Although common colds are rather common in babies and young children, and your baby may be at risk of developing ear infections immediately after a bout of the cold.
At times, he may develop ear infection after a fever.
If your baby is fussing much more than usual, and he keeps tugging at his ear or in the area of his ears, then you know that he is suffering from an ear infection.
This infection is caused when fluid accumulates around the baby’s eardrums, and it may cause him a lot of distress.
There are certain simple, although not foolproof measures a parent can take that will help prevent ear infections in your child. Here are some tips:
- Make sure that your baby has had all his vaccinations, and that everything is up to date. Remember; there are several infections that will end up causing ear infection in your baby, and when you make sure that your baby has been vaccinated against these common infections, you will be able to therefore prevent him from developing painful ear infections.
- Breastfeeding of course is one of the best methods of preventing infections in your baby, perhaps because mother’s milk contains immune building antibodies, which are transferred directly to the child when he breastfeeds.
- Do not expose your baby to tobacco smoke; experts have been able to prove that a baby that is exposed to smoke at a very early age is prone to developing ear infections.
- If you are bottle feeding your baby, you have to make sure that he doesn’t take his bottle when he is lying down. This action almost inevitably causes fluid to back up and this in turn causes ear infections in the baby. Make sure that you raise your baby’s head a little when he is having his bottle, and this will effectively prevent the development of ear infections.
- If your child is older, you could try teaching him to ‘pop’ his ears. This involves holding his nose pinched shut, keeping his mouth closed, and having him blow air through his nose. This action will exert pressure on the ears and will allow the accumulated fluid to drain away.
With a little effort, you as a parent will definitely be able to prevent ear infections in your child. They are rather unavoidable however; therefore you must also be prepared to deal with them when they occur.
Do not worry, after the age of two, ear infections are less common.
