Other signs include a child who has numerous of colds and ear infections; a child who speaks overly loudly; frequently asks for words or phrases to be repeated and who does not understand someone unless the person is facing him or her. (Hearing Health for Children) While ear infection is usually treated with prescription antibiotics, many physicians state that use of these media is not a good idea at an early age. As one experts states, "Contrary to common practice, most children with ear infections should not be treated with antibiotics..." (DrGreene Content:

Revolution in Ear Infection Treatment). These findings refer to guidelines released by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians in 2004, which state that, "...currently in the United States there are more than 10 million antibiotic prescriptions for the 5 million ear infections diagnosed in children each year - about half of all the antibiotic prescriptions in young children are for ear infections" (DrGreene Content:

Revolution in Ear Infection Treatment). These findings indicate that an over- prescription of antibiotics in early life can result in future infections becoming harder to treat as the viruses and bacteria become immune to medication.

Prevention is always better then cure and there are a wide range of actions and preventative measures that can be taken by the parent to prevent hearing problems in preschoolers. One of the most obvious and important measures is to preventing a child from inserting objects into their ears. Experts also state that as a young child's ears are extremely delicate it is not a good idea for the parent to insert something like a cotton swap into the ear in an attempt to clean it. There is always the danger of damaging the eardrum at such an early age.

Many doctors suggest that the parent should leave the ear to clean itself. (How to Clean Your Preschooler's Ears) However, this may not be the best solution in some cases an alternative solution is to use an Ear Wax removal System. This can be bought at most drug stores but the use of such a system...

Cleaning of the outer area and inner edges of the ear can be facilitated to a certain extent with a damp cloth over a parent's finger - extreme care however should be taken in this process.
When the most commonly given advice is to let the ear of the child " clean itself," in case of recurrent and chronic ear infections medical steps are necessary. Besides antibiotics, which are a generally to be avoided, another method of dealing with ear infections is through the prescribed use of tympanostomy tubes. These are very small tubes that are implanted in the middle ear. This is aimed at decreasing the possibly of infections in the future and to drain middle ear fluid.

However, as the ears are such important and sensitive organs, the usual recommendation is to use common sense in the prevention of ear problems. For example, young children should avoid getting water in their ears from swimming or bathing and the use of simple devices such as earplugs may prevent later problems. Another example is that the accumulation of earwax can also be loosened with the assistance of warm olive oil that can be applied to the ear. Preventative measure which are applied and maintained on a regular basis to are essential when one considers the importance of the to the child's overall development.