Looking for ear infection remedies for toddlers? An earache can be so frustrating, especially in your toddler. It always seems to show up in the middle of the night. Let me put your mind at rest a little bit, I can honestly tell you I have only taken my kids to the doctor for an ear infection twice……TOTAL!
One of those visits only happened because we were leaving on an extended vacation out of the country. I didn’t want it to get worse and not have access to medicine. Over the years, I have found different remedies that have worked wonders with my boys. If one doesn’t work, I try another.
There are some children who just seem to get the short end of the stick, and ear aches or ear infections are something they have to deal with often. If you try some of these tips and you don’t see improvement after the first day, then go in and see your doctor. I usually always see some kind of improvement within a couple hours.
There have been times that we have had the pain instantly disappear and other times the pain takes awhile to leave but subsides after an hour. There have also been times when I have seen my boys feel better and then the earache returns the next day. Just repeat what you did the previous day and watch for improvement.
Again, if you don’t see improvement after a day, go see your doctor. It’s not worth having your child be in so much pain, and you don’t want it to get too bad. The earlier you catch it, the better chance you have of getting rid of it at home with these methods.
Younger kids are more prone to ear infections than older kids. Here is a graph from the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders.
Ear Infection Remedies for Toddlers
Method #1 – Olive Oil
This is my first method I try every single time. You simply get a spoon and run it under hot water to get the spoon nice and warm. I drop a couple drops of olive oil onto the spoon with this dropper. After a couple seconds I suck the oil back up in the dropper and drop a couple drops into the affected ear. Have your child lay on the opposite side of the affected ear, so the oil has time to really penetrate the ear.
Method #2 – Lemon Juice
This is my second choice when my boys have an ear ache. You do the exact same thing to administer lemon juice as you would olive oil. Again have your child lay on the opposite side and make sure it is warm before putting drops in the ear.
Method #3 – Lavender
I use this method in conjunction with the top two. If you have the essential oil lavender I have found that this can be helpful to soothe an earache. You simply put a couple drops onto a cotton ball and place the cotton ball inside the ear. According to this article from Livestrong.com you can “apply a small amount to the outer ear and rub gently. It may be applied as needed throughout the day.”
I always just put a couple drops on a cotton ball and place it in the outer ear. You can try both methods to see which one works best for you.
Method #4 – Hydrogen Peroxide
I will admit, I did not try this one until a couple months ago. We were camping and my son woke up in the middle of the night with his ear hurting. He was screaming and crying in pain. I went to get Tylenol and found I didn’t have any, or olive oil, or lavender or lemon juice! Inside I was telling myself that these are things I may need to add to my list to bring while camping.
After about a good 20 minutes of him crying and trying to help him feel better, I had the thought come to my mind (mom inspiration) to put some hydrogen peroxide in his ear. I grabbed the bottle and dropped a couple drops onto a spoon. I opened his ear canal fully by pulling up and back on his ear and I carefully dropped a couple drops in his ear and waited.
Both of us could hear the peroxide fizzing in his ear, and my son looked at me and said, “What is that sound?” After about 5 minutes, I kid you not, he fell back asleep and I didn’t hear him again. It completely took care of it. I was pleasantly surprised and relieved as we continued our camping trip with no ongoing ear aches.
If you child has an earache I would hold off going to the doctor for a couple days and try the above ear infection remedies for toddlers, babies or older children. Don’t rush to get antibiotics at the first sign of an earache. Like I said above, I have only had to get antibiotics for 2 instances with my 5 boys. One of the above methods have always helped my boys.
If you don’t see any relief after a day or two, then go into the doctor to get your child checked out.
Here are some added comfort measures you can take if your child does have a earache:
#1 – Warm wash cloth on affected ear
#2 – Don’t sleep on the affected side
#3 – Sleep on a slight incline
Sleeping on a slight incline will help your ear drain
#4 – You can also use Infant or Childrens Tylenol to help with pain and or fever.
Good luck mama and I hope some of these will help you and your child! If you are looking for other home remedies check this post out or here is list of MUST NEEDED items to be prepared with if your child gets sick this winter season.