Ongoing Ear Infection(almost 3Mos)

My son is almost 3 and has had repeated ear infections for his whole life. About 6 months ago I read that dairy allergies are a huge factor in cronic ear infections. We took him off of dairy in November and he hasn't had any problems at all. I read that the children crave milk (I buy the lactose free milk. more expensive but well worth it!)and that the pain they feel increases at night time. I guess the pain is kinda like a tooth ache. I hope this helps. It is very hard to take them off of dairy completely. We don't usually enforce it if we are at a party and people are serving pizza or if Nana gives him some ice cream. We just limit it as best we can and he has responded very well. Good luck!

That milk she's craving may be at least partly the culprit. Dairy products create mucous build up, and sinus problems are a common allergic / sensitive reaction to dairy. I had inner ear problems for 2 years myself, and they cleared up instantly when I eliminated dairy.

Sounds like you have 2 separate questions. One about the ear infection and one about the sleeping. I wouldn't worry about the sleeping until the ears are cleared up. I'm dealing with ongoing ear infection right now with my 9 month old son. We are actually going to the ENT today because he has had one for over a month now and has been on 4 antibiotics with no improvement. Have you seen a specialist yet? i would take her to an ENT if you haven't already. I am hoping for some answers today. Good luck.

Hi D.,

Stop the cow's milk - totally. Milk causes mucus buildup in the ears, sinus and lungs. Try RICE milk instead.
Have her take Caprylic Acid capsules, 2 - 3 capsules 3 times a day along with a high quality Lactobacillus Acidophilus and bifidobacteria. Also, give her cod liver oil 3 times a day. (Wallmart carries one that has orange flavor added). If the antibiotics are not working, stop giving them and keep doing the above along with oregano drops under the tounge( I tell my kids they are pizza drops) 3 x day. COq10 will encourage aerobic metabolism. Keep the diet steady on fresh greens,fruits and... add brown rice. Important: stop the barley malt and anything with maltodexterin,.. any food ingredient listed with MALT in it. Also stop giving fermented foods (like vinegars, soy sauces, pickles,). You might be able to add these back into her diet later, but cutting these out now is very important. Make sure you don't give any booster SHOTS during the time that a child has an ear infection. It will tax her body too much and can cause forms of autism to develop.

Ear infections are a drag, my son who is 15 now had ongoing ear infections for most of his childhood. The best way for us was to get his immune system up with vitamins and minerals. Reducing his dairy, wheat, and sugar intake and re-establishing his intestinal flora. Most of our immunity is found in our GI tract. If your child is on antibiotics it kills all bacteria, even the good bacteria that helps to digest our food. This puts our bodies out of balance and causes disturbances in our immune system. Antibiotics are great for bacterial infections but how can you tell it's a bacteria? They do not swab or puncture the ear to get a sample. Contact a nutritionist or holistic practitioner to help develop a plan. In addition we had our son adjusted by a chiropractor regularly made a huge difference. Good luck!

Hi there. Both of my little kids had never ending ear infections. It may be genetic. I had them as a kid and so did their dad. I agree that you might want to adjust her diet. As soon as my kids start to get sick, I take them off dairy until they are better. You should definitely see an Ear Nose and Throat Doctor. My daughters adenoids were so swollen (for YEARS) that her ear tubes could not drain. She had to have her tonsils and adenoids removed. My son had to get tubes put in his ears. It has been a year now, and neither have been sick (aside from a little cold). In the past a little cold would have turned into a massive never ending infection. Once this was done, my kids have been able to sleep through the night, and have generally been happier, better eaters, and more energy. Good Luck!!!! PS there is also a chiropractic adjustment that can be done to kids that allows the ear tubes to drain.

