Ear infections are the most common condition why children see a doctor in their first years of life. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently revised its recommendations to pediatricians, asking doctors not to be so quick to prescribe antibiotics, the usual cure, because of the long-term harm that excessive antibiotic use can cause to a person’s immune system.
About 80 percent of ear infections will go away on their own after a few days. And because of what we know now about how harmful heavy antibiotic use can be, many parents are looking for natural ways to cure their babies’ ear infections when a cure is needed.
Thankfully, there are quite a few effective, safe remedies. Here are some of the more popular methods American moms are using to relieve an infant’s earache and restore his or her delicate ear structures back to good health.
Essential Oils
Increasing numbers of people are rediscovering the wonders of essential oils — natural extractives of plants, which have an impressive list of uses. Essential oils are potent, yet generally safe. Many have strong antimicrobial, antiviral and antifungal properties. The oils are powerful enough to repel and kill insects, heal wounds, prevent skin conditions like eczema, and deodorize a room … yet, are gentle enough to use on your baby’s ears.
The following essential oils are some of the most commonly used to treat ear infections in babies, children and adults:
- Melrose
- Lavender
- Mullein
- Garlic
- Rosemary
- Tea tree
- Eucalyptus
- Eucalyptus radiata (another species of the eucalyptus tree with a milder aroma)
Some oils will work better on some individuals than others. You may want to buy more than one of these oils, so that you can see which works best on your child. Improvement after application should be seen immediately or within half a day.
The ways to use these essential oils are varied.
Diluting Essential Oil with Carrier Oil:
Most natural-health practitioners advise diluting one of the above oils in a carrier oil. Good carrier oils to use are olive or coconut oil, as they have antioxidants of their own that help fight inflammation and restore skin cells to health.
Naturopaths generally recommend that the ratio of essential oil to carrier oil be about 10 drops of essential oil per 1 ounce of carrier oil. So, if you’re making a teaspoonful of medicinal oil, put no more than 2 drops of essential oil onto the teaspoon of olive or coconut oil, and blend the two oils.
Applying Diluted Essential Oils:
Oil should be warm (room temperature is fine, but you may warm it up a tad on your stove). Dip cotton swab in oil mixture and cover opening of ear canal. With a cotton ball, spread some of the oil mixture inside the baby’s earlobe, on the outside of the earlobe, and on the skin both behind the ear and the front of the ear. The idea here is to allow the fumes from the essential oil to gradually penetrate the baby’s ear canal, thus promoting healing.
Applying Undiluted Essential Oils:
Naturopaths advise against applying undiluted essential oils on your baby’s skin, because they may be too strong and irritate it. Most natural health and conventional medicine experts advise against putting undiluted essential oil drops into the baby’s ear canal. However, a number of moms posting comments on different websites, and one well-respected medical website (WebMD), say that applying 1-2 drops of undiluted essential oil into your baby’s ear canal with a dropper, multiple times a day, can be an effective and safe way to cure an ear infection.
For undiluted application, you’d want to use the milder essential oils, such as melrose and lavender. Please consult with your pediatrician before using any diluted or undiluted essential oils on your baby. Additionally, never apply diluted or undiluted essential oils into your baby’s ear if he or she has a perforated eardrum.
Undiluted essential oil with cotton ball: Another way to indirectly get the medicine into your baby’s ear, without actually dropping oil into the ear canal, is to put 1-2 drops of undiluted essential oil on a cotton ball. Place the cotton ball on baby’s outer ear (with oil side of cotton ball against the ear canal), then cover baby’s head with a cloth band to hold cotton balls in place overnight.
Making Your Own Garlic Oil:
Garlic is one of the most potent, natural antibacterial and antiviral substances on Earth. You can make your own garlic oil to treat your baby’s ear infection by crushing one garlic clove, then mix it into an ounce of olive oil. Let mixture rest, covered, for half an hour, stir well, and sift out oil. Apply 1-2 drops of oil into baby’s ear canal (only if ear drum is not perforated).
Applying Undiluted Coconut Oil:
Coconut oil has antibacterial and antiviral properties of its own. One or two drops in each affected ear, several times a day, may be all that your infant will need to cure the ear infection.
Hydrogen Peroxide
This is a great antibacterial and is relatively mild at 3% potency, which is the potency usually found in stores (container label should read “3% potency”). Place a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in baby’s ear canal with dropper. It will cause bubbling (which is a good sign, as the tissues get oxygenated and disinfected), and it may sting just a bit.
If your child is young, you may need to use a distraction, such as a toy, so that you can apply it. You can also do the application when baby is asleep. Do one ear at a time, allowing hydrogen peroxide to stay in ear for a few moments, then place clean washcloth as you turn baby on that side, to drain out excess peroxide. Do this several times a day until symptoms of ear infection go away. You should see improvement within the first day.
Chiropractic Care
Some chiropractors are trained in adjusting bones surrounding earlobe, to open up Eustachian tube and allow fluid to drain into the throat, as it does normally. Because babies’ Eustachian tubes are straight and haven’t yet tilted downward as in the case of adults, babies don’t have gravity to help drain fluids from the tube into the throat. That’s why babies and young children get more ear infections than the rest of us.
Place Baby in an Upright Position when Feeding
If your baby has an ear infection, or gets ear infections sometimes, hold baby in an upright position when nursing or bottle-feeding. This will relieve fluid pressure and discomfort from an ear infection, and it will help prevent future ear infections by allowing fluids from the ears to drain more easily.
Other Things to Do to Avoid Ear Infections in Babies
- Breastfeed your infant for at least six months, to build up his or her immune system; one year is even better
- Avoid using daycare, if possible; studies have shown that babies who go to daycare get many more colds and ear infections than babies who are cared for at home
- Avoid feeding processed foods to a baby who eats solids; buy whole, natural foods for you and your family
- Don’t give cow’s milk to a baby under one year of age
- Make sure all soaps and conditioners have been rinsed off your baby’s ears thoroughly after a bath
Warning Against Using “Colloidal Silver” for an Ear Infection
There are a number of websites promoting the use of colloidal silver for ear infections. Colloidal silver consists of tiny (sub-microscopic) particles of silver in a carrier liquid. Although some people say this works for ear infections and other health conditions, this product can only harm a person in the long run. Silver is not a naturally present metal in our bodies. We do not have silver in us! Therefore, getting silver into your system can only be harmful later on, even when it may take some time before the damage is seen.
When to See a Doctor for an Ear Infection
You should seek medical help for your baby if:
- Ear infection has lasted longer than three days and symptoms are getting worse
- Baby has a fever higher than 101 degs.
- You see redness or swelling behind one or both ears
- Baby appears to be in great pain (won’t stop crying, tugs or rubs ear) and home treatments haven’t worked
- Baby has pus coming out of ear
By Jamell Andrews