Wanting Tips to Help My 16 Month Old When He Gets "Tubes" Put in His Ears

M.,
If it is any consolation I had tubes when I was two and the only thing I remember is the Barbie doll I got as a special gift because of it. I couldn’t hear and now I can, so any discomfort is definately worth it. Good luck.
K

Do not worry! My son was 9 mos old when he had his FIRST set of tubes put in. He may be a little crabby from the anesthesia and possibly vomit a little bit from it, but thats about it. He'll be bouncing around in no time. Good Luck!!

Hi M.,
My little boy had tubes put in when he was 14 months after being on 7 different rounds of antibiotics, in a row, for ear infections. I cried when they took him back, and watched the clock for a total of 12 minutes before they said he was finished. I was in the back with him within 5 minutes of that. He was groggy and crying coming off the medicine but calmed down quickly. I, too, gave him Motrin when we got home and he slept through the night. The next day you could not tell that he had anything done. He has only had one infection in a year and three months and can hear everything now. It was worth it!

Hi M.,

My son went through eye-duct surgery when he was only 11 months. While they said it was a simple procedure, I was very nervous about anesthesia. My best advice is to pray for God to watch over him and send "good" energy toward him through the operation.

For your son, a healthy diet (absent of processed foods, preservatives, dyes, sugar, and hydrogenated oils), will be important for recovery and to ensure he doesn’t have issues in the future. Ear problems are often diet related. Dairy is a common culprit. Feel free to call me to discuss, as I do nutritional coaching. You can reach me at ###-###-####.

Many blessings to you!

Warm Regards,
G. Van Luven

which doctor did you take him to? just wondering. I have had a bad experience with one and was wondering if yours was the same. I would always take into consideration a second opinion.

My son (now 13 months) had tubes placed 3 months ago! I understand about being nervous! I think the whole procedure was worse for us as parents than for him. Our Dr. scheduled his surgeries by age, so the youngest patients go first in the morning. This worked great, because he didn't have to wait very long to eat. He was away from us a total of 20 minutes for the surgery. As soon as he started waking up, they brought us back to see him. He was a little cranky coming out of the anesthetic... and he didn't seem to recognize us at first (which was VERY strange to us!) He nursed immediately, and began to feel better shortly afterward. The part that was most difficult for him was the noise... his hearing had been muffled for 10 months due to fluid, and now he was able to hear everything. He was startled much more easily at loud noises, and very easily overstimulated. So, I would avoid lots of stimulization (tv, radio, etc.). Once the initial shock was over, and he got accustomed to the new noises, he was happier than ever! The tubes have been such a blessing!
Make sure you bring something to do for the 20 minutes you are waiting, or someone to wait with you, and try to relax. It'll be over faster than you know! I hope some of this has been helpful! Good luck!

I am a nurse who has worked in the or setting. I have put tubes in a lot of children's ears. the more calm that the parents are the more calm the children are and the easier time that they have in the or. The pain is usually controlled by tylenol. Encourage your 16 month old that the doctors and nurses do this all of the time and they know what they are doing and they will take very good care of him. Some places will allow you to go in the or with him until he is asleep and some won't. Some will allow you to be in the recovery room with him. Most places will allow him to take his favorite toy and/or blanket with him.take his favorite sippy cup or bottle for the recovery room.Ask if they give him anything in the or for discomfort some places will do that. Most kids will be up playing a few hours after the procedure even if it isn't what they would normally be doing. they might color instead of play out side because they might still be slightly tired. remember the procedure is fast so eve the anesthesia will wear off quickly compared to even having a procedure like tonsils or adenoids done.Ask the hospital what their policies are when they call so you can prepare your child what to expect. If the person doesn't know ask her to find out and call you back or who you can call to find out what the policies are.

you might want to look into chiropractics before you operate on your son.

Hi M.,

My son had tubes in his ears when he was 18 months old and it was definitely scarier for than it was for him. In Las Cruces, they do the youngest kids first. We went in to the surgery center around 6:30 AM, to do the last of the pre-op stuff (we were able to do most of it over the phone earlier in the week). I was able to sit with him until they want back to the OR and the anesthesiologist carried him into the OR. I appreciated that they didn't wheel him in, in one of those cribs that looks more like a cage than a crib.