Hi D.,
I think the posts about allergies and yeast infections are right on the mark. If you are going to eliminate foods to test for allergies, just do one at a time for two weeks, so you will know which food is the trigger. My little son can't eat anything with yellow dye in it, and this is how we found out. (do you know how many foods have yellow dye in them?) As to yeast infections - probably where the smell comes from - eating any yogurt with live cultures will work to replace the good bacteria the antibiotics are killing. It takes some time, but it is worth it.
Sleep patterns take time to change too. Try giving her a little bowl of oatmeal just before bed. Little bodies need frequent fuel, and overnight is a long time. I am a big fan of snacking during the day. My kids eat breakfast, small AM snack, lunch, a good-sized mid-afternoon snack, dinner, and a "bednight snack". They are great sleepers. Begin replacing the nightly milk with water, then start eliminating the water. She is old enough to not wake up that often.
I also agree that she might need to see a new doctor. Many are so busy getting patients in and out and just treating symptoms they don't take the time to find the root of the problem. Good luck - I wish you a future of restful nights.
smiles

Hi, D.--the ear infection stuff about allergies is good, but do make sure you follow up with your pediatrician because you need to make sure the the infections resolve. If your doc doesn't agree with exploring the allergy idea, you might look for one who is more open to that.
Absolutely the best book I ever read was Ferber's "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems". I used to re-read it while rocking my daughter at 3AM sometimes! It got me through two entirely different sleep disturbances with the same child and saved my sleep (for me, sleep=sanity). I cannot recommend it enough! Good luck.

Dear D. F,
It is a common problem. My son had ear infections since birth. He was placed on antibiotics after antibiotics. Doctors said it was a milk allergy. We took him off of milk. That didn't work for him. He still had ear infections. He actually developed hearing loss because of it. My son later at the age of 3 had tubes put in and that worked. He had maybe 1 to 3 ear infections and since but the tubes helped the infection drain out. His estation tube was so narrow no fluid was able to drain out. I would have to wonder does your daughter have enlarged tonsils or adnoids? That could also cause the estation tube to fail. My sons were he had thm removed when he was 3. My son is 6 now years old. He has now had maybe 1 ear infection a year but a lot better than every month. He placed on antibiotics for even 3 weeks to clear up the infection but that didn't work. I would have her get a ear, nose and throat, (ENT) doctor appointment for and evaluation to see if maybe she needs tubes placed. Or maybe her tonsils and adnoids removed. They using do it all in 1 surgery. My son was in the hospital for about 5 hours at the most. Any questions just ask. M. Petersen

She might have celiac or gut issues with milk... she craves it because it is a drug!!! it turns in to caseo-morphines... Look up Gf/CF diet... my children were excatly like that and after diet, they sleep through the night!!! More focus during the day and less hyper!!! Love, G.. :0)
P.S. My boys had ear infection every other week too!!! That is gone!!! I have not seen a pediatrician for 2 years at all!!!They also had costipation, and delays in language....

I haven't had this happen exactly but my daughter did have a UTI forever and we kept going through antibiotics....so we went to the local healthfood store and got her some probiotic (it's just put into their drink and it helps restore what the antibiotocs take out) anyway after we started her on that she seemed to graually get better. Look into it. Also withthe night time milk....just like when they are on the bottle....when you want them to stop wanting it in the night you start substituting it for whater...once they have it and it doesn't get them 'Full' they will stop waking up for it.

Sorry to hear about your little girl. It seems as though my youngest battled with them from age two. One time during the second series of antibiotics I ran across a magazine from the health food store relating ear infections with yeast. I gave my daughter pro biotic capsules (purchased at the health food store) 3 times a day for 3 days. The first day her discomfort lessened. The second day she was up and out of pain. The third day she was playing normally. She has not suffered an ear infection due to yeast since then.(only from swimming) You may want to contact your local health food store and do some research on what types of foods feed the yeast condition. It typically occurs when intestinal flora is off balance usually due to antibiotics. Hope all turns out well.

I am sure your doctor told you that your daughters eustacion tubes are not yet formed. My daughter had 13 ear infections by the time she was 1 and had to have tubes put in her ears. Sometimes babies are born and their eustacian tubes are angled instead of straight which means they cannot drain. Your doctor is being careful about giving her a strong antiobiotic so she doesn't become immune to them early and he can't prescribe her anything but the strong stuff. I know it's scray and frustrating, but it's better to start off with low doses of antiobiotics to hope her body reacts to it along with the infection then start her off on a high does of a heavy antiobiotic which her system could be become immune to later on down the road, givning you no where to do. good luck!

