Pregnancy & Baby 
ToddlerHealthEar infections
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Ear infections

by Dr Kerry Robinson
continued from page 1
Can ear infections cause further complications?
  • Large amounts of fluid can build up behind the eardrum and cause it to burst. You will notice pussy fluid leaking from your child's ear. If this happens the pain usually subsides. The eardrum will usually heal itself.
  • In about 10% of children, fluid remains in the middle ear for three months or more. This is called glue ear. It can affect hearing, and consequently the learning of speech and language. In young children speech and language are constantly developing, so it's important to have good hearing.
  • Glue ear is not painful so it is important to be aware of your child's hearing after an ear infection. The treatment can involve inserting grommets. These are tiny tubes placed in the eardrum to allow fluid to drain out of the middle ear.
  • Mastoiditis - an infection of one of the skull bones called the mastoid and also of the surrounding air space. It is often caused by spread of infection from the cavity of the middle ear. It usually responds to antibiotics but may need surgery.
  • Long-term difficulties with hearing.

    Is there anything I can do to prevent my child getting ear infections?

    • Don't smoke around your child. Studies have shown that children of smokers have more colds and ear infections.
    • Breastfeed your baby. Antibodies in breast milk give babies protection in the early months of life when their immune systems are not fully developed.
    • Feed your baby in an upright position and don't let them lie back with a bottle or a breast in their mouth. This prevents milk (a possible source of infection) dribbling into their ears along their Eustachian tubes.
    • Don't put things down your child's ears. Nothing smaller than a finger should go into the ear canal. Be very careful about using cotton buds.
    • The impossible task. Wash things that go in your child's mouth.

    The good news is that as your child gets older he or she should not be so prone to ear infections. This usually happens around the age of five when the ear canal begins to develop its adult shape. So an end is in sight.

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