ear infections

Emma Rose has had heaps of ear infections, and also had glue ear and build-up to the point that she needed grommets (which she got last August). We haven't had an ear infection since.

The key with ear infections is to treat them as soon as you can. Ear infections are usually related to upper respiratory infections. Basically, babies' eustacian tubes (the things that connect their inner ear to theithe backs of their noses) are shaped differently than those of adults. They're short and flat, which makes it easier for bacteria to travel into the tubes. This results in increased mucous production and inflammation -- an ear infection. Glue ear is when the mucous builds up and blocks the tube. If a child gets recurrent ear infections and they are left untreated, the mucous can build up on itself and keep the tube blocked, which means potential hearing loss and language development delays. That's what happened with my child.

There isn't much you can do to prevent ear infections, unfortunately. While it's true that not all children will need antibiotics to recover from them -- there has been research to the effect that ear infections generally clear up without medical intervention -- because you don't personally know what the shape of your child's Eustacian tubes are, it might be better to just go for the antibiotics rather than risk repeated ear infections that might build into glue ear and cause something more serious.

I wrote an article about grommets here, which includes some info about ear infections. I'd get in touch with your child's GP for other advice and options -- hang in there!