Frequent ear infections are one of the most common maladies for babies and small children. They can cause sleepless nights, headaches, and even hearing loss and developmental delays depending on their frequency and severity.
As parents cope with their sick child and the risks and benefits of treatment options, they often find themselves on a slippery slope of choices. Pediatricians usually treat ear infections with antibiotics but whether they actually help reduce the severity and duration of an ear infection is a controversial topic. Parents often become concerned about administering antibiotics over and over again to their baby or toddler, and the lasting affects on their child's immunity system.

There are several alternative treatments available for ear infections, but the mainstream medical community does not endorse them. One mother suggested putting breast milk in baby's ear to treat ear infections. I thought this must be an old wives tale, but low and behold, found the same recommendation on several web sites. Colloidal Silver was also suggested along with hydrogen peroxide drops in the ears. One mom I surveyed warned not to use a humidifier but a vaporizer instead in baby's room because a bacterium doesn't grow as fast with hot moisture and humidifiers grow bacteria rapidly with cold moisture.

In weighing up the pros and cons of ear tubes there are many success stories from parents who saw dramatic improvement and enjoyed relief after the surgery. No one reported any horror stories of the moms I surveyed. One mom did report she had her daughter's pediatrician take the tubes out instead of the ear nose and throat specialist and it did cause pain and bleeding so if they don't fall out, parents should consider going back to the specialist.

The risk of any surgery includes the risks of anesthesia or an allergic reaction and should not be taken lightly. Parents should check out the record of the ear, nose and throat specialist along with the anesthesiologist on the AMA website to make sure they have a great track record. Parents should also check out the out patient facility's credentials if surgery will not be performed in a hospital.

Parents are faced with many challenging decisions during the course of raising a child to adulthood. It makes sense for them to do their homework, gather the facts, research treatment options, and then finally trust themselves to make the best medical decision for their child.