The Ultimate Mosquito Bite Itch Relief Solution

The Ultimate Mosquito Bite Itch Relief Solution. How to stop the mosquito bites from swelling up and itching so much. How to get the mosquito bite to go away faster.

Mosquitoes are the bane of my existance. I am very allergic to mosquitoes. When I get a mosquito bite, I can not touch nor itch it. If I do, I will swell significantly and the bite will last at least 4 weeks. If I don't touch it nor itch it, the bite will last at least two weeks. The entire time the bite is there, it is very, very itchy. 

I say that to let you know that I understand what it means to be itchy and to desparately want a solution. Two of my children are as allergic as I am, so we have spent a lot of time and effort trying to find the perfect solution. Here is our tried and true mosquito bite itch relief routine. This post contains affiliate links.

Benadryl Itch Relief Stick
This is fairly new to our routine. We added it last summer and it is the perfect addition to our strategy for helping mosquito bites. The first thing we do is generously apply this itch relief stick to the bite. Something this really does for me is help with the pain that comes with the bite. For someone like me who is quite allergic, it isn't just an itch, it is a pain. This helps with that. Let the Benadryl dry.

Lavender Essential Oil
Next, I add a drop of lavender essential oil. This helps with the negative reaction and to calm the swelling and flare. Let that dry.

Peppermint Essential Oil
Peppermint essential oil is next on my list. This helps immensely with the itchiness. Let this dry. 

Clear Nail Polish
My next step is to apply clear nail polish over the mosquito bite. It doesn't have to be clear, but clear is, well, clear and can't be seen. I am not sure why this helps. I am guessing it is something to do with the bite being sealed off from air. I feel like the bite heals faster overall with the nail polish applied. There is some annoyance associated with this step. I find I need to repeat the process every so often, and with the nail polish covering things up, it means you have to remove the nail polish before doing the itch relief stick and oils again. But the annoyance is well worth it when you are super allergic. Let dry.

Band-Aid

Once the nail polish is dry, put a band-aid on top of the bite. The reason I do this is to prevent the bite from being touched, rubbed, or itched. If you have an itch, it is easy to absently scratch it. The band-aid stays between you and the bite. If you have clothes or shoes rubbing the bites, they will swell more. The band-aid helps with that friction.


You don't want to always be reacting to mosquito bites. Be sure to also read up on my tips for preventing the mosquito bites from happening in the first place.

4 Essential Oil Diffuser Perks {Friday Finds}

I love the smell of skunk. One whiff and it takes me right back to driving through Wyoming. Wyoming meant grandparents, family, and fun. Every time we made the trek to Wyoming, we smelled skunk, and even today, when I smell skunk on the road, it brings me back to that feeling of excited anticipation.

The sense of smell is powerful.

"A number of behavioral studies have demonstrated that smells trigger more vivid emotional memories and are better at inducing that feeling of “being brought back in time” than images. " source

This post contains affiliate links.

This past December, I finally jumped on the train of using a diffuser for essential oils. I have been using doTERRA essential oils for four years, but had not yet tried the diffuser. We only got "aromatic" in our application by smelling it from the bottle and maybe rubbing it on a hand. With Christmas approaching, and me owning a fake Christmas tree, I was pushed to finally give the diffuser a try.

You know when you finally try something and then wonder why in the world you thought so long about it before actually trying it? The diffuser has been that for me. I initially bought one for the house. After having it a short time, it was clear we needed a lot because everyone wanted it in their rooms at night. In the course of a month and a half, we went from trying one out to owning six. Yep. Six. That number will grow!

Oh my how much I love it! Seriously, love. The diffuser really utilizes the ability for essential oils to reach you emotionally. My hands-down favorite oil to diffuse for smell is Citrus Bliss. I also really like Lime and the blend Cheer. Then of course you have fun smells at different times of year, like Cinnamon and various Firs at Christmas. Here are my favorite uses for the essential oils in a diffuser:

• Change mood. Need kids to calm down? Use a calming oil. Need them to wake up in the morning? Use a nice citrus oil or peppermint. Need to keep yourself focused? Put an essential oil in while you work (I almost always have it on when I am blogging these days).
• Disperse OnGuard. I love OnGaurd for protecting against sickness. I have found the diffuser the most effective way to use it.
• Make things smell good. I like my house to smell good, and this is a way to do it that is a safe way to get the smell through the house. 
• Help with sleep. Sometimes we have had a busy day and the kids are getting to bed late. Or sometimes a big day is coming up the next day and I want to be sure sleep comes easily and stays solidly for the night. Those are nights I use Serenity in the diffuser. 

