What to do when the baby has an earache?
24 April 2025
Earache is common among children, especially in early childhood. The presence of earache usually means that the child has an ear infection, otitis. Almost all parents deal with ear infections in children. This disease is especially typical for children aged 1-3, but it can also occur at a younger age. According to epidemiological studies, all children up to 5-7 years old get sick with this disease at least once, especially often at the age of 6-12 months. And after that age, from 5-7 years old, ear infections rarely occur. This is due to the structural features of the auditory tube in children.
There are external, middle and internal ear infections. External ear infections occur when the infection accumulates around the hairs of the auditory tube, which can also cause an abscess.
Otitis media is a complication of a viral or bacterial infection, or it can occur as a result of a ruptured eardrum. Inflammation of the inner ear occurs as a result of an infection of the paranasal sinuses, inflammation of the meninges, or purulent middle ear inflammation. Otitis media is more common in children.What are the causes of earache in children?
•Viral and bacterial infections, in which the space behind the eardrum becomes inflamed and the middle ear becomes inflamed.
•Swimmer's ear, which occurs as a result of irritation of the external auditory canal by water. The main symptom is itching in the auditory canal. If there is an infection, ear pain also occurs.
•Injury to the auditory canal, which occurs when a hard object is used to clean the ear. The abrasions can become inflamed, which contributes to the occurrence of pain.
•An abscess in the ear canal, which can be very painful.
•A wax plug, which is a solid lump of earwax. It causes mild pain, but if the lump goes deeper into the ear canal when you clean the ear with a cotton swab, it can block the ear canal, cause inflammation, pain, and hearing loss in that ear.
•Foreign bodies. Children can put various objects in their ears that can cause pain. These are usually small objects found in toys. Do not let your child play with small toys that are not recommended for children of their age, especially without parental supervision.
•Barotrauma. During pressure fluctuations, such as on an airplane or in the elevators of high-rise buildings, the eardrum can stretch, which can cause pain, especially when there is a wax plug in the ear.
•Referred pain. Earache can be caused by other problems, such as inflammation of the tonsils, jaw, parotid gland, mandibular glands, or teething.