Ear Infections

[poorlittlefish]

Hi Dr. Bob,

My 10 Month old daughter has had 4 ear infections in her life, and I am concerned we have another one brewing.  She got her first, that we knew about at her 6 month well baby.  The only sign of something amiss was her sleep fell apart.  She has never had a fever but does have an almost constant runny nose and cough.  She has had 3 since then, and I am suspicious that 2 of them were actually 1 that never went away.

She was on omoxocillan for the first and then 2 other, stronger antibiotics for the others.  Do you have any tips for preventing these from occuring and what we should do if she gets another? Despite using probiotics, she gets horrible diaper rash each time we give them to her and she just now got over a yeast infection, most likely caused by the antibiotics.

She is breastfed and given a Vit. D supplement.  She gets bottles at daycare of pumped milk and she sits up while drinking them.  Do you have any other advice?  I hate to think of her suffering but I also hate the thought of another round of antibiotics.

Thank you,

Jenny

[DrBobSears]

I'd go with Mullein Garlic oil ear drops - great for ear infections. You follow the dose on the bottle = you can even start when a cold comes on to prevent an ear infection.

As for prevention, you should stop any cow's milk if you've been giving her any. Maybe cheese too. Yogurt is usually ok. Give xylitol every day (find foods with it or buy some to add to foods you bake). this can help prevent.  Chiropractic care may help, either routinely or at the first sign of a cold.