Earache and pain in an ear or ears is a common symptom.

We often see small kids, who like to spend a lot of time in the swimming pool. Particularly young children can be affected. It can be painful but luckily it doesn’t have to be anything serious.

How long does earache last?
It is important to find out first what the cause is. Most earaches in children are caused by an infection of the ear. An infection normally starts to improve after a few days.

What to watch out for in babies and young children with earache:

Possible earache in a young child if they:

• pull or rub their ear
• don’t react to some sounds, their hearing seems to be impaired
• have a temperature of 38C or above, in other words if they have a fever
• if they are more irritable or restless
• lack of appetite and when they are off their food
• keep losing their balance

• use painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen
• you may put a warm or cold flannel on the ear
• do not put anything inside your ear, such as cotton buds (the smallest thing to put in your ear is your elbow)
• do not try to remove earwax
• do not let water get inside your ear