You've seen your child's symptoms. Crying all night. Waking every hour or two, running a fever, tugging at little ears. Just when you thought you had it conquered for the season, your child's ear infection is back.
Bacteria are often the culprits.
Fortunately, antibiotics may help. But your role is also crucial. And the more you know about ear infections, the better prepared you are to help fight them. It can affect one or both ears, typically occurs with, or just after, a cold, and is usually accompanied by fluid build-up within the middle ear. Although ear infections are not directly contagious, the colds and other respiratory tract infections that often precede them are.