Symptoms of Ear Infection

Ear infection symptoms depend on the age of the child and on which part of the ear is affected.

Middle ear infection (otitis media)

• Ear pain, often worse when lying down.
• Fever, sometimes after a cold.
• Fussiness, crying, and poor sleep.
• In babies who cannot speak: tugging or rubbing the ear, refusing feeds, and looking generally unwell.
• Muffled hearing, or not reacting to sounds as usual.
• Fluid or pus from the ear if the eardrum has burst. The pain often eases at that point, but that is not a sign the problem is over - the child still needs to be seen.
• Sometimes a wobbly, off-balance walk.

Outer ear infection (swimmer's ear)

• Pain when the ear is gently pulled or when pressing in front of the ear.
• Itching inside the canal.
• Redness, swelling, and sometimes a smelly discharge.

Glue ear (fluid without infection) can cause almost no pain. The main sign is hearing loss, which may show up as turning the TV up, not responding, or slow speech. It is easy to miss.

See a doctor the same day if:

• there is swelling or redness behind the ear,
• there is a severe headache, a stiff neck, or the child is very drowsy,
• the face looks weak or droops on one side,
• a baby under 3 months has a fever, or any child has a high fever that does not settle,
• discharge continues beyond a few days.

For emergencies call 112 or 102.

Symptoms usually appear within a few days of a cold. If your child has a cold and then suddenly gets worse at night, with fever and ear-pulling, think of an ear infection. A simple home check cannot confirm it, because only a doctor can see the eardrum. When in doubt, have the ear looked at rather than guessing.