In my kids' rooms, I like to diffuse On Guard like crazy. Any time one of them is sick, I diffuse the On Guard through the night in every bedroom. During the play, I had it going all night every night to prevent sickness (none came even though sickness was going through the cast like crazy!). Sometimes we do the blend Serenity to help anyone having a hard time sleeping at night. I love diffusing so much that every bedroom in my house now has a diffuser (two in our master bedroom since it is larger), as does my office. doTERRA of course sells diffusers. I bought this one from Amazon and really like it. There are two different models of the same diffuser. I bought one, then bought one more and it was a little different, then bought three all at once and one was one way and two were the other. I have liked them both, though they have some slight differences and I also think it is very strange that there are different versions being sold.

I plan to get my next one from doTERRA just to get one that can cover a larger area. The one I have is great for a smaller room, but I want something that can fill a large room (like our new family room, which should be done very soon! Follow me on Instagram to track the progress). Also, I think if you are not totally positive you will love using a diffuser, it is nice to go with something less expensive initially. As a side note, the one I have can light up, but you can use it with no lights at all. That was a must for me with them being in my kids' rooms at night.

In the past, when I have recommended an oil for you, I have linked to the oil on Amazon. I recently decided to start selling them myself and sending you directly to doTERRA. It isn't a decision I came to lightly. I literally went to their corporate headquarters and toured the facility for a day. I analyzed every detail. I saw where the customer service reps work and walked among them. I saw their break room. I ate in their cafeteria. I saw where they bottle the oils and where the scientists test the oils. I saw where the oils are stored before they are shipped out (that room is a major sensory overload for the olfactories!). I walked through the board room and saw the main offices. I learned about their efforts to give back to people all over the world. I was impressed with the company, the moral I felt throughout, and their practices and procedures. Above all, it had a good feeling.

That evening, when I got home and was perusing Facebook, I came across a post on how easy it is to swap out oils. There are apparently sellers on Amazon selling oils that have either been swapped out or diluted in some way under the guise that they are doTERRA oils. The video showed how simple it is to do so. Because of this and because of the rise of fake oils being sold, doTERRA came out and asked their consultants to not sell on Amazon.

That was the final tipping point for me. I felt good about the company, I know I love the products. Like I said, I have been happily using them for four years. I already recommend them to you and I didn't feel good about sending you readers to Amazon for the oils anymore. I don't have to carry inventory; when you order, it ships from doTERRA to you. So I am essentially becoming an affiliate for doTERRA . A perk of buying from doTERRA instead of Amazon is you can get the promotional offers. You can get free oils and other products when you order so much. I always like free!

You can buy oils here at my doTERRA site. If you chose to buy doTERRA oils through my link, I will get a percentage of your sale, but that doesn't change your cost at all. As with anything else I talk about, if you have any questions about essential oils, let me know and I will help you out! You can just buy as a retail customer. You can also buy as a wholesale customer, so you get oils cheaper and can get the free oil of the month if you spend enough money. Another cool thing is your shipping costs are recouped as product credit points. Or you can become an advocate yourself and get all of the same perks, plus get a percentage of what people buy from you.

To read more about my doTERRA thoughts, see my doTERRA page on this blog. You can create happy associations with smells for your kids with oils and a diffuser! You can probably even make it smell better than a skunk ;). 

Brayden Preteen Summary: 11 Years Old!

Brayden has been very helpful with our home addition.

Eleven. Eleven! He is eleven. This is a summary for Brayden from 10.75 to 11 years old.

Eating

Eating is good and normal. He is pretty boring to read about when it comes to food since he eats well. 

Sleeping

Sleeping is overall good. Brayden had a few events during this time period where he would stress out about falling asleep and getting a good nights sleep. One example is the night before he ran a mile race. Our school hosts 9 elementary schools who send their 4th and 5th graders and all race against each other. He really wanted to get good sleep the night before and stressed big time about it and of course had a hard time falling asleep.

