Ear infections can be very painful, and if your child has one of these infections, it could leave your child in tears and a fever. They may not yet be old enough to tell you what is wrong. If your child is upset and crying, or is grabbing at their ear, it may be an ear infection. There are other signs you can watch out for, and things you can do to help your child feel better. Read on for a few examples.

Signs Of An Ear Infection

Your child may not be able to convey that they have an ear infection. Some things to look for include pulling on their ears, red ears, or discharge from their ears. Your child may also have a runny nose, watery eyes, inability to lay on one side or the other, crying when laying down, headache, or fever. If you spot any of these signs, you should take your child to an urgent health care facility to be treated properly and to feel better faster. 

What You Can Do 

You can take your child to urgent care to be treated properly and get any needed medications. During the healing process, there are options to help your child feel more comfortable and experience less pain. You can give your child an over-the-counter pain medication, but you need to follow the manufacturer's instructions on dosage. If your child is not old enough for over-the-counter pain medication, you should consult your child's pediatrician or the physician at urgent care to see what can be given to your child. Give your child an extra pillow to sleep with and allow your child to lay upright rather than lying flat. You can also give your child a sock with rice in it that you warm up in a pan on the stove. Give your child the sock to keep on their ear to ease pain and discomfort.

If your child has an ear infection, the best thing you can do is take them to urgent care. In the meantime, try to make your child as comfortable as possible and try to ease your child's pain as best as you can. Do what you can to get rid of your child's fever. If medication is not available or cannot be given, you can give your child a cool bath to reduce the fever and to keep your child calm.