He didn't seem to be in pain afterwards. His hearing got better within days, it was amazing. The hard part for him was dealing with the general anesthetic. He inherited my family sensitivity to general anesthetic. If you have ANY family history of sensitivity to anesthisia, make a VERY big deal about it. I did in our pre-op interview, but apparently the anesthisiologist didn't bother to pay attention to the pre-op information. If you have any other medical concerns, just make sure you verbally, face-to-face, tell EVERYONE working with your son. If you do that, it should be fine. I don't mean to add to your fears, I just don't want anyone to experience what I did with something that truly is a simple procedure. Most kids get tubes with no complications what-so-ever and the improvement is so fast - it's just amazing. It will make a difference for the better and it's over quickly. Good luck!

M.,
I had tubes put in my ears when I was little and it could have been the worse thing that my mother ever did for me. Sure when they were in I could hear better but that didn't last long. The Tubes came out like they were suppose to and I went right back to the way I was before I got them. To this day and I am 41 and I still have ear problems. If I get a tiny drop of water in my ears I always and I mean always get a ear infection. When I get a ear infection it is bad and painful and it is usually because I got water in them. I don't hardly swim anymore and taking a shower everyday is hard because I need to make sure that I don't get water in them "ears".
I am not trying to scare you "well maybe I am a little" but I would do a lot more research before you do this operation.
D.

I have a sont that has has had 2 stes of tubes. He also had clogged tear ducts. I think when he was like 15 months he had his first set of tubes put in and a probe for the clogged ducts. I promise your son will come through with flying colors. It is literally a 20 min procedure. Other than side affects from the anesthesia there were none. He was just sleepy for a couple of days. I let him rest and gave him lots of popsickles and he was great. I think we had to put drops in his ears. No big deal. He will feel so much better with tubes than having cronic ear infections. He's 9 now and it's been forever since he had an infection. Don't worry.

He probably be happily playing and unaware of things. You will be the stressed one. My son has his tubes put in October and he played in the children's waiting area that they had for the oout-patient surgical patients. Then he went with the brightly dressed nurse and didn't even wave bye. The procedure took less than 5 minutes. I didn't even get my book out before it was finished. They then took me right to him in the Post-Op area and I was right there with him. He had been given tylenol and was just more frustrated than anything.
He was back to running around and never really bothered by anything that same day. He shouldn't have any discomfort with this procedure. It would be different if they were doing the tonsils but the ears it doesn't even seem to bother them.
Just relax and play with him before and have a sippy cup ready for him when you get to the Post-Op area. I sent his fav blankie with him into the OR so it would be waiting when he woke up.

I am the grandmother of 3 and mother of 2 children. When my youngest daughter was 15 months old she had her first set of tubes in her ears. We took her to the hospital and she was prepared then taken to the surgical suite. She then came back to us from Recovery room with her blanket and the things that usually soothed her at home. She tolerated the procedure well and was able to tolerate the tubes. She ended up with 8 sets of tubes prior to turning 8 years old. She would develop ear infections at the drop of the hat. She would get frustrated with the other kids at the day care facility and I would get comments that she was getting aggressive. I would then take her to the Dr where he would indicate a need for tubes. It worked well to just do what is routine. Thanks

I do not have any advice but hoping that you share your experience with me. I am a first time mom of a 1 year old boy. He has had multiple ear infections and we have an appointment with an ENT on May 5. I am concerned that this appointment will tell me that he needs tubes and I think he is fairly young but also do not want him having ear infections every month for the rest of his life.

Thanks,
R.

Tubes are the best things that EVER happened to my daughter!! She was a completely different baby after we opted for tubes. Very literally the procedure in the hospital (or surgical center) is 5 minutes long. No exaggeration. They will bring your baby to you in a recovery are where he will be a little disoriented and you have to wait there for maybe 10-15 minutes. Then they tell you to go home and put them to bed. My daughter wouldn't go to sleep after and by the time we were home you couldn't really tell she had had anything done. I am trying to reassure you that this really is a very easy thing to do. Our ENT was pediatric and he only used gas so there weren't even any shots. Again I have to say it was the best thing we ever did and I just wish we caught on to it when she was younger to save her from the pain of ear infections.