I could totally relate and understand. I get the same way when I have a newborn ("If I fall asleep now, I will get 2 hours of sleep before she gets up to eat again"--there were many times I didn't fall asleep at all between night feedings because I was worrying about it so much). 

I have some Serenity from doTerra that helps the children feel calmer on nights if needed. We use it rarely, but it is handy when we do need it. We also do more prayers. We talked with him about the worst that would happen--he would feel tired. But we assured him that he is well rested enough on a consistent basis that falling asleep late one night wouldn't ruin his day. We also assured him he would have enough adrenaline to make up for being tired. and we were right--he got his best time ever on race day! You can't ask for better than that. He placed 5th place overall in his heat, so it was a great race for him.

Finishing the race

School

School was great! Brayden enjoyed his fifth grade year a lot. Brayden was able to participate in a debate with other gifted and talented students around our valley. He didn't enjoy it so much. He doesn't like contention. I personally love debate. He did a great job, though, and one of the judges came to him after and said he should really join a debate team. I kind of doubt that is in his future, but who knows!

At the end of fifth grade, they give out awards. Brayden was one of four students chosen to receive the Hope of America Award. It is given to students for exceptional leadership, citizenship, and academic skills and achievements. He was also awarded the Presidential award for academics, among other awards. It was such a great payday moment as a parent.

Hope of America Winners

Musical

He had his performances in this period as Shrek in Shrek the Musical Jr. It was so great! It was such a great experience for him. I am so impressed by these elementary aged children who perform so well!

Shrek with Donkey--played by one of his best friends

Piano

One of Brayden's very favorite things in life is playing the piano. He is diligent and consistent with practicing. He had his recital during this period and did very well!

Brayden can read music well and can also play by ear well. One day, I heard him playing "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" on the piano. I knew we didn't have any sheet music for that, so I went to see where he got music from. He had none. He just liked it and played it. If you follow me on Instagram (@chroniclesbabywisemom), then you saw that video.

Brayden really loves music. We have an amazing music teacher at our school (I know how rare this can be; my elementary didn't even have a music teacher!). Each year, she asks for volunteers from the fifth grade to do various things musically in a couple of the assemblies she orchestrates. One is in the fall for the Veterans Day assembly and one is in May for the Folk Dance Festival. She teaches them folk dances and folk songs. She has fifth grade students accompany the songs students sing. She also chooses 10 students to compose a song to perform. The songs have many, many instruments in them. Brayden was one of the 10. It was so fun to see the musical talent of the students. Again, I uploaded his song to Instagram.

Soccer

Brayden played rec soccer during this time. Nate was his coach, as usual. Brayden enjoys playing soccer.

Swimming
Brayden is still swimming on a swim team. We didn't have any meets during this time; they ended up conflicting with the musical performance and with his 11 year old boy scout camp. His coach moved away, which was very sad for him. He lucked out and got our personal swim teacher as his coach, so that was happy for him.

Friends

Brayden is at that age now when "they" say kids start to want to be with peers more than they have previously. I can definitely see this happening. Brayden has always had a high interest in friends; he lives next door to two of his best friends, so he is able to easily spend a lot of time with friends. The friend interest has been expanding more where he is a lot more proactive in wanting to get together with his friends who aren't right in the neighborhood. That had previously been enough for him socially much of the time, but now he is wanting to see more of his friends more of the time.

This is a natural progression in life. I am very glad that Brayden has very good friends. I know all of their mothers well and they are all amazing women. I strongly believe in the power of friendships--for good or bad--and I am glad that he has a good group of friends.

SCHEDULE

Brayden's Schedule. This is a typical school day:

7:00 AM--wake up. Get ready. He does basic chores and practices his piano in the mornings.

9:00 AM--school

4:00 PM--home

5:00/5:30 PM--Dinner. Then time with family.

7:30 PM Start getting ready for bed.

8:30-9:00 PM--in bed

Surviving Mosquitoes

Oh how I loath mosquitoes. A few of us in my house are extremely allergic to them. We have a beautiful pond that is stagnate in the property behind us, so we have a lot of mosquitoes around our house and it is no fun. I turned to you on Facebook to find out what you all do to survive the mosquito. A lot of the ideas are for essential oils. To buy yours from me, go here. Here are the ideas. This post contains affiliate links. 

