After a child has discarded a toy that can be put in the mouth, pick it up and put it in a bin for dirty toys that is out of reach of the children. Wash and disinfect these toys before allowing children to play with them again. Make sure all children and adults use good hand washing practices. Infants and young children are more likely to get ear infections. The size and shape of their eustachian tubes make it easier for fluid to build up.
Ear infections occur most often in children between three months and three years of age.
Also, the younger a child is at the time of the first ear infection, the greater the chance he or she will have repeated infections. Although researchers are not sure why, boys have more ear infections than girls. Ear infections can run in families. Children are more likely to have repeated middle-ear infections if a parent or sibling also had repeated ear infections. Colds often lead to ear infections.