Try having her eat plain yogurt and also include xylitol gum, candy or products which helps prevent cavities and ear infections and has been used in Europe for over 30 yrs. It's basically fruit sugar. Safe for those with diabetes as well. Most of the time, we find xylitol gum and candy at a Korean market b/c most of the American brands at the supermarket has the ingredient, aspartame, which can cause strokes. You can also find xylitol gum/candy and jam online. We also buy gum and sparx candy at www.luckyvitamin.com, since shipping is $6 (flat rate). Stay away from processed sugar products like juice, soda, candy, gum, baked goods, preserves, ice cream...etc b/c they increase bad bacteria growth. You can find sugar free products made without aspartame. You might be able to fine sugar free milano pepperidge farm cookies which don't have aspartame and taste good too. Milk does cause mucus build up. So like others have said, maybe taking her off milk will help unless she's never had this problem before? I would definitely check into her diet to see if there's something new that can cause more mucus which can be the cause of her ear infections.

As for sleeping through the night, you would have to break the habit of giving her something to eat or drink at night. That will help her to stop waking up. Also, no TV at night or snacking all through the day. Having set meals also helps stabilize her metabolism; breakfast @ 8, lunch @ 12, snack @ 3pm, then dinner at 5-6 (usually 3-4 hours between meals), bedtime should be no later than 8pm. She should have at least a 1 hour nap in the middle of the day which will help her to wind down easier and rest at night.

Hope these tips will help you. Good luck and God bless!

Hi D.,
I would strongly suggest you try CranioSacral Therapy for your daughter. It will help to open her ear canals and will probably improve her sleep patterns also. I am located in Santa Rosa, CA, probably to far for you. You could check www.Upledger.com for a practitioner closer to you. It would be much less invasive than what an ent would suggest. You should see results in 3 sessions, possibly after the first session.
You might also try and naturopathic physician(N.D.). She may be having allergy problems.
Good luck. Feel free to email me if you have more questions.
D. Bohr, NCTMB, B.S.
Mom and Grandma
retired elementary and early childhood teacher
CranioSacral Therapy/Maternity Massage

I don't know what to say about the ear infections. Maybe you should take her to an ENT. As far as the sleeping, quit giving her the cup of milk she wants. Its a habit that will never get broken until you break it. Tell her before you put her to bed that there will be no milk (or anything else) during the night and then stick to it. Do not get up; do not get her any milk. It will probably take several nights to break this habit and sleeping won't be easy, if you can at all, but you have to break this habit for everyone's sake. Soon she'll be old enough to go on overnight stays at friends houses. Do you think their parents are going to get up and get her milk every 2 - 3 hours? I doubt it and she'll probably not be invited back. You're not doing her any favors giving in to her nightly demands and, in fact, you are doing her a dissservice. Be the mom and do the hard stuff!

Hi, D.. Hang in there. My first thought as I read, was get her off of milk, and in the following paragraph, you talked about an increase in milk consumption. Dairy products cause phlegm and the phlegm causes congestion that drains into the ears. I won't delve too deeply into the antibiotics either, but know that antibiotics not only don't cure the disease, but compromise the immune system. It may be worth trying to keep her off of the dairy for a week or so and see if you see any noteworthy results. You can try rice, almond, or soy milk as substitutes, and see which is better tasting to her. They even have chocolate and strawberry varieties that may help with the transition. Our prayers are with you and feel free to contact me personally at ###-###-#### as I'd love to hear how it goes. May the Lord bless you and your family.
:o) Tanya

I see someone already suggested this, but see an ENT doctor. Ask your doctor to recommend one. This is the best you can do right now and good luck. My brother had many ear problems when he was younger and to this day, he is 30 he has to wear ear plugs in his ear when he swims.

