Listen. Whatever you’re hearing — the hum of a computer, your kids playing, a car going by — is thanks to your ears. Hearing is their main job, but it’s not all our ears do. These delicate organs also need care and protection, so let’s take a look at how …
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Flying and Your Child’s Ears
Flying’s Effects on Ears Many of us have felt that weird ear-popping sensation when we fly. For kids (especially babies and young children), it can seem especially odd and even scary at first. But it’s a common, normal part of flying. This sometimes uncomfortable sensation is related to pressure changes …
Middle Ear Infections
After the common cold, ear infections are the most frequently diagnosed childhood illness in the United States. Most kids will have had at least one ear infection by the time they’re 3 years old. A Close Look at the Ear To understand how ear infections develop, let’s review how the ear works. Think …
Middle Ear Infections and Ear Tube Surgery
Why Surgery? Many kids get middle ear infections (known as otitis media, or OM), usually when they’re between 6 months and 2 years old. Some kids are particularly likely to get them because of environmental and lifestyle factors (like attendance at a group childcare, secondhand tobacco smoke exposure, and taking a …
Swimmer’s Ear (Otitis Externa)
About Swimmer’s Ear Otitis externa (OE) — commonly known as swimmer’s ear — is an infection of the ear canal, the passage that carries sounds from the outside of the body to the eardrum. It can be caused by many different types of bacteria or fungi. The infection commonly occurs …
Can Chronic Ear Infections Cause Long-Term Hearing Loss?
My daughter has had one ear infection after another. When she gets an infection, she seems to have trouble hearing, but with medicine it always gets better. Still, I’m worried that these infections could lead to permanent hearing loss somewhere down the line. Could this happen? – Yasmine Ear infections …
Chickenpox
About Chickenpox Chickenpox used to be a common childhood illness in the United States, especially in kids under age 12. It’s much rarer now, thanks to the varicella vaccine that’s given when kids are between 12 and 15 months old, followed by a booster shot at 4 to 6 years of age. …
Cold Sores
About Cold Sores Cold sores are small and painful blisters that can appear around the mouth, face, or nose. Sometimes referred to as fever blisters, they’re caused by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). Kids can get cold sores by kissing or sharing eating utensils with an infected person. Colds …
Common Cold
The common cold catches all of us from time to time, bringing sniffles and sneezes and perhaps a sore throat and annoying cough. Kids can get eight colds per year or more, making them the most common infectious disease in the United States and the top reason kids visit the doctor and …
Diarrhea
Most kids battle diarrhea — frequent, runny bowel movements (poop) — from time to time. The good news is that it usually doesn’t last long and is more annoying than dangerous. Still, it’s important to know how to relieve and even prevent diarrhea. What Causes Diarrhea? Diarrhea is usually brought …