How to apply ear drops to children or infants ?
If we want ear drops to work, we need to learn how to apply them correctly. Remember that like any other drug, even ear drops can potentially have local side effects, so treat only under the physician recommendation and according to the prescription given (and you can read all about different kinds of ear infections in this section of the site).
So let’s start by checking that the drops you have are the right one to use, haven’t expired, and the time limit for usage after opening the bottle has not passed (each drug has its own expiration date). And if we are discussing this matter, a good tip for life is to write the date of opening on the box, as soon as you open a new bottle.
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
- Hold the bottle in your hand, to warm a little bit the liquid inside. Inserting cold drops to the ear is not pleasant to the child and may cause discomfort or nausea.
- Shake the bottle a little bit.
- Ask your child to lie down or tilt his head, so that the infected ear will turn up to you.
- Gently pull back the ear lobe, to increase the size of the ear canal orifice.
- Drop the drops directly to the ear canal without touching the ear with tip of the bottle (as much as you can).
- Ask the child to stay in this position for a few minutes, to avoid spillage of the drops outside of the ear.
- You can press the prominent area in front of the ear lobe and close the ear canal, so the drops will flow more quickly to the depth of the ear canal.
- You can put a little cotton wool in the opening of the ear canal, to avoid spillage of the drops outside the ear.
Good luck!
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