An ear infection can be painful and damaging to a baby's ear, yet ear infections are relatively common with infants. As a parent, you may have concerns about this if your child has had several of these within the first year of his or her life. Here are three things you should know about ear infections in babies.
Why they are so common
According to research, around 50% of all babies experience at least one ear infection before the reach the age of one. This occurs because babies have short eustachian tubes in their ears. An ear infection develops when fluid builds up in the child's ear, and the fluid in a baby's ear is more prone to do this because the eustachian tubes do not drain fluids as well as the tubes in an adult's ear.
How are they treated
Doctors treat ear infections in several ways, but one of the most common ways is with an antibiotic. Antibiotics are capable of eliminating the bacteria that is causing the infection. Many doctors today do not recommend using antibiotics, though, because they believe that ear infections will usually clear up on their own. When ear infections are recurrent, a doctor may suggest inserting tubes in the baby's ears. These tubes are there simply to help the ears drain fluid properly.
Ways you can prevent them
If you want to prevent ear infections from forming in your baby's ears, there may be several things you can do. The first is stop giving your baby a pacifier. Babies that use pacifiers are more likely to develop ear infections. Doctors believe that the sucking sensation during pacifier use may hinder the drainage process of the ears, which then makes it even harder for a baby's ears to drain.
The second thing to do is find ways to keep your baby's nose clear. Any type of allergy or cold your baby gets will increase the chance of him or her developing an ear infection. This occurs because the mucus from a cold contains bacteria, and this bacteria can get trapped in the child's ears.
Finally, avoid feeding your baby while he is she is lying down. Instead, keep your baby upright during bottle feedings. This will help with the drainage process and could reduce the baby's risk for developing an ear infection.
If you suspect that your child might have an ear infection, make an appointment with your pediatrician or general doctor. Your doctor can diagnose this type of problem and can make recommendations about how to treat the problem.
www.mlprimarycare.com Share25 February 2016
When was the last time you went to an optometrist? If you are like most people, you only go when your glasses break or you run out of contact lenses. Very few people actually follow the guidelines of having their eyes checked each year. Not sure why it is necessary to visit your optometrist each year? You can learn all about the different exams and tests that your optometrist runs and why they are done. Knowing what can go wrong with your eyes and what can be done if the ailments are detected early could help to encourage you to get to the optometrist more often.