Hi D.,
My heart goes out to you and your sweet daughter. My now 18-yo when 4 to 6 yrs. suffered from chronic ear infections. It was truly horrendous and the number of antibiotics that were prescribed over and over again alarming. Finally it was recommended that his adnoids be removed. Naturally I was concerned. I pleaded with the Dr. to remove his tonsils at the same time, I was told they did not do that anymore. To shorten the story, after the adnoids were removed his ear infections completely stopped but, he began suffering from chronic strep throat. Poor thing had to go back in and have his tonsils taken out. The surgeon told us that the adnoids and tonsils were diseased looking from repeated infections and would have continued to cause him problems, so it was a good thing they were removed. He has never had a problem since. I realize my son's story is probably the extreme and I hope that you are able to rememdy your daughter's situation without surgery. I just wanted to let you know that his infections were chronic. As a young child I suffered from chronic ear infections and had my tonsils removed, the ear infections stopped. Is there any family history?
While I am motivated to exhaust all avenues to avoid surgery in this situation it was defnitely warranted and helped. I hope your situation improves so that your daughter receives some relief and you some sleep. My well wishes are with you.

D.:

Has your physician ever talked about putting tubes in her ears? My daughter had constant ear infections with the same signs and symptoms as yours and it all resolved once she had the tubes placed in her ears which allowed the fluid to drain before it got infected. The procedure was a same day surgery, done within hours. I would strongly recommend talking to your physician regarding this because all the ear infections may eventually affect her speech as she may not be hearing well enough with all the fluid in her ears. They can also do a hearing test to check her hearing. Good luck.

As far as not sleeping, my daughter used to come into my room all the time wanting to sleep with me and my husband or even on my floor. Once she turned 5, I told her that now that she was a kindergartener, they sleep in their own beds all night long. I also gave her some dragonfly LED lights hung from her ceiling that used very little energy as a night light so her room wasn't so dark. Good luck.

Is your doctor very proactive about this? 2-1/2 months is a long time to have an ear infection. My horrible experience with my son last year led me to the conclusion that you have to really push with doctors sometimes. Not that I know personally of anything other than antibiotics that can be taken for an ear infection, but possibly you could see another doctor? What about draining the ear? Your poor daughter must really be suffering. I'm sorry.

On the sleeping through the night, once this ear infection thing is resolved you could just let her "cry it out". She's used to you responding. I'm sure there is advice recommending books on this.

Make sure you insist on seeing an ENT. My son had ear infections at age 3 for 4 months that have affected his speach. She maybe old enough but there is never a reason for a child to suffer so much. She may need tubes. Or in my son's case he had a fungal infection that was caused by the antibiotic that he had been taking for 4 months straight. He has not had an ear infection in over a year and 1/2 once I discovered what the root cause of the infection.

Good Luck but make sure she sees an ENT!!!

I would take her to see another doctor for a second opinion. There could be something else going on. Also, I know it has been stated here before but antibiotics do not work for most ear infections. Have you tried putting garlic oil in her ears? That does wonders.
As for the sleeping, if she is in a lot of pain it will be difficult for her to catch some zzzzzzz. If she seems to be in a lot pain give her a dose of pain medicine before bed.
Do not give her milk during the night unless you plan on brushing her teeth! Milk has sugar and will cause decay.

Lastly, I am sure that you misspoke but you called yourself a single mother yet you said you are happily married with a man who treats your child as his own. Calling yourself a single parent could hurt his feelings and make him feel as though he is less of a parent then you are. This could also hurt your daughter, feeling less then his biological child. I am sure it was a mistake but thought it deserved some attention.

Best, J.

Hi D. -

This is a little unconventional but might be worth a try.

Many people believe (I'm one of them) that earaches and ear infections have their root in allergies and food intolerances. You can give your child antibiotic after antibiotic and if it comes back, it is due to something else (you have to ask yourself why the ears are clogged all the time in the first place)
The biggest cause in my experience is allergies or intolerances to dairy (biggest one), then wheat, peanut butter, oranges and sugar.

I would hazard a guess that the very milk that your daughter wants so much is causing the problem - also with her sleep. I would cut dairy, wheat and sugar out of her diet and see what happens. I'm guessing milk, because that is so common, but if your child has a diet high in sugar (even natural sugars found in fruit juice) he/she will have a greater occurrence of infections. Wheat is also a common enough occurrence that I would cut that out too for a while to see if symptoms come back when it is reintroduced.

