Ears too are prone to infection if you are not careful.
When cleaning you should ensure water does not enter
baby's ears. It is also not necessary to poke and
clean in areas you cannot see. Water and unnecessary
poking can lead to infection and malfunction of this
sensory organ.
Ear Cleaning
Cleaning them
is easy - just remember not to put anything inside
the ear. To clean the ears use infant sized cotton
swab or washcloth to swab away excess wax or dirt
on the external part of the ear. Do not use cotton-tipped
swabs or Q-tip as you can injure if you insert too
far into the ear. The ear canal will clean itself.
What you can do is carefully remove the visible
earwax in the entrance to the canal but don't venture
deeper. Gently wipe the back of the ears as well.
Understanding Earwax:
It is important to understand that earwax is a good
thing - it traps dirt that gets into the ear. The
tiny hairs in the canal move the wax and dirt out.
All you need to do then is to wipe the outside with
a damp washcloth or cotton swab and DO NOT go inside.
Understanding Loud Noise:
During the first few months of life, your baby is
far more sensitive to sound than you are. Loud noises
can startle and shock his system and even damage
his hearing. It is important that there are quiet
times every day so that your baby's ears can rest.
Ear Infections
• Babies under a year old are not able to
communicate their discomforts. All you may notice
is incessant crying, poor appetite, and fatigue.
• Ear trouble in babies and children is mainly
caused by an infection resulting from an inflamed
middle ear. Infections such as adenoids, measles,
influenza and a cold cause the middle ear to ache.
Babies are not able to communicate this discomfort
and often scream in pain.
• Each ear consists of three parts: the outer,
middle and inner ear. Both the middle and inner
ear are located inside the skull; the middle ear
is kept clear of fluids and so free of infection
by the Eustachian tubes which connect the middle
ear to the back of the throat.
• During an infection the nasal mucus membrane
is inflamed and swollen, and air cannot travel into
the middle ear. Pain occurs when fluid or pus builds
up in the cavity.
• Fever, pain, blood stained discharge, ringing
in the ears are common symptoms. Baby may vomit
or have diarrhea; may be irritable in the night;
may refuse feeds and an older child may pull his
ears.
Outer Ear Infection (otitis
externa)
• The outer ear canal is inflamed due to bacteria
mainly. The main culprit is eczema or if he swims
a lot. Poking their fingers into their ears can also
cause an infection. You are not able to detect the
infection from the outside contrary to its name.
• Common symptoms are earache or itching, ear
discharge and the child repeatedly rubbing or pulling
his ear.
• Give your child some form of pain relief i.e.
paracetamol or ibuprofen and use ear drops as directed.
Prevent water from entering his ears (so swimming
is definitely out).
• Wipe away any discharge but do not use cotton
buds or anything else inside the canal.
• Your doctor will examine your child's ears
with a special instrument to look into the canals.
An appropriate antibiotic and pain relief medicines
will be prescribed. Sometimes nosedrops are prescribed
to ensure proper drainage of the middle ear by keeping
the tubes open.
• Inflammation of the outer ear can be very
painful although it is common. Common because of swimming
in chlorinated waters and poking objects into the
ear.
Middle Ear Infection (acute
otitis media)
• This means the space behind the ear drums
is infected or inflamed. Sometimes one ear is infected
and sometimes both. Largely viral it is still difficult
for most doctors to know whether it is due to virus
or bacteria.
• Infection travels from the throat via the
narrow tube to the middle ear. It tends to afflict
some children more than others.
• Symptoms are earache, fever, inconsolable
crying and ear discharge.
• You can relieve your child's pain with a warm
compress over the ear and give her pain relief in
the form of paracetemol or ibuprofen. In the case
of a mild virus, the situation will improve on its
own. Treat the fever and offer plenty of fluids.
• Your doctor will examine your child's ears
with a special instrument to look into the canals.
An appropriate antibiotic and pain relief medicines
will be prescribed.
Glue Ear
• Also known as otitis media with effusion or
OME, this is a form of fluctuating deafness that occurs
frequently with young children.
• It happens because of an infection; the lining
of the middle ear produces mucus in excess. The Eustachian
tubes become blocked leaving the mucus to collect
in the middle ear. This mucus thickens and becomes
gluey causing the child's hearing to be muffled.
• Glue ear can start early in infancy and usually
clears within six months. In most instances antibiotics
help to clear up the sticky fluid but occasionally
a minor procedure to drain the glue needs to be performed.
Procedure is necessary when the fluid persists and
causes impaired hearing.
• Under anaesthetic a tiny tube is inserted
into the ear drum to equalize the air pressure on
both sides of the ear drum. This will allow the ear
to dry out. After a couple of months the tiny tube
will dislodge and fall out and the hole will heal
by itself; hearing will be back to normal.
