Ear infections are one of those things your child will probably get, no matter what you do. And of course the only thing we think of to clear up ear infections are antibiotics. Well, everyone has heard about antibiotic resistance and how this is becoming such a huge problem in the US. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued new guidelines for treating ear infections, a more "watch and wait" approach because many ear infections will drain and clear up on their own.
Well, you have heard some about Carson's tummy issues and I knew 10 days of the pink stuff would not go over well on his little system. I tuned out somewhere around getting a prescription for diaper rash from the antibiotics because they are so harsh on a little baby. I felt like their had to be another way to clear up his ear infection. It probably wouldn't be his last and I don't want to rush in and get antibiotics every time he gets one. I used to get sinus infections all the time, now I know how to treat them naturally, so I figured their must be some way to treat an ear infection naturally.
I found so much information online, but not a whole lot dealing with a 3.5 month old. After asking questions and doing research, here is what we did and it worked great! I hope this helps someone else avoid antibiotics in the future.
Disclaimer: To treat an ear infection naturally takes a lot more time and effort. But think of how good it is to be saving your child from antibiotics and avoid contributing to antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is a real and scary concern.
Here is what you need:
-numbing drops (either prescription from the doctor or Hyland's ear drops)
-wash rags
-heating pad
-Mullein Garlic ear drops
-tylenol for nighttime (if the baby is very uncomfortable and cannot sleep)
Every morning and night, heat the mullein garlic drops until body temp. I tested the warmth on my wrist and made sure it was just warm, not hot at all. Have someone hold your kiddo on their side, you can do it yourself, but it is so much easier if you have some help. Put about 4 drops in their ear (I always put way too much because you try to put drops in a baby's ear while they are squirming around). Hold them on their side for a couple minutes. Then when you turn them back upright, make sure to have a wash rag handy for blotting the oil that comes out.
Use the numbing drops whenever your little one seems uncomfortable. Follow the same procedure as above.
I don't know about you, but I cannot get Carson to lay still...ever. Unless he is sleeping or nursing. So I would heat up our heating pad and put that under his ear whenever he would nurse. Sometimes I would lay a dry baby washcloth if it felt too warm or if he had oil or other drops in his ears that would come out. I feel like this help his ear so much! Also, another good trick is that baby's are super distracted when they are nursing, at least Carson is. He would cry and squirm whenever we did the drops in his ear, unless he was nursing. You can use that as a good time to get drops in his ear as well.
We only had to use the tylenol for two nights, then he was fine! One last tidbit, no kiddo likes to be woken up in the middle of the night by cold ear drops. But Carson didn't always make it through the night on the tylenol. This may be TMI, but if you put the drops in your bra before you go to sleep, they are warm for if your baby needs them. I found that worked really well. If you have any other questions, let me know, I hope I can help.
Oh, and if you want to know how to clear up a sinus infection or at least stop one from starting when you are sick and congested...just do the sinus rinses with 3 drops of grapefruit seed extract. Works every time!
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