Pedemy · For parents
Ear infections — notes
Note the pattern below and bring your questions and current medicines to the visit. This record does not diagnose or choose treatment.
Use these notes with your child’s clinician. This tool does not diagnose illness, prescribe treatment or confirm that home care is safe.
Emergency help now
Call local emergency services for severe breathing difficulty, blue/gray lips, collapse, a seizure with failure to recover, or a child who is very difficult to wake. Do not delay to complete this tool.
Contact a healthcare professional
Seek urgent care for swelling or redness behind the ear, an ear pushed outward, severe illness or a stiff neck. Contact the clinician for worsening symptoms, no improvement after 48–72 hours, or persistent hearing concerns. A baby younger than 3 months with a temperature of 38°C (100.4°F) or higher needs urgent medical assessment, even if they look well. Do not delay assessment to try medicine or complete a diary.
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Care reminders
- Ear pain often follows a cold. Pulling an ear alone cannot diagnose infection: a clinician needs to examine the eardrum. Fluid remaining after an infection is not always a new infection.
- Ask about pain relief appropriate for age and weight. Some children can be observed for 48–72 hours with a clinician’s follow-up plan; others need antibiotics. Do not start leftover antibiotics or put objects in the ear.
- Seek urgent care for swelling or redness behind the ear, an ear pushed outward, severe illness or a stiff neck. Contact the clinician for worsening symptoms, no improvement after 48–72 hours, or persistent hearing concerns.