My one and a half year old son has had a cold for a few days, but yesterday he woke up crying and throwing his ears. Without much thought I took him to the pediatrician to confirm what I already suspected, an ear infection.
The otitis media It is an infection in the ear caused by a virus or bacteria, it is common for it to occur after a cold and young children are more likely to suffer from it. According to what I have read three out of four children suffer an ear infection before three years.
Some symptoms that should cause us alarm in our baby are: rubs or pulls on the ears, cries for no apparent reason more than normal, difficulty sleeping (if there is pain, usually gets worse at night), fluid comes out of the ear, difficulty To hear soft sounds. If you suspect that your child has an ear infection, you should see a pediatrician immediately, since if he or she is not treated on time, he may have temporary or permanent hearing problems.
Some measures that help reduce the risk of otitis include: breastfeeding your baby, placing the baby in a semi-vertical position while feeding him with a bottle and avoiding closed environments contaminated with cigarette smoke.
And as my son's pediatrician told me, the pneumococcal vaccine helps prevent otitis caused by certain bacteria that in some cases can get worse and turn into pneumonia.
