Normal bone growth OR ear infection?
Today I went with my daughter and granddaughter (aged 9-months) to their chiropractor appointment to watch the baby while my daughter gets her adjustment. My daughter and her baby see Dr. Lydia once a month for maintenance, and after the work on my granddaughter was finished, we three were chatting.
My daughter was talking about how her 9-month old baby has a day occasionally where she is pulling at her ears and/or scratching the back of her head.
Dr. Lydia said that the reason for a baby to do that is because her skull bones are growing. She told us that this pulling and scratching is a common response to the sensations of normal bone growth as the jaw grows, fascia are stretched, and the teeth emerge. She. talked about babies who are taken to the pediatrician because parents assume that these behaviors mean an ear infection. Pediatricians look in the ears and see signs of inflammation (redness and swelling) because the baby has been pulling at their ears. They then diagnose an infection, and prescribe antibiotics.
Since the sensations in the lower face reappear as the baby grows, the pediatrician keeps treating the baby for recurrent ear infections by prescribing more antibiotics.
Dr. Lydia said this is terribly common in babies under 2.
Why don’t pediatricians know this?
Moral: if your baby is pulling at their ears, go see a chiropractor.
