Health Topics for Child Health and Development

UI Children's Hospital

UI Family Care Centers

Divisions Within the Department of Pediatrics

Iowa Registry for Congenital and Inherited Disorders

Earache in children

Children generally experience many earaches during the ages of 6 months to 2 years. Although fewer may occur after age 2, earaches continue to be a problem through the ages of 8 or 10.

Earaches can develop from a variety of causes. Temperature or pressure changes often start temporary earaches. For example, an earache can occur for 10 to 15 minutes after playing outside in cold weather. When the child enters a warm room, the air inside the middle ear warms up, expands, and causes pain. Chewing gum or drinking fluids will help stop the ache. Sore jaw muscles from vigorous chewing can also cause temporary ear pain.

Most earaches are caused by middle ear infections resulting from colds. Even allergies make a person more susceptible to ear infections. Middle ear infections result in inflammation or infection of the space behind the eardrum. As pressure from fluid builds in the middle ear, pain worsens. The eardrum may tear and drain. The tear usually heals in a few days.

If your child swims a lot and his ear hurts when the earlobe is moved up and down, he may have swimmer's ear. Fill the ear canals with white vinegar. Remove it after 5 minutes by turning the head to the side and let the fluid run out. Do this twice a day. This is also helpful in restoring the normal acid pH of the ear canal. Call a physician if the ear swells. Use acetaminophen for pain relief. Avoid swimming until the symptoms are gone. To help prevent swimmer's ear, carefully dry the ear canals after swimming. The white vinegar rinse can be used at these times, or rinse them with rubbing alcohol if the ear canals are not irritated.

If an earache lasts more than 2 hours, seek medical help. The only way to know if the child has an ear infection is to look at the eardrum. If the pain is caused by an infection, a prescription may be needed.

Follow these self care tips for earaches:

• Give acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain. Putting a warm moist washcloth over the painful ear for 20 minutes every hour may also relieve pain. If pain is not relieved, contact your healthcare provider.
• Do not use any ear drops unless recommended by your healthcare provider.
• Antibiotics are used cautiously and only when there is a repeat history of ear infections
• Do not put anything in the ear in an attempt to clean the ear canal. Wipe away pus or other fluid that may be draining from the ear. Do not plug the ear canal with cotton.
• Seek medical care immediately if the child is sick, the pain is severe, there is drainage from the ear, walking is not normal, the neck is stiff, or the ear was injured before the earache began.

Medication cautions:

1. Do NOT give aspirin or aspirin-containing products to anyone age 18 years or younger because of the risk of a serious illness called Reye's syndrome.
2. Acetaminophen should not be taken by anyone with known liver or kidney disease. Do not drink alcohol when taking more than 1 dose of acetaminophen.
3. Take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with food or milk to prevent stomach irritation. Do not give NSAIDs to anyone with asthma or increased risk of bleeding (such as, ulcer disease, following surgery, significant trauma, major dental work, if taking blood thinners [anticoagulants] or have a known bleeding disorder).

Last Reviewed 2005

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

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