Otitis: what to do when a child's ear hurts? 2026

Do you touch your ear? Do you cry for no reason? Have you had a cold? Have you been to the pool? There are many and varied reasons why a child may suffer from rotitis, an inflammation in the ear that can appear in the external auditory canal, located outside the eardrum (otitis externa) or inside the middle ear (acute otitis media).

External otitis

External laotitis, also known as swimmer's ear, appears in children who remain submerged in the water of beaches and swimming pools for a long time. Moisture macerates the skin and the mucosa of the ear canal becomes infected.

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When this otitis occurs, the child is healthy but his ear hurts and a greenish purulent secretion comes out through the duct.

How to treat it?

If it is not treated, there is a risk that the eardrum will be perforated and hearing ability will be affected.

A few drops of antibiotic in the ear and a period of time without bathing is the best formula that pediatricians usually propose to avoid complications.

Acute otitis media

Acute otitis media is more serious and dangerous. It occurs during childhood, especially in children under one year of age and, as a general rule, coincides with the presence of a cold (whether viral, bacterial or allergic).

The ear and nose are connected and ventilated by a tube called the Eustachian tube. If it becomes clogged with mucus, bacteria that entered from the nose and throat infect the eardrum. There a purulent focus is formed that can rupture the eardrum and come out with a purulent exudate.

In addition, the presence of large vegetations that obstruct the exit of the tube helps ear infections to recur.

Catarrhal otitis and suppurative otitis

Depending on the intensity of the otitis, two types of otitis media can be distinguished:

What is serous otitis?

We speak of serous otitis when, after several episodes of otitis, the infection persists for more than 3 months with the ear diseased, with fluid and mucous secretions inside, which can lead to chronic otitis and complications in the surrounding tissues (mastoiditis, cholesteatoma).

In these cases the child's ear hurts little, but his hearing progressively deteriorates.

How to treat it?

In the first moments of otitis, treatment with ibuprofen relieves fever and pain, but you must go to the pediatrician, since most otitis requires early treatment with antibiotics.

In serous otitis, the treatment is more complicated because the ear is more affected.

Hence, sometimes, along with antibiotic treatment, it is necessary to remove the adenoids and place temporary drainage tubes in the eardrum to eliminate secretions inside.