why does he keep pulling at his ear?

Darcy - posted on 03/15/2010

I'd say he's cutting a tooth. My friend's baby did the same thing.

Brittany - posted on 03/15/2010

Teething

Kathy - posted on 03/15/2010

my son pulls at his ears and head when he is sleepy .if he is scratching maybe something eles. no rash or eczema?

Sara - posted on 03/15/2010

My doctor told me it was due to teething....often the ear itches or hurts when teething...the pulling actually helps soothe it!

Mary - posted on 03/14/2010

I would take him to a different Dr. I had alot of kids and pulling their ears is almost always a sign of infection. If after a second Dr. visit his ears arer still a concern, then I would say that his has "found " his ears and just likes them. This can be a concern because of the scratching . Look at what type of baby bath, lotion, laundey soap, his clothing and blankets, anything he could be allergic to. That may also be the problem. What I am going to say next may sound mean, but please know the I don't intend to be mean; It my be a nervous habit, so sew ( or carafully saftey pin) some soft mittints to his clothing and put his little hands in then so he can't scratch or pull his ears. But be sure that his comfort is the most important thing. I wuold'nt keep his little hands in there all the time because he needs to discover his world, but when you notice put his hands in. It could be a habit and easily solved. It also solves thumb sucking, but be sure that it's done to provide the utmost saftey and confort for your baby boy. And when and if you chose to do this, keep a very colse watch because you don't want hin to get bound up and cause any damage. Good luck, I hope you can use this

Marion - posted on 03/13/2010

he probably has wax in the ear. My baby does the same thing and thought she had an ear infection and the doctor said it was wax. She told me toput mineral oil in ear to dissolve it.

Tiffany - posted on 03/13/2010

my son doe's that to he's 4 and a half month's,i find he doe's that when his mouth is buging him.and my nephew did the same thing.

Ivy - posted on 03/12/2010

(smile)...My daughter used to do the same...Remember they r human beings...and have a cool share of Temper too...My daughter usually did it when she was irritated or angry...i had to soothe her and pamper her and sometimes also used to breastfeed her to a quick nap...that soothed her off...Do try it and see wether it helps...Cheer up...

Amanda - posted on 03/12/2010

maybe an ear ache

Lisa - posted on 03/11/2010

yup i agree with teething if it's not an ear infection. our doctor told us they don't know where the pain is coming from so quite often they'll pull at their ears because they think that's the source of it.

Ailey - posted on 03/11/2010

My son pulls at his ears quite a bit. Sometimes its an ear infection sometimes its boredom or exploration and sometimes its teething. I took him in four times in two weeks because he acted like he was in pain and each time they told me the fluid in his ears was clear, then finally the last appointment I took him to he had a major ear infection in both ears! The pediatrician said they can come on like that because they cant get into the inner ear to see really whats going on. Have him on antibiotics and he is a new baby!

August - posted on 03/11/2010

It's impossible for a 4 month old to associate things like that. A baby cant pull at something that hurts until around 1 or a little after. If your baby is pulling at his ear he's probably sleepy or just itchy

Melanie - posted on 03/11/2010

My son was pulling at his ear a lot and I put it down to teething. We then took him to the doctor for an unrelated issue and found out he had an ear infection. The doc gave him antibiotics and he stopped pulling his ear within 6 hours. They say that ear infections need to be treated quickly because of something to do with the brain.

I advise you get your little one checked out by a doctor. Its better to play that one safe.

Jeanette - posted on 03/11/2010

Maybe he has dry skin behind the ear and it itches, my daughter had that once.

Alanna - posted on 03/11/2010

when my nephew use to pull at his ear it was because his hair use to tickle it.

Haley - posted on 03/11/2010

mine 8 month old pulls at her ear when she is sleepy. and she does it when she is teething. its really nothing to worry about as long as there is no ear infection.

Monika - posted on 03/11/2010

I agree that it might be teething. Pulling at the ears is one of the signs of teething, now look for ALOT of drooling, pink cheeks, cranky and bitting everything. Could also be that he's just discovered his ear? All babies do this, my daughter did aswell and didn't start teething until she was 10 months.

Keeshea - posted on 03/11/2010

He may be starting to teeth. My son pulls at his ear sometimes when he's tired.

Mikayla - posted on 03/11/2010

my son pulls and rubs his ear when hes tired! i know a few babies who do it when there tired. thats the most commen thing.

Stacey - posted on 03/11/2010

My daughter sometimes does that if water got in her ear or if she has too much ear wax on one side? I clean her ears atleast 2 times a week minimum, but lately she has ear wax..so check that? ALOT of ear infections are going arround!

Vanessa - posted on 03/10/2010

i would guess a deep inner ear infection or teething....you may want to get a second opinion or go see an ear specialist just for a little peace of mind, ya know? my son pulled at his ear constantly and the doctor's kept telling me was fine until finally i put my foot down and made them run tests and it turns out he really had a deep inner ear infection which we are treating right now...hope everything works out =)

Andrea - posted on 03/10/2010

maybe his eardrum dips down a little lower than normal and he is getting water in there...my eardrum is like that and i used to get swimmer's ear frequently

Amber - posted on 03/10/2010

He is probably teething. My daughter does the same thing when she is in a lot of pain from it. Try infant tylenol or orajel.

Serena - posted on 03/09/2010

It also could just be the new toy he found. My son loves putting his finger in his ear for no apparent reason either than its there. I had him checked no ear infection and he's not teething at this moment. Eventually he will find a new orifice to put his finger in :)

Kari - posted on 03/09/2010

My son pulled his ear constantly while he was teething, that is the only time he does it.

Christianne - posted on 03/08/2010

I was told that they pull at there ear as a tired sign my 5 month old has been doing it for a while now either that or it could be a teething issue unfortunately there isn't much you can do about it he is just going to keep doing it. Maybe you could try mittens.

Amber - posted on 03/08/2010

My little girl done this until she was a year old. That was when I knew to get her to sleep, before she became over tired. So far my 2 month old hasn't started it yet.

Jessica - posted on 03/08/2010

My first guesses would be ear infection or teething. Sometimes they do that from teething pain. My son does it sometimes when he is tired, but if your guy is crying/seems in pain when he does it I would guess teething! If you're comfortable with it you could try giving him infants tylenol or motrin (motrins ok when they're 6 month +) or teething tablets and see if that helps.

Sarah - posted on 03/08/2010

Is there anything i can do for him, before he rips his ear off???

when he does he cries like he's in so much pain.

Chatty - posted on 03/08/2010

Starting to teeth would be my first guess?!! My daughter used to tug at her ear to soothe herself when she was tired?

Leigh - posted on 03/08/2010

he may be teething