Ear Itch in My 6Mo Old Son

It's allergies. I get itchy ears too, so I went to the dr. and that's what he told me, he gave me a prescription for polymycin and I just dip a q-tip in it and swab my ears and then their fine.

Hey T.,
You probably already have heard of this, but my son itched and pulled on his ears a lot when he was teething. Just thought I would mention it.
C.

My son does the same thing. I was going to ask his pediatrician about it today. He is 6 mo old too. I heard that they do this when they teeth. I'll let you know what his dr. says...

T., it sounds like it could be allergies... Have you had him checked for that?? Does anyone ifn your family have allergies? Do you guys have pets?? How about our home is it dusty?? Meaning if you look at the ceiling fan is there dust around the blades, lampshades, etc???? Hoe he gets better soon...

In oriental medicine, ears are related to kidneys......maybe there is a slightly acid condition generally in his whole system. If you're breastfeeding, you might make sure that you are eating food that helps your body maintain an alkaline pH....like greens, fresh fruit and veggies. The most acid forming foods are: red meat, wheat, dairy and sugar. Homeopathic chamomile ... from Whole Foods or another Health Food store ... comes to mind and maybe a couple of drops of some warm (body temp.) almond oil in his ear. Gently massage it in.
If you're not breast feeding, then you might check out some healthier alternative to whatever formula you are giving him. I gave my babies goats' milk as well as breast milk sometimes. White Egret Farm will deliver goats milk to your house.

One of my sons had difficulties with his ears but we managed by making a few adjustments. A dry heat compress can be comforting. Warm a large pebble in the oven and then wrap it in a small towel carefully and hold it on his ear.... see if he calms down

The previously mentioned teething or tiredness could be the problem, or a very common but little recognized problem could be a yeast(fungal) infection. If your child has previously been on antibiotics, even only one time, the yeast in his body could be out of control. We hear alot about yeast/fungal infections when we talk about thrush (mouth) or yeast infections in the vaginal area of girls, but little about it anywhere else. Another sign of a yeast/fungal problem could be itching in the anal area. However, having symptoms in only one area of the body is very normal. If he's been on antibiotics and the rubbing is not due only to teething, ask your doctor for a Nystatin prescription. It is a fungal medication that will wipe out yeast infection. Also, put him on a probiotic, such as acidopholus and bifidofolus, which you can find at any health food store. They make liquid versions for kids that are very tasty.

Hope this helps!!

A friend of mine had the same problem, turns out it was a fungus , and they just gave her some anti-fungal drops to put in her ears and they were all better, she used to "dig" in them so bad it made them bleed.

My son cant stand for his hair to touch his ears! He has ear itches too! He says its a buzzy bee(he is 2 1/2 yrs now). He has always been this way! At 6 months he cant tell you what is wrong. If it continues, I'd have his ears checked again.

As the other mom said, it could very well be teething. It could also be an allergy. Often allergies will cause the ear to itch. I would pry the dr about it.

T.,

It could be several things causing him to rub his ears. My son has eczema, and it usually flares up the worst behind his ears. He rubs at them constantly because they itch so badly. If you haven't done so already, check behind his ears.

Many babies play with their ears when they are tired. That could be accompanied by crying and screaming. In my experience, it seems to happen then the baby has become overtired.

Another possibility is that he is teething. Some babies pull at their ears because they can't pinpoint where the pain is actually coming from.

I hope you figure it out. I know it's painful to see your child suffer.

It could be something as simple as cutting teeth and the pain radiating out to the ears or he has found playing with is ears fun or soothing. But...if he keeps doing it, complains about his ears, gets more fussy, runs a temp (doesn't have to run a fever to have an ear infection), or wakes up more than usual I would have his ears checked again. My son has had LOTS of ear infections and at least two times we went to the doctor one day and there was not infection SHOWING, and we were back the next day with his ear red and inflamed. We now know to look at his behavior more than even a fever when dealing with his ears.
Good luck!
A.

Hi T.,

I'm sorry your little guy isn't feeling good. Our little girl does the same thing when she's teething. Try giving him something cool to suck on - put some teething toys in the fridge, wet a corner of a wash rag and freeze it and let him suck on it.