My oldest son had ear infections constantly as a baby and small boy. I had him on every antibiotic known to man. My second child was the same thing - they never slept well, they were cranky and always getting those ear infections. With my 3rd child, I had started learning about natural health and changing my diet (if you are nursing, you have to change YOUR diet - your child might still be allergic to the milk YOU are drinking) - her ear infections started clearing up and went away. By my fourth child, I knew a lot more - and my fourth child has never had an ear infection ever - she is now 6.
This is just my experience, but worth a try -!

Good luck!

P.S. I just saw the post below about xylitol - it is actually a sugar alcohol (not the booze kind of alcohol - just a chemical name) - and it IS very good for a lot of things. It is also worth a try.

HI !! My first child, a boy had manny health challenges, including Ear infections that sometimes turned into /Hi fever convulsions, He has always awakened @ 2 AM!! He was also breast fed!! I never broke His habbit, but provided a drink
for him. He still gets up each night @ 2 and goes to the bathroom and gets his drink from bottled water!! Don't give up . Just work around it!! The rest of my breast fed babies all slept through. This boy is now 51yrs old, Gram E of 10!!

Dear D.,
I'm also a mother of two children the first child i had who is now 22 had the same problems with her ears reacurring ear infections from the time she was 3 at one point i was spending alot of time in the emergency room at local hospitals no one seem to listen to me that my daughters hearing had been affected by all the infections, they put tubes in her ears at age 4 and removed her adnoids.we all thought this was it and so about 3 mo later they came back again only now she had a terrible drainage coming from her ears and the smell was awful.So i found a doctor his name was Dr cory wansbury he has a practice in eureka california ,she was 11 by the time we found him and he performed a surgey on ashley and it had not ever been done before,it was very scary in that we had been to every ears nose dr known to man and she had been sick most of her life.she now is 22 not one ear infection sense she was 11 maybe you should contact him .and on another note milk is the worse thing for her to drink during this time when her ears are infected ,also they tend to get yeast infections from all the antibiotics to stop that give her a yogert called brown cow does not matter what flavor it is,it has natural cultures that will stop the yeast from growing so your not battling two thing at once.good luck and you and your daughter will be in my thoughts,i know how hard this is for your daughter and you.my e- mail is ____@____.com if you wish to contact me.

Gaelen

I have had an ear infection (off and on) for most of my pregnancy! I'm in my 7th month. I have been on 4 types of drops. Are the antibiotics your daughter is getting oral? I think it's hard for the drops to be effective because they are only in contact with part of the infection and it's hard for them to stay in long.
I started using cotton to keep them in at night and am doing better. I also dry out my ear every time after a shower and I was recommended to get drops for swimmer's ear (although I'm never in water) after this clears up.
Hope she is better soon!!!!!!!

Hi D.,

Did the ear infection clear up yet? I hope it is gone by now.

I would like to share a way to be preventative in that area from this point on.

I have 10 years of experience with the line of high quality, effective nutritional products that my family and I take. They are from Symmetry Direct. I also distribute these products.

I have heard from moms using the Fruit-A-Mins (chewable multiple) along with Aloe Plus (liquid aloe vera juice) to finally overcome the battle with ear infections! It is all about enhancing the immune system. Genesis would also be a great product to use for this.

Even if the ear infction is not gone yet (and especially so), you can start her on these products ASAP. They can be used in conjunction with whatever else you may be doing.

You can check out the products at www.symmetrydirect.com/dhendon and feel free to call me.

Victorious Living to you and yours,
D. Hendon, RDH,SMM
###-###-####

Hi D.,
My name is J., and I have three children of my own. When each of my boys were young, we went through the massive ear infections. My older boy went through countless bouts of ear infections and stronger and stronger and stronger antibiotic. It wasn't until he was about 5 did he stop suffering from them.