Repelling Mosquitoes

• Nikki said: I seem to attract mosquitoes, while my husband never gets bitten. Luckily, I think our daughter inherited his "naturally repellant" skin. We also have dogs, so Im not a huge fan of nasty chemicals, but HATE getting bitten. We stumbled upon Super Garlic, which is a super concentrated garlic solution that you can spray on your yard periodically throughout mosquito season. It helps us/me a lot and I love that it's natural. I also use Citronella oil on my skin, instead of Off. Kind of expensive, but we have had the same jug for 2 summers now and still have some left for next year!: Mosquito Barrier Mosquito Repellent
• Jan said: using a spray bottle put in half water,half witch hazel,20 drops Eucalyptus oil shake it up, spray ALL exposed areas(scalp,ears etc) they won't come near you. Keep spraying every half hour. They love me and the mix kept me safe.
• Things to Do for Kids said: Essential oils! Lemongrass repels them. I use a spray of Lemongrass, Wild Orange, Peppermint and Lavender!
• Megan said: Garlic! There are garlic pills you can buy, that don't make stinky breath. That came from a farmer friend and it works!
• JoAnn said: use Peppermint oil spray before going outside. mix with water and spray on. I've been told skeeters don't like the smell...
• Joyce said: We live in Singapore where mozzies thrive. Citronella or Lemongrass oils are great repellents.
• Diedre said:  I LOVE this stuff, it's made in the town I live in and it is amazing! Gentle enough for babies and VERY effective. Lion-Skeeter Beater.
• Liz said: doterra brand doTerra TerraShield essential oil is made specifically as a natural insect repellant
• Jessica said: If you have bats in your area, get a Bat House. They eat thousands of mosquitos.
• Sarah said:  My sis had this at her son's baseball game. Has a 15x15 bug free zone… and there is one with bigger I think. All the parents in the stands were very grateful! Thermacell MR-GJ Mosquito Repellent Device
• Shaunda said: The best non toxic way is Young Living essential oils. We make our own bug spray with the oils and also use them if we get a few bites. Lavender, purification, peppermint and Melaleuca/tea tree oil. Love our oils and use them to survive!
• Paula said: essential oils: to repel, Citronella and Lemongrass, to relieve itching after you've been bit, Lavender
• Whitney said: Our pest control company sprays our yard for them and I cannot believe how much it has helped! They are drawn to one of my little boys and he swells up badly if he gets bit. I don't think he's been bitten once in our yard since we had them start spraying last year.
• Jenni said: Bug off essential oil blend from Native American Nutritionals (same quality as DoTerra without the multilevel marketing which means less $$). Or Ava Anderson Non Toxic bug spray. Great natural products. My son had cellulitis (bacterial infection) around his eye from what I think was a bug bite that led to an ER visit. Never want that to happen again!!!
• Grace said: Coconut oil! Also, if you can buy a few Citronella Plants (also called mosquito plants) you can place them around your house, and also rub the leaves on your LOs which provides all day protection. Even if they are playing in the water.
• Ray Ray said: I live in one of the highest mosquito populated places. My son gets staph infections in every place a mosquito bites him...so we battle staph every summer. However if we remember to putSKIN-SO-SOFT oil all over him he won't get bitten...it's just hard to remember to reapply the oil throughout the day
• Allison said: Avon SKIN-SO-SOFT Bug Guard - includes SPF 30 & smells amazing!
• Jackie said: TerraShield essential oil or honest co bug spray for prevention. 
• Katherine said: I have friends in the midwest who swear by these Vitamin B skin patches
• Ashley said: This year we are trying a new product (on our son, mainly) and have had good results! We don't like to douse our son in Deet, but this is an organic option available in stores...we founds ours in Target. So far, so good! It even helped us survive vacationing where the mosquitoes were very bad! EcoSMART 33106 Organic Insect Repellent
• Tiffany said: TerraShield essential oils (do terra) 
• Lacey said: My daughter and I have to wear long sleeves and pants outside.

