Swelling Behind My Child’s Ear After an Ear Infection — Could It Be Mastoiditis? Ear infections are extremely familiar to many parents. Your child develops a cold, becomes irritable, complains of earache and perhaps has a temperature. Younger children may simply rub or pull at an ear. In most cases, the illness settles. Then there is a symptom that deserves different attention: pain, redness or swelling behind the ear. Parents may also notice that the affected ear suddenly appears to be sticking further out from the side of the head . This does not mean every child with an earache has developed a serious complication. In fact, NICE emphasises that complications of acute middle-ear infection such as mastoiditis are rare . However, mastoiditis is an important condition for parents to recognise because it needs prompt medical assessment and usually hospital treatment. The NHS describes mastoiditis as a rare but serious infection affecting the mastoid bone behind the ear, ...
My Child Suddenly Cannot Hear Properly in One Ear — What Should I Do? A child suddenly saying: “I can't hear out of this ear” can be surprisingly worrying. Sometimes they describe the ear as blocked. Sometimes sounds seem far away or “underwater”. An older child may notice the difference immediately when using headphones, while a younger child may simply turn their good ear towards you. In many children there is a relatively straightforward explanation, such as earwax, middle-ear fluid or an ear infection . But there is one important message parents should know: A genuinely sudden, unexplained reduction in hearing should not automatically be assumed to be wax or glue ear. Current NHS advice recommends urgent medical assessment when a child develops sudden hearing loss in one or both ears. Understanding the different types of hearing loss helps explain why. How does a child normally hear? Sound travels through three main areas. The outer ear collects sound and carrie...