By the time my younger son was dealing with the ear infections, we had a doctor who was very poactive. After seeing the frustration, and learing we had been through the ear infections with our older son, he recommended tubes be placed in the ears to assist in proper draining. We accepted his recommendation and our son had the out-patient surgery done. Since he had the tubes put in, he had 1 ear infection, and that was a couple years later, long after the tiny tubes had fallen out (due to his growth, the tubes falling out was normal). He didn't need tubes put back in. Needless to say, I wish this procedure had been done with our oldest son.

A note about the drinking... if your little girl is taking a "sippy cup" to bed, or drinking anything while lying down, this is promoting the ear infections, due to inproper draining. This can also cause the teeth to have cavities. The fluid actually sits at the back of their throats, and can cause the infections. Perhaps if she is ONLY getting water when she gets up, and she has a little cup in the bathroom, so she can get it herself, this may help your sleeping. If it isn't something as exciting as milk or juice that she takes back to bed with her, she won't be as inclined to get up.

Personally, I gave my oldest son a nice warm bath most evenings to help him sleep. (he never slept!) I used the Johnson and Johnson calming (lavender? chamomile?) bath bubbles/soap. My other two children were able to fall asleep much easier than my oldest.

Good Luck and take care... and by the way, the sleeping never gets easier!

Have you considered chiropractic care? I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes a misalignment can create a blockage preventing the proper draining of the eustation tubes. I am not a fan of constant antibiotics, especially because if they are used frequently enough, the bacteria becomes immune. My pediatrician is not a huge fan of tubes and usually refers them in a last case scenario. She & I talked about a diet change - sometimes certain foods can contribute to the ear infections. She & I also talked about chiropractics. My chiropractor asked me to bring my daughter in & of course I was hesitant at first. The pediatrician had read about chiropractics in studies, but didn't feel 100% confident in prescribing them for anything but musculo-skeletal issues. She also did NOT discourage me from trying it (she even asked that I tell her how it seemed to work). Anyhow, we changed our daughter's diet & took her to the chiropractor & she has had one ear infection since (this was over a year ago, by the way).
Good luck!

I would look into a milk allergy and have a culture done to see if it is a yeast infection.

Hello. I am so sorry to hear about the ear infections... I had many of them as a child and know how painful they are! Have you thought about finding and osteopath (which is an MD specializing in the bones and much more) or a craniosacral therapist? My son had one ear infection (at about 3-4) and I was able to "fix" it by working on his ears and cranial bones. He was crying and in great pain. His dad was ready to take him to the emergency room (which wouldn't have done anything except made it all worse because I know first hand there isn't much to be done about the pain and all they'd prescribe are antibiotics). As I worked on our son, he fell into a deep sleep and I slept next to him just in case he needed more. He woke the next morning without any pain at all and has not had an ear infection since.

Dr. Carlisle Holland in Sebastopol is one osteopath I can think of (if you are in Sonoma County).

If your child is requesting milk 2-3 times per night and is lying down when she drinks the milk, this could also be the cause for ear infections. When a child drinks lying down, the liquid acts like sinus drainage and puddles behing the ear drum. This causes bacteria to grow, thus causing an ear infection. Could be why it is reoccuring. I know it will be hard, but breaking her of the cup at night might be worth a try. Give her an incentive. When we broke our daughter of the binky, we gave her a prize bag to pick from each day that she didn't have it. When we knew that she was completely weaned, we bought a larger prize. It seemed to work for us! Good Luck!

Ear infections are tough! You don't sleep and neither does the child. I use Dimetapp along with the antibiotics, it will help dry up the fluid in the ear that is harboring the bacteria. My doctor told me to do it and it worked. There is an antibiotic called Augmentin, it is a white liquid, not pink like all the others and that was the only thing that worked for my kids heavy duty ear infections. Also try Bactrim? I've been through the gammet of meds for this problem. Also, see if her ear needs a cleansing. Garlic oil in the ear is supposed to be good for the pain, an old homeopathic remedy my mom used on us. Seemed to work for my brother and sister.

Hi D.,

Same exact thing happened to one of my children at age 2. She ended up needing tubes in both ears and has never had an ear infection again-now 6. You should have your doctor refer you to ear-nose and throat specialist, which I'm surprised they havent already.