Treating Bites

• Deanna said: Get Bayer Aspirin (the little white pills). When but. Crush the aspirin & mix with a tiny bit of water to create a paste. Apply paste to bite.
• Britney said: Lavender and Peppermint take away the itch and reduce swelling!
• Sere said:  I have only tried it on myself but putting apple cider vinegar on a cotton ball and taping it over the bite until it dries stopped the itch entirely!
• Linda said: Wet a Fels-Naptha bar and rub on the bites.
• Rebecca said: We use Young Living Purification oil, or Lavender oil to soothe. Also, calamine lotion or hydro cortizone to soothe. My daughter swells really bad too.
• Joyce said: We live in Singapore where mozzies thrive. Citronella or Lemongrass  oils are great repellents. But when bitten, nothing stops the itch and soothes the swelling better than Tiger Balm. It's made in Singapore, and sold in the airport's transit lounge.
• Susan said: My daughter is severely allergic as well. We have our yard sprayed monthly to kill nests. I put Johnson and Johnson baby creamy oil on all exposed skin which is amazing. Any sign of a bump I immediately apply topical benedryl (Benadryl Topical Itch Stopping Cream).
• Jackie said: Lavender , Frankincense, and Melaleuca on the bites.
• David said: For those on a very limited budget, try dabbing vinegar on them. Vinegar dabbed on them.
• JoJo said: Benadryl topical cream. Benadryl Topical Itch Stopping Cream
• Tiffany said: Miracle salve for bites (beeyoutiful.com)
• Lacey said:  I use Caladryl Clear Lotion calamine lotion as soon as I feel or seen the bite. Lavender oil also helps as well as a cold washcloth.
• Emilysaid: My little guy is supper sensitive to bug bites as well. I use Young Living Lavender Essential Oil either straight or mixed with coconut oil (whatever is handly) and it calms those big red puffy bites right down. Also great for sunburns!

For my simple, prove, five step process to relieve those itches, see The Ultimate Mosquito Bite Itch Relief.

Brinley Toddler Summary {23.5 Months Old}

This is a summary for Brinley from 23-23.5 months old.

SLEEPING

Sleep was normal here.

EATING

Eating was less during this time. I figured out it was because of sickness. More on that below.

PLAYING

Brinley was super clingy during this time...again, sickness.

HAND, FOOT, and MOUTH DISEASE

One day, Brinley got a random fever. I checked for teeth. None. I checked her ears. They looked fine. I thought it was so weird to have this random fever day in July. She was very clingy this day, also. I put her in Independent Playtime and she just put herself on the floor and tried to get comfy. I knew she was really sick at that point, so I went in and got her out and just held her. I sat with her the whole day other than when she was napping.

my view from the video camera

The next day, she was fine. 

A few days later, my husband changed her diaper and said, "It looks like she has a diaper rash." This made me pause because there wasn't anything that would explain her suddenly having a diaper rash. I sat her down on the floor and inspected her feet. Sure enough, on the bottom of her feet were some sores. Ugh! Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease! 

In most cases, this actually sounds worse than it is. Some children do get a really bad case of it and are miserable for a couple of weeks. They don't eat or sleep and don't want to play. Brinley didn't want to wear shoes (I am sure the sores didn't feel great with shoes on) and she wanted me to carry her around. She also didn't eat well--I am sure she had sores in her throat. She also had a couple of spots on her bottom. That was it, so she was lucky. 

I used some essential oils from doTerra. I put doTERRA Melaleuca (tea tree oil) on each sore. I had read this helps immensely and it really did--I put it on some sores and not others one night and in the morning, the ones I used it on were much smaller. doTERRA Lavender is also very helpful. I also used doTerra OnGuard to help boost the immune system. Other helpful oils were doTERRA Oregano, doTERRA Lemon, and doTERRA Frankincense. 

COOKIE HEARTBREAK

One day, I made a bunch of cookies. I was taking some to a funeral and saving some for a family reunion. I had them all over the kitchen. I gave Brinley a cookie. She ate it and then asked for more. I told her she couldn't have more. Her eyes filled up with tears and she looked at the cookies around the room, pointed to them, and said, "More cookie peez!" I told her one was all for now. Oh how she cried! She was heartbroken. She could not understand why she could not have more of this delicious food that was obviously bountiful. She is used to food running out, but I don't limit her food when it is healthy, so if it is there, she can eat it. She was confused and heartbroken. You can't really explain nutritional value of food to a toddler.

