The common practice in our country (although not everywhere — Europe, for example) has long been to treat all acute middle ear infections (otitis media) with antibiotics. This is not necessarily needed. We now know that for many children another reasonable approach is to wait a day or so to see if the symptoms get better on their own without antibiotics. Parents have an important role in making this choice.
If you and the doctor decide to wait on antibiotic treatment, you can still treat fever and pain with Paracetamol or ibuprofen. There is also available a numbing ear drop that, when dripped down the ear canal onto the eardrum, directly relieves the pain there. If you think about it, this newer understanding of the natural history of ear infections makes sense. Children have been contracting ear infections for many thousands of years, yet we have only had antibiotics for…
