Children too young to talk may cry several times during the night and be cranky during the day. Most of these children also have a fever and symptoms of a cold. The peak age range for ear infections is 6 months to 2 years, but the problem continues to be common until age 8 or 10. A middle ear infection is a bacterial infection of the space behind the eardrum. Most children have one or more ear infections, and many of these children will have repeated ear infections.
Ear infections are a common complication of a cold.
While colds are contagious, ear infections are not. A temporary earache can occur for 10 to 15 minutes after your child plays outside in cold weather. When your child comes inside, the cold air inside the middle ear warms up, expands, and causes some pain. Chewing gum or drinking fluids should help stop the earache. Another cause of temporary pain in front of the ear is sore jaw muscles from vigorous chewing.