NAP SKIPPER

Brinley is old enough to be able to skip her nap and it be okay. She can get a bit cranky for the next day or two, but on the day, she makes it--especially if it is for a fun purpose. We have an amusement park pretty close by and we have enjoyed going there several times over the summer. She loves to go and watch the rides and to play in the water park and she does really well without a nap. She is definitely my most flexible child when it comes to sleep lost. 

SCHEDULE

8:15 AM--Wake up/Breakfast

8:45 AM--Get ready

9:00 AM--Walk/Bike ride

9:30 AM--Outside Time

11:00 AM--Independent Playtime

12:00 Noon--Lunch

12:30 PM--Learning Activity

1:00 PM--Free Play

1:30 PM--Nap

5:00 PM--Free Playtime

5:30 PM--Dinner

6:00 PM--Family Time

7:30 PM--Get Ready for Bed

8:00 PM--Bedtime

HELPFUL BOOKS

• On Becoming Toddlerwise
• Wholesome Toddlerfood.com
• The Toddler's Busy Book
• What To Expect The Toddler Years (this is okay--I don't love it)
• Super Baby Food
• So Easy Toddler Food cookbook
• The Wonder Weeks. (and a link to their site:http://livingcontrolsystems.com/)
• Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
• The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems: Sleeping, Feeding, and Behavior--Beyond the Basics from Infancy Through Toddlerhood
• Baby Body Signs: The Head-to-Toe Guide to Your Child's Health, from Birth Through the Toddler Years
• Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby
• The Wonder Weeks 
• http://wholesomebabyfood.com/

RELATED POSTS/BLOG LABELS:

• Toddler Summary: 23 Months Old (for McKenna)
• Hand, Foot, and Mouth
• toddler summary (blog label)

Surviving an Ear Infection

One of the main causes for a pre-toddler or toddler suddenly not sleeping well is an ear infection. Ear infections can be painful. They can also prevent your child from being able to hear well, which can delay speech development if ear infections are chronic. There are plenty of reasons to want to get rid of an ear infection on top of the basic desire for parents to remove pain from their children. Here are some ideas on how to help your child during an ear infection. Read about some common signs here: Ears

Getting Rid of Infection

• Antibiotics
• Garlic oil
• Herb Pharm Mullein/Garlic Compound Supplement
• Essential Oils (Young Living Essential Oil Melrose or doTerra Melaleuca Essential Oil)
  
  I massage all behind the ear and down the eustachian tube to the throat with the essential oil (basil) and coconut oil several times a day. -Salina
• I've used vinegar! I did it to myself first and, when my ear ached, the vinegar burned but after a few applications (a few hours in between) it went away completely without antibiotics or any other measure. I've also tried it with my son and it worked for him. Now… I'm not suggesting we necessarily do this in lieu of treatment, but it worked for me -Rachel
• I swear by garlic oil! Cut up several cloves of garlic and soak it in olive oil for a day. Then strain out the garlic and put the oil into a glass dropper. Put 3 drops in ear and make them lie so the oil doesn't come out. (Watch a movie). Within hours they will feel better. I run the dropper under hot water so it's warm going into the ear. It will store for at least a year. Since I started doing this 4 years ago I have never been to a doctor for ear infections. -Ruby
•  I am prone to them myself and this seriously helps! My nephew also uses this technique (he is 10). The salt draws out the infection and pressure. I still see the Dr. but this bring almost immediately relief. http://www.livestrong.com/.../311003-how-to-treat-an-ear.../ -Shelly
• Home Remedy for Earwax and Infections http://knowledgeweighsnothing.com/home-remedy-for-earwax.../ Elisha
• Hydrogen Peroxide -Travis

Helping the Pain

• Prop mattress
• Rock and hold child
• Hyland's Baby Infant Earache Drops
• I suffered with them chronically as a child. Thankfully, my children have never had an issue.
  A sock filled with dry rice, microwaved for a short time (be very careful because they get hot quickly and stay hot) and then placed over the ear was very soothing. But, my mother was doing this when I was much older, not a baby. -Kari
• Warm up Olive Oil in the microwave in a small container (20 - 30 secs). Suck it into a syringe and squirt it (gently) in their ear(s). Put a small portion of a cotton ball in their ear to absorb the oil. We learned this trick from our Dr. -Sheri
• Ibuprofen, Tylenol, Advil 
• Heating Pad -Beth
• If you get a hot or warm wash cloth and lay on it it seems to relieve some of the pain for me -Anastasia
• Daegen got his 2nd set of tubes this past January . Which isn't normal since he is 5. Mothers intuition was right and his hearing was being compromised and he was getting a draining ear infection once a month. His ear drums actually burst. Propping hishead and having him laying on a heating pad was something that gave him quick relief . My pediatrician had told me that Advil works the best for ear pain so I would give him some when he complained about the pain. -Amy

