Ear Infection - Acute

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Acute Ear Infection Prevention

You can reduce your child's risk of ear infections with the following practices:

• Breastfeeding can make a child much less prone to ear infections.
• Always hold your infant in an upright, seated position during bottle feeding. This prevents pooling of fluid and its risk of becoming infected.
• Don't expose your child to second hand smoke.
• Reduce your child's exposure to colds and other respiratory infections. Attending a day care with six or fewer children can lessen your child's chances of getting a cold or similar infection. This, in turn, leads to fewer ear infections. Frequent hand and toy washing is helpful.
• Avoid using pacifiers, especially at daycare.
• Identify and address any allergies (food or airborne). Cow's milk allergies are the most common food allergies in infants and toddlers -- these can cause ear infections.
• The pneumococcal vaccine prevents infections from the organism that most commonly causes acute ear infections and many respiratory infections.
• Some evidence suggests that xylitol, a natural sweetener, may reduce ear infections.
• Avoid the overuse of antibiotics.