ENT conditions (Mr Gaurav Kumar)

  My Child Has Ear Discharge After Grommets — Is This Normal? A Parent’s Guide Your child had grommets inserted to help with glue ear or recurrent middle-ear problems. Their hearing may have improved. They returned to nursery or school. Everything seemed settled. Then one morning you notice: fluid coming from the ear. Perhaps there is a small mark on the pillow. Perhaps the ear looks wet. Sometimes the discharge is yellow or sticky; occasionally parents notice an unpleasant smell. The immediate question is usually: “Has something gone wrong with the grommet?” The reassuring answer is that ear discharge in a child with grommets is a recognised problem and is often treatable. A small amount of clear or lightly blood-stained fluid shortly after the operation can occur. University Hospitals Sussex's children's grommet guidance , reviewed 18 June 2026 , describes slight clear discharge during the first day or so as something that can happen after surgery. Discharge that persists, de...

  Why Does My Child Have a Smelly Discharge From One Nostril? A Parent’s Guide A runny nose is almost part of childhood. Young children can have repeated colds, allergies and nasal congestion—particularly after starting nursery or school. But there is one pattern that parents should recognise: discharge that repeatedly comes from only one nostril, particularly when it develops an unpleasant smell. Parents sometimes describe it as: “My child has had a runny nose for weeks, but only on the left.” “The mucus from one nostril smells terrible.” “There seems to be something inside the nose.” Occasionally there may also be spotting of blood. In a young child, one important possibility is a nasal foreign body —a small object that has been pushed into the nose. This is more common than many parents realise, and nobody necessarily sees it happen. NHS ENT referral guidance specifically notes that carers may not have witnessed insertion and that a nasal foreign body may instead bec...

  Why Is My Older Child Still Drooling or Dribbling? A Parent’s Guide Drooling is completely normal in babies and young toddlers. But what if your child is four, five or older and still regularly has saliva on their chin, damp clothes or a wet pillow? Parents may wonder: “Are they producing too much saliva?” “Could their adenoids or tonsils be causing it?” “Is this something they should have grown out of?” Persistent drooling—also called dribbling or sialorrhoea —does not have one single cause. Interestingly, the problem is often not that a child produces an excessive amount of saliva . Instead, the child may be less aware of saliva collecting at the front of the mouth, may swallow less frequently, keep their mouth open because their nose is blocked, or have difficulty coordinating the movements involved in saliva control. A child-specific NHS guide published in January 2026 explains that drooling can be influenced by open-mouth posture, concentration, tiredness, nasal blo...