A foul odor emanating from the ear. An ear infection results when fluid and bacteria build up in the area around your child's eardrum. Bacteria like to grow in dark, warm, wet places, so a fluid-filled ear becomes the perfect breeding ground. As the infection worsens, so does the swelling in and around the eardrum, and, as a result, the pain. Fever develops as your child's body attempts to fight the infection.
Ear infections are one of the most common childhood illnesses.
While there are no statistics on how many toddlers get them, the American Academy of Pediatrics expects that most children will have had at least one ear infection by the time they turn 3. Add your comments to the bottom of this page. Call the doctor at the first sign of an ear infection. He'll ask you to come in so he can take a look in your baby's ear with an instrument called an otoscope. An eardrum that's red, bulging, and possibly draining is likely infected.