Ear Infection Preventatives

My son had a lot of middle ear infections, hes 5 now. He finally got tubes and adenoids taken out at 8 months. He still gets infections here and there. I keep the water out of his ears too. After a bath I blow dry his hair and always make sure I get his ears too. This seems to help keep them away.
I hope it helps for you as well

Our doctor has always said that ear infections are "secondary infections" that stem from things like congestion -- often congestion the parents can't "hear" and which doesn't cause runny noses etc. that we can see. The gunk lodges in the ears, eventually, where it builds up bacteria and the infection forms. This is why kids can't "catch" an ear infection itself; they can catch the cold or infection that is causing the mucus, but they can't pass along JUST an ear infection (or so our doctor has told us). Keeping out wind won't make any difference at all, though keeping the ears dry is probably good; however the infections are not in front of the eardrum, where water gets in (and usually is fine) but are behind the eardrum, an area where water from baths or swimming doesn't reach unless the drum is perforated. All that is to say: Have you asked the doctor about other ways of preventing them? The main preventative may be to avoid colds if possible, though I know kids with chronic allergies who also get ear infections because their heads get full of mucus from allergies. It's good you're doing an allergy test soon.

Sounds like you are doing most of the things I would have suggested. Allergies may be a huge contributor (dairy especially, I think). Adjustments always worked for us. Another thing you might try is ear candling if you think there is an accumulation of wax. Buy a good quality brand with a narrow opening at the point you put in the ear. Wider openings can cause more problems as the wax can drip back down into the ear. Hope you find relief soon!

I use a mixture of half rubbing alcohol and half vinegar in each ear for ten minutes after swimming or showering. i lay on my side with my head flat and pour in the mix then lay there for 10 minutes for each side. seems if i do it for a shorter amount of time i get infections. i also take a sinus decongestant when i feel pressure building around my ears. for wax build up i put a little hydrogen peroxide in and let the wax bubble out. good luck!

Is it an outer ear infection? If it is then the ear hurts when touched. These can be caused by water sitting in the ear canal, allergies, etc (usually called swimmer's ear). It is treated differently from a middle ear infection which is common in little ones and caused by fluid trapped in the middle ear due to colds, allergies. They will sometimes tug at their ear (usually swimmer's ear is too painful if they touch it.) For swimmer's ear keep ears dry, for middle ear it's a bit more difficult but it may help to keep them from blowing their little noses since it can cause more problems by forcing the fluid back into the ear canals. From what I understand, a child's ear canal is often horizontal as compared to an adults being tilted so it's easier for fluid to get trapped in there. Anyhow, that's a tiny look into causes. The pediatrician should have insight for you.

I started my son on supplements and he never got another ear infection. Before that the doctor was urging me to have tubes put in for him.

Allergies! Our now 21 year old was a chronic ear infection kid. He had 3 sets of tubes before he was 2 and his adnoids out. The reason for the several sets of tubes is because when he would build up fluid, it was so thick that it would clog the inside of the tube. The doc couldn't see it when he looked in his ear, it just looked clear. They only found it with a tympanogram, or measuring sound waves in the ear.

I finally switched docs, for a variety of reasons, and happened to find a doc with a subspecialty in allergies. As soon as he said that it all started to make sense. I started to pay attention to not only the outdoor seasonal stuff, but indoor things too. And not just the milk but other foods. Yellow Dye #5 and #6 have been shown to cause allergic responses in those who are sensitive. *I wish I would have thought of a chiropractor at the time.