Symptoms: Otitis media is a common cause of earache in babies. Babies usually feel a throbbing or stinging pain in their ears, which worsens when sucking, swallowing and coughing. Older babies can talk about earache, but non-speaking babies often show irritability, crying, restless sleep at night, shaking their heads or rubbing their ears with their hands because they cannot express themselves. Since ear pain increases when sucking and swallowing, babies with otitis media often refuse to eat milk. Prevention: 1. Breastfeeding Babies who are breastfed can effectively prevent or reduce the occurrence of otitis media in infants and children because the immunoglobulin A (lgG) and immunoglobulin M (lgM) contained in breast milk are sufficient to resist the infestation of harmful bacteria inhaled from the mouth to the pharynx and the eustachian tube. For infants and toddlers who are fed artificially with milk and milk powder, these foods do not have a certain amount of active antibody components, so they can be used by germs, resulting in infections of the respiratory tract or middle ear. 2. Correct breastfeeding Often babies suffer from otitis media and incorrect breastfeeding posture is also related. Some mothers or nannies try to save time when breastfeeding and let the baby lie down to feed, or feed the baby too much and too quickly when feeding manually, so that the baby can’t swallow and choke, which can make the milk flow back into the nasopharynx and enter the middle ear from the eustachian tube and cause acute otitis media. Therefore, to prevent otitis media, you need to pay attention to the breastfeeding posture, you should pick up your baby to breastfeed, and do not be too much or too urgent when breastfeeding manually. It is best not to blow your nose when your baby’s nasal congestion is particularly severe, to prevent snot and bacteria from entering the middle ear through the eustachian tube and causing acute otitis media. Care: 1. Don’t believe in prescriptions Some parents listen to rumors and use so-called prescriptions to grind certain Chinese medicines or pills into powder and blow them into their ears, which is very dangerous. If the end of the medicine blocks the perforation of the tympanic membrane, the pus in the inner ear drum chamber will not drain well, and long-term stimulation and corrosion of the tympanic membrane can cause the inflammation to spread to the surrounding tissues. In severe cases, the pus can spread into the skull, causing complications such as epidural abscess, purulent meningitis, brain abscess and even facial palsy, etc. Serious complications will be life-threatening. 2.Physical fever reduction When a baby still has a fever after being diagnosed with otitis media and treated with medication, parents need to measure the temperature and physically reduce the fever at all times, and if the fever exceeds 38.5℃, it is still necessary to seek medical attention in a timely manner. 3. Cut your baby’s nails Babies can experience earache and ear discomfort. Babies who are too young to express themselves may show restlessness or go to pull the infected ear, so you should cut your baby’s nails short to avoid scratching and digging in the ear. 4. Keep a watchful eye on your baby when he or she has otitis media. You should make sure that a parent is around at all times to watch your baby because he or she may experience nausea and vomiting. If the eardrum is perforated, there will be discharge. If the otitis media is chronic, the eardrum may thicken and scar, the eardrum may become less mobile or even produce a cholesteatoma in the middle ear cavity, so parents should take their baby to the doctor again in time to see if surgery is needed.