I think my 4yo DD may have an ear infection. Tuesday night she had a 100.3 fever and yesterday said her throat hurt. She was only a little lazy yesterday and today acted nearly back to normal. But then tonight she said her ear hurts. She has never had an ear infection--no bacterial infection of any kind, so she's never been on antibiotics, and I would LOVE to keep it that way! I am still nursing my 17 month old, so tonight after my 4yo fell asleep, I put some breast milk in a dropper and put a few drops in her ear! ;) I've read to do that a few times a day and it would probably clear up any infection. Im also going to pump tomorrow & mix some with some cows milk to disguise the flavor (she doesnt like bm -not anymore!) ;) She has also been coughing & congested, but that's been going on for about 5 days--nothing serious, just a cold. But since she had the fever & now says her ear hurts, I think she developed an ear infection. BUT the fever is gone. I haven't taken her temp but she has not felt hot & I'm pretty good at feeling. I also read that most ear infections are viral & will go away without antibiotics. So, have any of you mommies used BM to help cure an ear infection without the use of antibiotics?
Thank you all for your responses! She is better!!! She would not let me put anything in her ears, so I had to wait until she was asleep, which meant I could only do it once a day. So 3 times total of putting BM in her ear, let her have a fever as long as she could stand it and it didn't get too high, and kept her from sugar and encouraged extra water & lots of rest! No more ear or throat pain & she is getting over her cough :) Of course praying helped too. I'm glad we didn't need to see the doctor this time!
I think it depends on where the infection is.
If there's water in the ears (like swimmers ear) and got infected, then breast milk might help.
If it's a middle ear infection (fluid behind the eardrums), there's no way dropping breast milk into ears will reach the infection - the eardrum acts as a barrier.
I have heard of breast milk in the ears, and know several people who have used it, although I haven't. What I hado.ve used is mullein garlic oil in the ears -- works amazingly well. There's also another oil with garlic and some other herb. They're both marketed as eardrops for children. Garlic is an antimicrobial and works well against viruses as well as bacteria, unlike antibiotics. What I would do, if I were you, is take her to the pediatrician, get a diagnosis, and a possibly a prescription, but try whatever remedy you choose for a couple of days and see if there's any improvement -- if there isn't, or if she gets worse, then fill the prescription and use it. It's what I usually do, and with the symptoms you describe, it could just as easily be strep, which can get serious if left untreated.
Breast milk is a miracle fluid but I dont think I'd use it in ears. It's got a lot of water in it and could aggravate the problem further seems to me.
My home remedy for ear aches was a drop of vinegar and a couple of drops of warmed glycerine. If that didnt work, off to the doc we went for an antibiotic.
Our pediatrician once recommended mixing equal parts alcohol and white vinegar and putting a few drops in the ear a couple times a day. It has worked for us.
Try a little hydrogen peroxide in her ear. Have her lay down and turn her head to the side. Put a few drops in the affected ear for a few minutes then tilt and drain. My grandmother did this with my mom, and my mom with us. I do it with myself and my kids. It works, and pretty quickly too.
I had a lactation specialist tell me that in third world countries BM was used for eye & ear infections. I ended up getting a case of tinnitus & put some of my own BM in my ear and that cured it. Hope your little girl has a speedy recovery.
Well, first thing, I'd take her to the doc if you have any worries. Could be strep, etc. After a clear from the doc, do what you feel is best, but I've gone with antibiotics.
I have not used BM for anything except feeding my babies. I have used garlic oil for ear aches and it works wonders.
I would check her glands in her throat and see if they are swollen at all. She could have an infection in one of her glands and the swelling is making her ears hurt.
You could also give her chamomile tea, I like best mixed with mint tea. If she drinks several cups a day it helps to rid the body of infection. But watch her because it makes you pee like crazy. Which is why it helps rid the body of infection.
Olive Oil & garlic. A friend of mine told me about using it with her 4 kids plus she and her husband had tried it as well. So last time my daughter said her ear hurt, I sautéed garlic in olive oil until soft, let it sit until cooled, strained the garlic out and put the oil in a dropper bottle - put a few drops into the ear, held a cotton ball on it a little while. Next morning, no more ear pain! Look it up on the web - lots of folks recommend it.
I hate meds and haven't been to the doc myself for colds and such for over 5 years. I use a lemon/water/honey/oregano mix for colds, but have not used any antibiotics for such in many more years. An ear infection/ache will go away.
However, I will say my oldest daughter had a lot of ear infections and was on meds constantly. One morning we woke up and her ear was foaming and her ear drum had burst. I didn't hold back on meds for her, as she was always on them, but the ear will fill with infection and get trapped, eventually bursting.
I have never heard of the BM ear drop, but have no problem with a dose of BM mix.
Personally, I would not play with a young child's ears. My daughter lost part of her hearing with the burst.
Yes I have, with my youngest when I suspected an ear infection. Whatever it was did clear up on its own.
I think hyland's also makes ear drops that help ease the discomfort, and I've heard about garlic oil as well.
I have!! My three year old complained that his ear hurt on our way to a festival last year. He also had never had an ear infection or ever taken antibiotics so I panicked when I saw that it was really bothering him. I called my sister and she loves home remedies and she told me to drop breast milk (I was nursing my then 10 month old). It worked!! He fell asleep as soon as I did it and by the time we arrived at the festival about 45 minutes later he was fine. I couldn't believe it, my husband and I were truly amazed!
She may not have an ear infection. Her ear could hurt because of a sinus infection or strep throat or some other issue. My ears always hurt when I have sinus congestion. It could just be a cold or virus too, if it's a virus they won't give you antibiotics, but if it's an infection and it's not going away the only way to clear it is to get her a prescription. I have never heard of using breastmilk to cure an infection, but if it goes away it may not have been an infection.
If she is congested try having her breath in steam from the hot shower, that should help clear up any sinus or chest congestion. Also they have saline nose drops/spray for children. I use that with my 7 month old whenever he has a stuffy/runny nose and it really helps. We also have a cool mist humidifier.
Hope she feels better soon!
I have never heard this, but it makes sense to me. I know you can't hurt anything by doing it. I am not a fan of antibiotics either so when my kids get ear infections I get 100% organic garlic oil and drip it in their ears. The health food stores also have some other ear drops that you can try but I have found that the straight garlic oil works every time, they just stink for a while.
Good luck!
Yup, I have put breast milk in someone's ear. He said it would fix it, I don't know if it did or not. I have also done it in my babies eyes to help with the gunk.
L.
This is why we have pediatricians. Please take her in and get treatment for this before it gets worse! Your doctor will appreciate your wish to avoid antibiotics, but they are sometimes the best way to treat certain things.
I've used breast milk for eye irritation, but not ears.
I hope she's feeling better soon!
I've never used it in the ear but I have in the nose when my daughter was a baby. It's better than saline (due to the fat in the milk) and it is true that it is supposed to fight infection due to the antibodies, etc. in the breast milk. I'd say just go with it. It will not hurt her. I have talked to lactation consultants about this and it's safe.
