat (EENT) pediatric specialist. We used Dr. Barb Malone's group. I believe one of their offices is located at Children's hospital in St. Paul. I am sure they also have other offices and may come to one of the clinics in Cottage Grove. Hope things improve for you and especially for your son. As an adult we rarely have ear infections but I did once and it was worse than labor pain. Really!
