Ear infections are one of the most common illnesses in babies and toddlers as well as older kids. About 60-80% of kids will have at least one ear infection before age 1, and 60-99% by age 2. Both bacteria and viruses can cause ear infections and often kids will have both types going on at once.

At Brave Care, our pediatricians are ear infection experts. Don’t go through another painful night! We can assess your child and initiate proper treatment to help them feel better fast, and we won’t prescribe antibiotics unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Signs of an ear infection in a baby

• Fussiness
• Fever (>/= 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit)
• Fussiness
• Decreased appetite
• Cough and runny nose
• Pulling at ears or batting at the sides of their head
• Vomiting

Signs of an ear infection in toddlers and older kids

• Complaints of ear pain
• Fever (>/= 101 degrees Fahrenheit)
• Cold symptoms including a runny nose or a cough
• Decreased appetite
• Vomiting

Home remedies for an ear infection in infants and children

With a sick and miserable child, as a parent, your priority is to help your child feel better. Thankfully, there are some home remedies you can try to help your child feel better until you can get them in to have their ears checked. But before we get to those, a note of caution: Never put anything in the ear of your child unless you’re sure that the eardrum is whole and not ruptured. Signs of a ruptured eardrum are a significant decrease in pain as well as lots of goop coming out of the ear.

Garlic mullein is a popular liquid medicine administered into your child’s painful ear. There is one study from 2001 demonstrating its effectiveness in reducing pain associated with ear infections. No adverse events were documented in this study.

Tylenol or Ibuprofen are safe to give children and can bring them some relief. Ibuprofen should never be used for infants under 6 months of age. Please see our medication dosage tool for more information.