Many things can cause ear pain, including infections, allergies, a cold or a sore throat, fluid behind the eardrum, earwax buildup, a tooth problem, or a sinus infection.

Follow these care instructions to help your child feel better.

• Give your child any prescribed medicines as directed by your health care provider.
• To help with ear pain:
  • You can give your child one of these medicines if your health care provider says it's OK:
    • acetaminophen (such as Tylenol^® or a store brand)
      OR
    • ibuprofen (such as Advil^®, Motrin^®, or a store brand). Do not give ibuprofen to babies under 6 months old. Use exactly as directed. Also, do not give aspirin to your child or teen, as it is linked to a rare, but serious, illness called Reye syndrome. 
  • Put a warm or cool (whichever is more soothing) damp washcloth on the outside of your child's ear. 
  • If the ear hurts during chewing, give your child a soft diet. They also should avoid chewing gum. 
  • Older kids can try sleeping on an extra pillow to keep the head higher than the body.
• Do not use ear drops or earwax removal products unless instructed to by your health care provider.
• Do not put objects such as cotton swabs, fingers, or other objects in the ear.
• Follow up as recommended by your health care provider.

• The ear pain gets worse or doesn't start to get better in a few days.
• Your child gets other symptoms such as:
  • swelling or redness of the ear or the skin around the ear
  • pus or blood draining from the ear
  • fever
  • vomiting

Would an antibiotic help my child? No. Antibiotics only work against bacteria, and your child's ear pain doesn't appear to be due to a bacterial infection. Antibiotics can't treat infections caused by viruses (such as a cold, the flu, and many ear infections).

Health care providers prescribe antibiotics only as needed. Antibiotics can have side effects (such as nausea or diarrhea), cause allergic reactions, and lead to other infections (such as yeast infections). Taking antibiotics too often or for the wrong reasons can change bacteria so much that antibiotics don't work against them. This is called antibiotic resistance. The changed bacteria can spread to others and cause serious infections.

How will I know if my child's ear pain is due to an infection? If your child's symptoms get worse, new symptoms happen, or the ear pain doesn't get better within a few days, your health care provider will see your child again and do an exam to check for an ear infection.