Preventing Ear Infections

• Eliminate Dairy
• Chiropractic care
• Look into what the cause is. This can be tricky, but addressing the cause is always the ideal situation to any problem. For McKenna, a big cause was that her tonsils were huge. She always had them infected and food would get caught in them. Her ENT said this likely contributed to her frequently getting infections. She had her tonsils removed.
• Ear tubes. McKenna has tubes in and has had them in for two years now. Tubes don't eliminate infections, but they ease pain and they also make the infection drain out instead of staying on the ear drum. They are also supposed to help prevent infections from forming since the ear can drain, but it is not uncommon to get infections while tubes are in (and let me say, it is pretty nasty. It does drain right on out).
  
  Now, I wouldn't jump to tubes. They aren't risk free. I think surgery should be reserved for high need times. There is also risk of holes remaining even after tubes are removed, which leads to risks with more surgery and possible hearing damage long-term. So I wouldn't rush into tubes--I would try other things first. We went with tubes and tonsils at the same time because I would rather that than do surgery twice. Read more about that here: McKenna Summary: 2.75 Years
• Both my boys struggled with this and I know there is differing ideas about antibiotic etc. Wells didn't even suffer with a lot of pain but he had fluid on his ear and it wouldn't drain. I found going to an ENT and getting tubes rather than waiting and seeing if they grow out of it was better for me. Wells started talking more and just changed after he had tubes, adenoids, and tonsils out. I did seek a second opinion and I felt good about the decision. I think ENT's have a different take than pediatricians on this subject sometimes. I also think if tubes are in you can treat with ear drops and not put them on antibiotic. I think ibuprofen helps, we spent many nights in a recliner because it seemed to help them to sleep up-right. I do think the warm compress is good also. Pace still has one tube in and I sometimes think mucinex helps if he gets a cold. However he is older and can take that. -Monica
• Cody has tubes and after a year and a half just got his first ear infection with tubes. Pus oozing everywhere out his ear - so gross! They put him on amox. but all it did was get rid of the strep that caused the ear infection. Now he's on a omnicef (sp?) and that's been our best oral antibiotic for getting rid of his ear infections cuz they're usually so nasty. But tubes were the best decision we ever made for a kid who kept getting EI's and numbing drops are AMAZING -Lacey

Extra Tips

Dr Mom Otoscope--this can help you take the guess work out of whether it is an infection or not. I have loved having one.

Use yogurt during antibiotics.

Lots of water so child stays hydrated.

Once they get antibiotics, be SURE to also give them yogurt or a probiotic! For my 3 year-old, the diarrhea was WAY worse than the ear infection. Also, for what it's worth, the doctor told me that in some European countries, standard of care is not to give antibiotics until three days after diagnosis. Most ear infections will resolve with no medication and no harm to the ear. -Tiffany

 My daughter has had 3 ear infections. She will be 2 next weekend. The best thing has been antibiotics, but sometimes the drainage/lingering cough is worse than the ear infection! We do Vicks baby at night on her chest, cool mist humidifier and steam up the bathroom if we need to help her during a bad cough at night. She also does breathing treatments when the cough is especially bad. Other things that have helped are warmed up lemon and water, limiting milk intake and saline spray/nose Frieda. -Jessica

We do melaleuca essential oil from Doterra behind the ears, hot, damp packs held over the ear, trip to chiropractor. Try to always avoid antibiotics! So often overused and over prescribed. - Hunter

This doesn't deal with the pain or prevention or anything but I thought this tip was brilliant: using a permanent marker, draw a grid on the medicine bottle with a box for each of the doses to be given. As you give one, check off a box. That way you don't lose track of how many doses you have given each day. It worked well for me! After the meds, then it's snuggle time. The only time our kids ever slow down is when they are sick. -Alicia