• Most ear infections clear up on their own in a couple of weeks. You can treat them at home with pain relievers, a warm washcloth or heating pad on the ear, and rest.
• Watch for signs of an earache. Babies and young children may be fussy. They may pull at their ears and cry. They may also have trouble sleeping. They may have a fever.
• Sometimes after an infection, a child cannot hear well for a while. Call your doctor if this lasts for 3 to 4 months. Children need to be able to hear in order to learn how to talk.
• Antibiotics can be used, but ear infections often get better without them. Talk about this with your doctor. Whether you use them will depend on how old your child is and how bad the infection is.
• If you use antibiotics, it is important to give them to your child exactly as you are told. Do not stop giving them just because your child feels better. He or she needs to finish taking all of the pills to keep from getting sick again.
• Minor surgery to put tubes in the ears may help if your child has hearing problems or repeated infections.
• You can help prevent ear infections in your child. Do not smoke. Ear infections happen more often to children who are around cigarette smoke. Even fumes from tobacco smoke on your hair and clothes can affect your child. Also, make sure your child does not go to sleep while sucking on a bottle.

Is this topic for you?

This topic covers infections of the middle ear, commonly called ear infections. For information on outer ear infections, see the topic Ear Canal Problems (Swimmer's Ear). For information on inner ear infections, see the topic Labyrinthitis.

What is a middle ear infection?

The middle ear is the small part of your ear just inside your eardrum. It can get infected when germs from the nose and throat are trapped there.

What causes a middle ear infection?

A small tube connects your ear to your throat. A cold can cause this tube to swell. When the tube swells enough to become blocked, it can trap fluid inside your ear. This makes it a perfect place for germs to grow and cause an infection.

Ear infections happen mostly to young children because their tubes are smaller and get blocked more easily.

What are the symptoms?

The main symptom is an earache. It can be mild, or it can hurt a lot. Babies and young children may be fussy. They may pull at their ears and cry. They may have trouble sleeping. They may also have a fever.

You may see thick, yellow fluid coming from their ears. This happens when the infection has caused the eardrum to burst and the fluid flows out. This is not serious and usually makes the pain go away. The eardrum usually heals on its own.