Watchful Waiting (CDC)

• As of 2023, the CDC recommends Watchful Waiting for Ear Infections
  • If your child is feeling better over the next 2-3 days, no further treatment should be needed
  • Call your healthcare professional right away if your child has any of the following:
    • Fever of 102.2°F (39°C) or higher
    • Fluid draining from the ear

Watchful Waiting (UPMC)

As of 2022, UPMC also recommends watchful waiting and has caveats about the side effects and antibiotic resistance accompanied by overuse of antibiotics:

If your child’s symptoms are severe or don’t improve in a couple of days, your doctor will want to examine your child and may prescribe an antibiotic.

Remember, an antibiotic will only work on a bacterial infection, not a viral one, and can cause side effects such as vomiting and diarrhea. Overprescribing antibiotics can also lead to antibiotic resistance. This is why your doctor won’t prescribe antibiotics unless they are necessary.

Wait-and-See as effective as Antibiotic

• Going all the way back to 2006, a study showed "wait-and-see" was as effective as antibioitics

  In this study, we found taking a wait-and-see approach is as safe, effective and quick as antibiotics in resolving most childhood ear infections.

Treatment

• Fluids
• Use warm compress (washcloth with warm water) on the ear for 20min. Reapply throughout the day
• Try to avoid using NSAIDs or Tylenol (basically any pain killer), as they will also reduce the bacteria-fighting fever and prolong the infection [citation needed].