It sounds like your daughter may have an allergy to dairy. I'm a Craniosacral Therapist and CST can work well for ear infections. Often the antibiotics will create more problems re the Immune system.and therefore sleep patterns.
I am located in San Rafael, CA. If you look on the Upledger.com web site, you can find a therapist in your area.
A. Rose, MA;CMT;CST

Ear infections can be caused by smokers.I don't know if that's the case. Maybe she should see an ear doctor. Sometimes it helps to have her lay on the bad ear so it can drain. Google might have information explaining why the ear infections is going on. As for the sleeping, caffeine after 7 might be a reason for sleepless nights. I don't know your situation, but this is what I know. As for the fevers, there most be something else going on. Maybe take her in to have her ears tested.

NO DAIRY!!!! Use Rice milk or almond milk. Milk is the worst thing you can give her. And go online and get the Nasopure nasal flush and do it 1x a day when not sick and 2-3 times when sick or around sick kids. Dont buy the solution- make it yourself.
1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp baking soda, to a 1/2 cup warm pure water. It works to keep the tubes clear. Antibiotics are proving not to work much with ear infections so much plus they hurt their digestive system- give probiotics. Also go to health food store and pick up garlic oil- it works so well. A few drops in each ear. Its a natural antibiotic.
GOOD LUCK

My son had many ear infections - almost constant actually. He did end up having ear tubes 3X in both ears, at 2, 3, and 4 years old. After the tubes we learned about draining the eustachian (sp) tubes in his ears. One thing that we did that worked for us was to take him to a chiropractor. He would drain the tubes in his ears, and voila, no more infections or antibiotics. I wish we had known about it before he had 3 sets of tubes over a 3 year period put in his ears. I recommend this. Have the chiropractor show you how to do this. It's not difficult and not painful.Good luck!

I don't have much advice, I'm so sorry. I just wanted to respond because I feel so badly for you for not being able to get a full night's sleep for so long. Blessings on you!
One thought I had, if she doesn't get better with this last antibiotic, it might be worth asking for a referral to an ENT (ear, nose, throat) doctor, just to get to the bottom of the issue as fast as possible. A 2 1/2 month ear infection is a long one.
Prayers and blessings on you and your family,
S. J.

my son has an ear infection right now. he is 9 months. i suppose it developed because he had a cold for 2 weeks and the mucus built up in his sinuses causing extra moisture in his ears, where bacteria was able to grow and cause an infection. nonetheless, his doctor prescribed him an antibiotic, omoxillim or something. i filled it and gave him one dose but it did not relieve any of the sinus blockage and he was still extremely miserable and wasnt getting any sleep, and neither was i!
i dont believe in prescription medication because they often make the situation worse with side effects, and usually require the need for more and stronger drugs, part of the vicious cycle of dependence orchestrated by pharmaceutical companies (and promoted by doctors).
anyway, i have been using wholistic remedies which are working like magic.
i mashed up some onions and place drops of onion juice with an eyedropper in my son's ear and plug it with cotton. this loosens the mucus. then i squirt salt water up his nose to flush the mucus out. he hates this process tremendously but when i see all that green mucus flowing down, i know its working. also i run a humidifier at night. since he was diagnosed on monday, i have been doing this treatment and he has been sleeping on his regular schedule throughout the night. (he still wakes up at 3 am for his bottle but thats part of his routine right now) i have not given him the anitbiotic since that one dose and i know he wil be better within the next week.
im a single mom running my own business, going to school and 3000 miles away from any family. im superwoman! anyway, i hope this helps if you have an open mind. remember, the earth has given us everything we need to survive...

~J.

Ear infections are a real pain for all concerned. She probably is in pain and that is what is waking her up at night. They want something to sooth them back to sleep so she is asking for milk. I think if you get rid of the ear infection you will probably help solve your sleeping problems. Try saline solutions to help with the sinus and maybe you can stop the ear infections. Are they allergy caused? If so do all the allergy things, like washing all stuffed animals, blankets, rugs, curtains, pillows etc. every week to get rid of dust and dander. Smoke is another culprit this time of year when people are using their fireplaces. Hope you find the cause, good luck C.