Helping the Child in Ear Pain

An ear infection can be extremely painful and uncomfortable for your little one. Whatever the cause for the same, it is important that you follow the right care tips at home so that you can help to reduce your child’s discomfort as much as possible.

Here are a few tips you can try to help your child if he or she is suffering from ear pain.

1. Head up: Try to place your child in such a way that the head is propped up a little, whether while sitting half up or even while lying down. This will help to reduce the amount of pressure that builds up against the eardrum, and can significantly reduce pain.
2. Hot water therapy: You can use a hot water bottle or even an electric heating pad against your child’s ear, but make sure that you do this only in case of older children. Babies, toddlers and younger kids should not be given the hot water therapy at home, as they are very young and restless, and may end up hurting themselves. If you are using the hot water bottle or pad for your child, make sure you keep touching it regularly to monitor the temperature. Also, do not place it at the same place for long, as it can lead to redness and itching. Do not let your child fall asleep on a heating pad or hot water bottle as it could also lead to accidental burns.
3. Pain medication: Speak to your child’s doctor to check if it is alright to give some pain medication to offer relief from the pain. If your child is in severe distress, taking a pain medication will help the child to sleep well and recover from some of the discomfort and pain. Make sure you do not get any over the counter drugs but only go by what your child’s doctor has suggested, whether it is an oral medication or an ear drop.

In case of severe pain, the doctor may suggest you do go ahead and use a pain medication, as antibiotics will also take about seventy two hours to fully start working. The doctor may prescribe a pain medication to help your child tide through these hours till the medicine starts getting effective. One of the most common medicines that is used in such a case is ibuprofen, but make sure to give it only after consulting the doctor.