how do you know if the baby has an ear infection?

My DS has a small scratch behind his ear and one inside too. He also scratches his face a lot (I try to cut and file his nails all the time). Lately when he gets upset he will tug at that ear but not every single time. He does have a stuffy nose but other than that he has been fine. No fever, nothing unusual...?

Re: how do you know if the baby has an ear infection?

Ear infections usually appear right after a cold - whenever Alex had one, she would get particularly fussy, and usually at night, because laying down seems to exacerbate the pain in the ear. She also seemed to have trouble eating, and had interrupted sleep. It's also sometimes associated with a fever. If there's any doubt, I usually bring her to the Ped just to get checked

Re: how do you know if the baby has an ear infection?

In my own experience the answer is..

You don't.


She has gotten them after a cold
On their own
With crankiness/without
With fevers/without
With ear pulling/without

Any combination of the above.

Re: how do you know if the baby has an ear infection?