Hi friends. Can you imagine waking up one day and going to check on your little one, only to see that they appear to still be sound asleep, but there’s blood on their pillow? You’d be mortified, right? I know I was when that happened to me.
The story of Ivy.
The day before, the girls and I had been at my best friend’s birthday party, celebrating her son. Ivy complained of ear pain before the party, and I gave her Tylenol. Prior to this, she had not complained of ear pain at all. The Tylenol helped, but a few hours later, she was in pain again, and we left the party early. As the day continued, Ivy continued to complain of ear pain. Based on the advice of a nurse I spoke with, she informed me to continue giving Ivy the Tylenol and monitor her. Her dad and I took turns monitoring her; she was still in pain but ended up sleeping most of the day. The next morning, when Ivy woke up, there was blood on her pillow. We immediately went to the pediatrician’s office, where we learned that Ivy had a ruptured ear infection. My poor girl. We knew it was bad, but we didn’t know it was that bad. The pediatrician explained that the blood was from the drainage that happened overnight. Days later, with the right medication and rest, Ivy was back to herself again. Having an ear infection is no joke, especially a ruptured one. So what do you do when you believe your little one has an ear infection or, worse, a ruptured ear infection?
5 Things on what to do ASAP!
1. Get diagnosed: An ear infection and an ear eruption are both painful and scary. It’s important to get the right diagnosis and not attempt to treat it yourself.
2. Don’t wait: Like I said before, prior to Ivy, she had not complained of pain. But if she had, we would have been to the doctor much sooner. Don’t wait! If you think your little one has an infection, go see a doctor ASAP!
3. Research medications: There’s a ton of stuff out there for little kids. But it’s super important to always research what it is your pediatrician wants to give your child. Ask lots of questions. Even if this is something that has happened before, each time is different. In Ivy’s case, medication that worked for her in the past didn’t work this time around. So, I can’t stress enough to always do your research.
4. Monitor your little one: Each little one is different, but if they have been diagnosed with an eruption, they should stay away from getting their tiny ears wet. Absolutely no water in their ears, and it’s also been said that cold weather makes it worse. So if they just go outside, earmuffs or a hat is a great option to wear. Whether they are in the bathtub or heading outside, monitor them.
5. Distract them: Ivy said it felt as if tiny little monsters were stabbing her ears. So when she was diagnosed and had her medication, I made sure that once she was home, she was distracted. Distracted so she wouldn’t have to think about the pain. Because medication sometimes could take up to 48 hours to work, we played Barbies, watched cartoons, and took naps together.
It will be okay.
So there it is, 5 thing to do if you think your little one has an ear infection. I promise it will be okay. Though I hope you’ll never have to experience this. But if by chance you have or you do, it’s always great to stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.
