- Child pulls on ear
- Child says ear hurts
- Drainage from ear
- Fever (acute otitis media)
- Irritability
- Poor sleep
A child may have all, some, or none of these symptoms and still have otitis media. Otitis media frequently occurs when a child has a cold. When a child has otitis media with effusion, most of the time there are no symptoms. Ear infections are best detected by your child’s health care provider. Contact your health care provider if you think your child may be sick.
Acute otitis media (ear infections) can be treated by:
- Antibiotics prescribed by your health care provider. Medicine should be given until it is gone. Fever and pain should decrease within two days.
- Surgery to put a tube in a child’s ear if your child has a lot of ear infections. This surgery is done by an ear, nose, and throat doctor. This tube allows air to enter the middle ear space. This, in turn, helps the lining of the middle ear return to normal and helps prevent new infections. The tube generally stays in place for six to twelve months and falls out by itself.
Otitis media with effusion (fluid) can be treated by:
- Waiting for the fluid to go away. For 60–80 percent of children, middle ear fluid will go away by itself in three months. For 85 percent of children, fluid will go away by itself in six months. A health care provider should check a child's ears regularly during this period.
- Antibiotics may help reduce middle ear fluid in a small number of cases.
- Surgery to put a tube in the child’s ear if fluid continues for four to six months in both ears.
Talk with your child’s health care provider about these treatments. It is important to keep follow-up appointments.