L.

My daughter does this too. Its because they are teething or are beginning to teeth and it bothers their inner ear. Try Hylands teething tablets. They work!!
Margaret:)

Both of my daughters started tugging, rubbing, and pulling on their ears at a very young age. I wanted to be worried about an ear infection at first, but it turns out that they were just teething. Apparently molars actually take several months to break the gums (and are painful), but pulling on the ears relieves the pressure & helps the child to feel much more comfortable. I noticed my first daughter pulling on her ears starting at about 4 months of age & didn't stop until her molars were done after a year of age!

Hi T.,all 4 of mine did this,when there was no sign of infection. With my sons it turned out to be allergies making their ears itch. There is an OTC herbal remedy for ear irritations,that works wonders. You can get it at any pharmacy.

Hi T.,

My daughter, who is 4, is going thru this same thing. I took her to a ear, nose and throat doctor she had to have her tonsils and adnoids removed. That helped for a month or two and she has started to complain of the itching again. She has never had an ear infection so I took her to her doctor and he checked her ears and it was wax build up. Her doctor has flushed out her ears and she is doing much better. He also said that I can put two drops of peroxide in her ears and that will help with the wax.

F. H

My son still does the same thing and he is 4! No stress, it's his way of telling me he is tired. Your son might be scratching and playing with is ear just because it is "fun!" Don't worry.

teething!! mine did the same thing..

sometimes teething causes ears to itch or feel funny...

funny you mention this...i've got a 5 1/2 month old baby and she does the same thing and i remember my 2 yr old having done it too. i really think it's more of a "discovery" thing and/or sleepy sign more than anything. she's discovered her ears are there and it's just kind of a habit or something to pull on them and rub them when she's tired or irritable. a previous dr we had said it can be related to teething as well since the nerves from the gum area extend up to the ear area or something. but because she normally does this only when she's tired, i think it's more of a sleepy sign, like rubbing her eyes.

Go to a Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist. If there is fluid on the ear and your pedi is missing it, it could cause permanaent hearing loss for your baby. Better safe than sorry. I had to do it and thank God. My don would have been deaf had I waited a few months longer.

i don't remember an ear itch so young, but my grandfather and i have similar ear itching after we eat bananas. we look like dogs when we are scratching our ears! my doctor has told me it is a small allergy to citrus. i don't know if it is related to your situation, but just a thought.

Hello T.! This happened with my daughter when she was about 4-5 mos. It went on for about a week before we took her to the doctor. She told us that it was irritated inside her ear. She explained that this had nothing to do with an ear infection, they were two totally diferent things. The doctor said that it is unexplainable how they happen, but it could be caused by moisture getting in the ear. We are just extra careful during bath time. Also, she could be teething, this causes their ears to itch. Good luck with everything.

It's probably from teething. My daughter rubbed her ears during teething and never had an ear infection.

Could he be teething? My son pulls and rubs his right ear when he starts teething.

Good Morning T. -
I am a mama of a 1 yr old and I use to be a dental asst. for a pedo office. I loved working woth the little ones:) Anyway usually when they pull on their ears like that and it is not an ear infection then you can bet all your money it's teething! We use to suggest frozen bagels! y Gabe loved these because they defrost fast and feel so good on the gums :)
Good LUck!
M.

My youngest was 12 months old when she cut teeth and she cut her back teeth first (not her far back molars but one up) and she did this all the time. I really didn't know what was going on because my other 3 kids all cut their front teeth first as most kids do. His teeth may just be moving around and it does seem to bother their ears sometimes. Try Hyland's Teething Tablets, they are pain and homeopathic-whatever the word is :)

My oldest's eyes got all boogered up and I thought he had an eye infection but turned out he had an ear infection and never even messed with his ear! So sometimes you have to check out other options than what seems obvious.

Did the doc check his lymph nodes? You might feel around and see if them seem swollen. He could have a sore throat, just keep an eye on him and if it still bothers him go back to the doc.

Good luck