Any Toddler ear infection home remedies?

(June 26, 2010)

Toddler Ear Infection Home Remedies

“Ouch my ear hurts!” exclaims your three year old one fine day and you get all worried as you wonder what to do. Well, don’t panic because in such a crisis, you need to find some home remedies to soothe the pain and make sure that your child finds some relief.

Before starting the actual treatment, it is important to know more ear infections. This will help you address the issue in a better way. Our ear is divided into three parts—the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. A middle ear infection is the most common type of ear infection found in young children.

Here are the symptoms that indicate a possible ear infection in children:

•   Pain in the infected ear
•   Fever and chills
•   Hearing problem
•   Dizziness
•   Fluid discharge
•   Nausea
•   Loss of appetite.

The main reason why an ear infection is caused in children is a blockage of the ear due to cold or some foreign particle that may lead to fluid build-up and infection. Besides these, improper nutrition may also lead to this condition.

Home Remedies for Ear Infection

If your child is suffering from an ear infection, make sure you feed your child food that is rich in zinc and vitamin C. Increase the amount of calcium rich food as well. These nutrients help in bringing down the infection.

Avoid giving your child any kind of processed food and keep him/her away from people who smoke or who are suffering from a cold. Stop your child from touching his/her nose and ear as the infection can get worse. Make sure your child washes his/her hands regularly to make sure that the hands are germ-free.

Pressing a warm bottle or warm bag of salt against the infected ear may help your child find some relief from the severe pain. Avoid inserting ear buds or ear candles inside the infected ear.

Make your child take steam therapy. Add a few drops of eucalyptus oil, ginger oil, or peppermint oil to a steaming bowl of water and ask your child to inhale the steam. Make sure you use a towel to cover the child’s head.

Making your child sleep with his/her head propped up a little will help too. This will open the tube inside the ear and will drain the ear of the fluid.

Lastly, make sure you take your child to the doctor at the earliest and administer the medicines prescribed. A course of antibiotics is definitely a must to cure any infection.

Submitted by P T on June 26, 2010 at 06:30