Earache Remedies for Children

Your child is feverish and throbbing with earache and you are wondering what to do to provide him some comfort and relief. Read the article to know about the various possible, easy-to-follow, and effective earache remedies for children.
Earache Remedies for Children
Earache is a common ear problem for both children and adults. The two very common conditions that cause pain in the ear are infection of the outer and inner ear. The former is called otitis externa and the latter is known as otitis media. Click here to learn about different parts of a human ear. Children, of age less than five ears, are more prone to otitis media than otitis externa, as the pathogenic bacteria and fungi are present in water bodies like lakes, pools or swimming pools. Following citation gives you a to-the-purpose information on earache remedies for children, preceded by its causes. Also learn about some noticeable ear infection symptoms.

Common Earache Causes in Children
  • Swimming in lakes, ocean water or dirty swimming pools where causative micro-organisms of Otitis externa flourish.
  • Ear injuries affecting middle ear or ear drum. It leads to Otitis media.
  • Dental problems
  • Infection of the middle ear
  • Allergies
  • Changes in ear pressure due to flying
  • Buildup of ear wax or fluid in the ear
  • Something struck in the ear
Various Earache Remedies for Children
  • Blow warm air into the ear of your child. You can use a blow dryer but keep the blow dryer at a safer distance, minimum of 18 inches. Keep moving the blow dryer forward and backward, as you do while drying your hair. This method provides your kid with a quick relief from earache and gives you time to consult an otolaryngologist, if required.
  • Warm some lacorice with one tablespoon of ghee. Make a paste of the two and apply this paste externally on the child's ear. Leave it on for about 20 minutes. This is one of the best earache remedies for children.
  • Wrap ½ a cup of salt in a clean sock, or handkerchief. Tie it off with an elastic band. Warm it to a bearable temperature in a microwave or low heat oven. Ask your kid to lie down on the painful ear side and keep the wrapping on it for about 20 minutes.
  • Warm 7-8 leaves of castor plant. Mix it with warm sesame or mustard oil. Dab the mixture around the ears of your kid. This is a sure fire ear pain home remedy.
  • Take a cup of water, and mix it with two cups of vinegar and one tablespoon of rubbing alcohol. Use this solution to clean the external ear of your kid or toddler once a day. This home remedy for earache can also be used as an earache remedy for dogs.
  • In case your kid is having earache along with the discharge of pus, then try this earache home remedy out. Take a piece of Commiphora wightii and burn it. Let the smoke enter your kid's ear. This is again one of the quick-result giving earache remedies for kids.
  • Always try to protect your child's ears from extreme cold temperatures. Foment the ear externally with cotton. This will protect the ears from cold temperatures, and hence will serve you as a good earache home remedy.
  • Extract juice from fresh tender leaves of a mango plant and warm it a little on flame. Put four drops of this into each ears of your child. It will reduce the pain in the ears to a great extent.
  • Chop a radish into tiny pieces and mix them with olive oil. Warm the mixture. Put this oil in a bottle. Whenever you or your kid have an earache, put 2-3 drops of this oil into the ear. This is one of the most effective and fast earache remedies for adults as well as children.
  • Extract juice from onion and warm it on a flame. Put 2-3 drops of it into your child's ears. For the best possible results, do it at night before he/she goes to bed.
  • Pain in the ears, due to flying, can be reduced by chewing candies or chewing gum. It keeps the throat muscles working, which in turn helps in decreasing earache in children.
  • Put two drops of ginger juice in each of the ears. This is another great earache home remedy.
  • Put 2-3 drops of peroxide into the ear and then drain them out after a period of 1-2 seconds. This gives sudden relief from earache.
  • Take a teaspoon of mustard oil and add a clove of garlic to it. Heat it on a flame, till it becomes a little warm. Ask your child to lie on either of the sides on the bed and put three drops of warm oil in the open ear. Ask him to turn on the other side after ten minutes. Put three drops of oil in the other ear and let him lie for another ten minutes. You can do it with sesame oil as well. Read more on home remedies for earache.
Many swimmers suffer from earaches. Some effective and preventive measures for child swimmers will be, putting two drops of mineral oil in each ear before going for swimming, wearing bathing caps that covers the ear canals while swimming, and drying out the ear canals after swimming. A hair dryer may be helpful for drying out the ear canal. Last but not the least, do not allow your kid to swim in dirty water. All these methods will definitely prevent the occurrence of earache, as they not only maintain ear hygiene but also help in maintaining the pressure difference in the ears under water. For information on how to completely relief yourself from an annoying ear problem, read more on ear pressure relief and ear pain relief.

Children commonly suffer from earache. The reason behind it is some of their unhygienic activities such as putting finger, pencils into ears to remove ear wax. Keep a check on such habits of your kid. Also ask them to blow nose gently, one by one, put ear plugs before going for swimming, avoid listening to loud music or sound and stay away from smoke as much as possible as they tend to increase the risk of ear getting damaged, and developing ear infections. All the precautionary measures mentioned here, when followed properly, will definitely protect your child from ear problems, and hence earaches. However, if your kid develops earache due to any reason, then try out any of the 'earache remedies for children' that you learnt in this article. If the earache persists, do consult a doctor for necessary assistance.

By Kalpana Kumari
Published: 10/12/2009
 
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