My son had tubes put in his ears when he was 1 year old. I did a search online for the closest library on books for being in a hospital. I don't remember the name, but it helps prepare them for the hospital visit. The nurses and doctors were so nurturing that he was never really that afraid. We had new coloring books and games for him and we told Hayden when his surjery was done, he would get to use his new coloring books and games. When he woke up he was very upset and crying because of the anethesia, so be prepared for that. But they let me in and I comforted him. Everything went smoothly. They also let me sing to him while they put him under anethesia so you may want to talk to your doctor about doing that. I think because we didn't make a big deal out of it and educated him on what the doctors would be doing and how it would help him, he was O.k> about it. Let me know what happens. K.

My oldest son had tubes put in his ears when he was just over a year. He bounced right back after the surgery, just as if he was waking up from a nap and nothing had happened. I was a wreck - he was fine. Just be there with him and have his favorite comfort item (blanket, stuffed animal etc.). Hopefully he'll do just fine!

My daughter had "tubes" put in her ears both side when she was 2yrs old. The procedure does not hurt them. 1 day in/out visit. Most of the day she slept & when she came out the noise around her - I was very happy that she could hear again! Tubes come out on their own. But now she has speech therapy in school. Its better you caught it now. That way when your son is in school, therapy will help out. She is now getting her voice & talking a lot more. Belle H

Hi M.,
Our son got tubes in his ears at 22 months. Before we agreed to the procedure, we tried everything to avoid having it done due to fear of putting a young child under anesthesia. But in the end nothing worked and our son had an ear infection every two weeks all of last winter. Much to our surprise, from the time they took him from us to the time we saw him again, it was less than 10 minutes. He was crying but I think that is to be expected since he had just come out of the anethesia and had no idea what happened. We took him home within 15 minutes from the time we saw him again and by the time we got home, he was quiet and my husband just rocked him for a little bit. Next thing we knew, he was asking for a muffin and that was it. He never had any pain or discomfort nor has he had an ear infection since and it has been over a year since he got them. I know how hard it is to think of your baby going through any sort of pain at all but the pain is really minimal and the results are amazing. Keep in mind, getting the tubes not only prevents ear infections, it also will make it so if your son gets sick with other things that need antibiotics, taking them for ear infections will make it that his body becomes immune to meds and there could possibly be nothing for him to take due to another sickness. Also, the build up fluid in his ears can cause speech delays. I say get them now because the longer you wait, the more of a chance you have of dealing with other issues. Good luck.

I am sure you will get tons of advice on this because so many kids get tubes in their ears. Katie had tubes put in both ears and her adenoids removed when she was 17 months old. Because she had her adenoids removed she went under general anesthesia. The worst part was when she was coming out of the anesthesia. She had three shots of the demerol in her IV which kept her comfortable but she was very loud and confused. The recovery process took about 2 hours in the recovery room and then rest of the day at home she was very confused and disorientated. If your son is only having the tubes then he should only have the gas sedation and the recovery is much better and quicker. I know you will worry, but please don't because it really is a simple and useful procedure. There might be bleeding and drainage from the ears depending on if there is an infection now in your son's ears. By the day after katie was much better and by two or three days later was back to herself. The only very peculiar thing was that she got really bad breath. The dr. said this was from the adenoid removal and the area healing.

Good luck and God Bless. Also, we had this done at the Banner Surgery Center on Dobson and the staff there was wonderful.

Hello There! My daughter just got tubes in a month ago, she had just turned 1 year old. She did really great, she was irritable coming out of the anesthesia, she only had to have a few whiffs of the gas, no IV or anything. They gave her Tylenol before we left and I gave her Motrin consistently for about 36 hours more preventative than anything. She never acted like she was in pain and slept through the night. I hope this helps to reassure you, of course every child will respond differently... Let me know if you have any other questions that I can answer. E.

My daughter had tubes put in her ears at 20 months...she did great, afterwards you wouldn't even know she had surgery!! She played and went on as normal, but she did sleep better and start talking more clear! It was a little scary before the procedure (mostly for me!!), but it did not take more than an hour. Best thing I ever did for my daughter! I have known a few other mothers who have also put tubes in their childrens ears, one as young as 6 months, and they all had no problems...I wouldn't worry too much, I am sure your son will do great! Maybe bring a favorite item to the hospital to help calm him before the procedure :)

My oldest daugher had to have tubes in her ears several times over the years. The best advice to give you is just to be there for him and hold him. Make sure that he does not put anything into his ears once the tubes are in. He will probably be given antibiotics after the minor surgery. Do not worry. He will be fine.

