What I Wish I had Known About Ear Infections When My Children Were Young

Ear infections tend to be a common problem in babies and young children. When I was raising my children and they became irritable with a possible ear infection I was left with two choices.

I could go to the doctor right away or I could wait it out with a fussy baby to try and make certain that the ear was infected first before going to the doctor. Sometimes it was difficult to know at what point to go to the doctor especially when a weekend was near.

If I went to the doctor and the baby did not have infected ears then I was out the cost of the appointment although I did have peace of mind that ear infection was not the reason for the baby’s irritableness. If I was quite certain it was an ear infection I still had to go to the doctor in order to get the antibiotics prescribed.

These are the things I wish I had known and had on hand when my children had ear infections.

(To be clear on where I am coming from and what I hope to achieve for each page (issue) click here: My purpose and intent)

Otoscope

I wish that I had owned a home otoscope, so that I would have been able to tell for sure if a child had an ear infection or not. I now have one that I have used several times looking for infections in ears or to see if an ear is full of wax. It takes some practice so don’t expect to understand immediately what you are seeing. Looking in several “normal” ears first helps in knowing what to compare against.

You can buy an otoscope from Dr. Mom Otoscopes for $19.97 plus $4.95 shipping and handling or you can type otoscope into this Amazon search box and see the many options available there. You may be able to get one with free shipping from Amazon even if it is a little more. The first site has pictures of the insides of ears to help you understand what you are looking for when you peer into an ear.

Essential Oils

I certainly wish that I had known about therapeutic-grade essential oils.

Mentioned by others and also what I personally have found to work well for ear infections is the oil blend of Melrose alternated with the oil blend of Purification. It can be applied by rubbing a drop or two at the entrance to the ear canal only as far as the finger reaches into the ear and also rubbed behind the ear. Never drop oil directly into the ear canal.

For children the bottom of the feet is an O.K. place to apply oils. Diluting them with vegetable oil is highly recommended when using them elsewhere.

Other oils I have seen mentioned as being beneficial are Lavender (many testimonials with this one), Exodus II, Believe and Grapefruit.

Someone else I read about applied Oregano and Clove on the Vita-Flex points and worked them in.

For fluid in the ears that is hard to get rid of, Melrose seems to be the one that has helped many times. People have placed 1 to 2 drops of oil on a small piece of cotton and then let it rest just inside the ear.

Also mentioned as having been used for fluid in the ears are Thieves and Peppermint.

Links to Oil Testimonials

Son with ear infection and Glue Ear

Lavender used for Ear Troubles

Mother Uses Lavender with her Children

Oregano Used for Ear Infection

For more information on these fabulous oils I use, please click here: Essential Oils You Can Trust

Reflexology

I also wish that I had known about reflexology. Any of the above mentioned oils would also be good to use while rubbing the feet using reflexology techniques or Vita-Flex Technique.

In this chart the dark blue areas are the primary areas to work for the ears. The lighter blue shows the secondary areas to work.

It is important to watch a person’s face while working on them as reflex points at times can be surprisingly tender and painful when worked. You will be able to tell when you hit a tender spot and when you need to lighten the pressure by watching the person’s face expressions.

I hope that this information serves you well. Please feel free to contact me for any reason. Good luck.


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The information provided here is for educational purposes only, and is not intended as diagnosis, treatment or prescription for any disease. The decision to use, or not to use, any of this information is the sole responsibility of the reader. Please consult with a licensed health care practitioner if you are dealing with a serious disease or illness.