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Ear Infections
Allergy and/or secondhand smoke: If your child has persistent ear infections, make sure you check into whether food or environmental allergies are causing a problem. And if you smoke, consider quitting. Both allergies and secondhand smoke are factors thought to seriously increase a child's chance of getting an ear infection. Some in the medical profession cite allergy as the main cause of persistent ear infection. Pacifiers: Researchers have found that heavy pacifier use by children older than six months can contribute to ear infections. The constant sucking can cause harm to the Eustachian tube, making it more difficult for the ear to drain. It's also possible that the infections are caused by germs on the pacifiers, which wind up on the floor and then in the child's mouth. The bacteria go into the mouth and throat and then up the Eustachian tube into the ear. Breastfeeding decreases risk: There is some evidence that breastfeeding decreases the risk of ear infections (and other childhood and adult diseases as well). Feeding your baby at a slight incline: Both bottle-fed and breastfed babies are reportedly less likely to get ear infections if they drink at a slight upward incline (allows the Eustachian tube to drain properly). So don't put your baby to sleep with a bottle. But don't lay your baby down alone on a pillow or other soft object to drink, either; the baby might roll over and suffocate. Instead, use your arm or perhaps a pillow over your knees to raise the baby's head and upper body slightly. Delaying daycare: Research also suggests that a delayed entry into daycare can reduce the susceptibility to ear infections. In the home, there might be: a cleaner environment; fewer contacts with bacteria from other children -- and for infants, both a stronger likelihood of a breastfeeding mother, and a greater chance that they'll be fed at an incline and not left lying down with a bottle. Washing Hands: A recent Food and Drug Administration study of 305 children found that those who washed their hands four times a day had 24 percent fewer sick days from respiratory illness and 51 percent fewer sick days due to upset stomach. Additionally, regular washing with soap and water throughout the day can help prevent the spread of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. (Safer Child adds that parents can help by washing their own hands, and by cleaning items that generally don't get cleaned, such as the handles of shopping carts.)
Why is Prevention So Critical? Resistance to antibiotics: A recent study shows that the majority of babies are prescribed an antibiotic in the first year of life - most often for otitis media, then for respiratory-tract infections and strep throat. But growing concern over antibiotic-resistant bacteria has medical professionals questioning the prevalence of antibiotic use. One researcher - noting that many ear and other infections resolve themselves without treatment - advises parents to not insist on an antibiotic if their pediatrician doesn't feel one is needed. And if an antibiotic is prescribed, he cautions, follow the instructions and (if told to do so) finish the prescription, even if the child seems better. If the prescription isn't used as prescribed, any bacteria that aren't killed can reproduce antibiotic-resistant offspring. And if a child suffers a relapse, the next prescription might not work. Complications from ear infections: Besides being painful and difficult for children, repeated infections can result in surgery, with the insertion of tubes. Repeated infections also can result in delayed speech in a child (if a child cannot hear, a child is less likely to learn to speak), which could cause difficulties socially and academically. Other complications, though rare: infections of the inner ear, the skull behind the ear, or the membranes around the brain and spinal cord. There also could be scarring of the eardrum or permanent hearing loss.
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