M.,

My daughter also had tubes put in when she was 16 mos old. It was a very quick procedure and her only discomfort was coming out of anesthesia. She was her happy self shortly there after.

K.

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M.,

We had tubes put into our daughters ears when she was 15 months old. The procedure goes so fast and they are just pretty sleepy when it is over. They were the best thing we ever did for her...it was a relatively painless (I think there was more stress on me watching them take my baby down the hall :)

Good Luck!

My son (now 3 1/2) had tubes put in when he was 11 months old, and my husband (now 40!) actually had a tube put in just over a year ago. Neither one experienced much discomfort at all, and the difference they made has been WONDERFUL. My son is very curious and was so interested in what the nurses and doctors were doing (and they had lots of experience with young kids) that he left us in the waiting room without even looking back! He was a little scared when he woke up (the anesthesia is confusing to them...they don't feel "normal") until we gave him some milk and held him to comfort him. We got him back into his normal routine as soon as we could that day. He didn't seem uncomfortable at all. I will tell you that it was scarier for us by far than it was for him. We just tried to act as normal as we could so he wouldn't be afraid. One more thing: my husband said that everything sounded a LOT louder after the surgery. He had very little hearing in that ear prior to having the tube put in. Good luck and hang in there! I think you'll be very happy with the results.

Hi M.,
I have two daughters and both had tubes put in their ears. One was 13 months and the other was 18 months. They really didn't have a hard time at all. Following the precedure which took about a half hour at the most they woke up cranky but once we left the hospital (out-patient) they were fine. They seemed a bit groggy and not quite themselves the day of but after that they did great. I think they actually felt much better immediately. Good luck I'm sure it will be fine.

I have 5 yr old twins - both had tubes in their ears. One at 11 months, the other at 13 months. The procedure is very quick. The worst part was coming out of the anesthesia. They were both disoriented and cried for about a 1/2 hour. So, really just be prepared for that. After that they were fine. The tubes really helped my daughter - she didn't really have ear infections after that. My son continued to have ear infections, even with the tubes. By 3 the tubes fell out of their ears.

I was facing the same thing, and I decided to try other less invasive options first, even though I am willing to do tubes if these options don't work. My myopractor (very similar to a chiropractor) has been very successful in the past with adjusting children and opening up the flow in the passages so the fluid will drain. My son's hearing has improved after being adjusted one time by her and we went back yesterday and she said the fluid is significantly decreased (I'm also going to have his pediatrician check him out for verification). So we're giving this a shot and hopefully his hearing keeps improving as the fluid drains. I got the idea from my SIL whose daughters constantly had ear infections, so she took them to the chiropractor who had successfully worked on her as a child when she had the same problems. They haven't had another ear infection after going several times to him. Anyways, my myopractor is Rhonda with Natural Therapeutics and her number is ###-###-#### if you want to give that a try. I love her!

My son had ear tubes when he was two and my story is pretty similar to everyone else's. The only other thing I wanted to mention was that after the tubes are in place he had to wear earplugs when taking a bath or going swimming to avoid geting water in his ears. They have small earplugs for children at most pharmacies like CVS or Walgreens. I we chose to do the procedure because he never had any more ear infections. Good luck in whatever you decide.

My son was 9 months old when his tubes were put in. He did very well. LIke the other moms stated he was just confused when he started to wake up and fussed for a bit. We brought his comforte item (for him it is any blanket as long as it has a tag on it) held him and let him have that gave him his sippie cup of juice I think they gave him and then he was fine. He slept most of the day and then in the evening he was backed to himself playing!!! Very quick procedure but, I still cried when he went back there without us. I dont think you can help it! LOL Good luck.

There is a great book written for children who are getting tubes in their ears. I can't remember the name but the lady at the book store did a search for me and found it. My son had tubes placed and his adnoids reduced and it took maybe 20 min. He did great and was just tired the rest of the day. The ENT put more permanent tubes in my son and we had them removed in March - a 5 min procedure. He was home and his normal self later that afternoon. Don't stress if his hearing is affected, he will be better after the tubes and he won't even feel them. Good Luck.

Before you get the tubes in his ears have you considered taking him to a chiropractor? We take our 2 month old daughter because she spits up excessively and it does wonders. We also I a few friends who have taken their children because tubes were recommended and after a few visits the tubes were no longer needed.