Basic Ear Care - Continued

As you are putting your young children to bed, not giving them a bottle when they are lying down is an ‘old wives tale’ that will prevent earaches in babies. While there is little proof, some babies are more prone to have ear infections and earaches when they are put to sleep with a bottle.

Another ‘old wives tale’ that is often used, but has not been researched by this author, is that putting a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in your ear when you have an earache will stop the pain. Just keep your head sideways for a few moments and then turn your head over letting the peroxide run out of your ear, cleaning out wax and moisture at the same time. Use this at your own risk, but this author has had some success with the method. 

Prevent earaches for children by not letting them run their ears under the water for long periods of time over and over again. If the children are avid swimmers, wearing a cap to protect their ears may be needed. 

Smoking in the house is known to have adverse affects on children, with one side effect being that these children are more often going to get respiratory problems, which is how an ear infection gets started. Smoking in another room or smoking outside would help prevent additional earaches and ear infections in small children.