Does my baby have an ear infection?

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Dd is 5 months and has been pulling and scratching at her ear loads lately especially over the last week. Also quite fussy and not sleeping well. No sign of teeth. Is it possibly an ear infection? NHS advise online says most ear infections will go after a few days but this has been happening for DD for nearly a week.

Any other symptoms? Temperature? Has she had a cold recently, we normally found that ear infections followed a cold but there were always clear symptoms like a temp and being generally ratty and off colour.
If you’re not sure then no GP would mind checking over a baby that age

Thank you definitelyshouldknowbetter. No other symptoms, she’s had quite a bit of snot lately which I reckoned was hay fever but perhaps is/was a cold? She also has a bit of eczema on the face, might be hitting at ear trying to scratch?

My DD had an ear infection with no obvious signs such as ear pulling or anything draining out of the ear/s. She was extremely cranky/fussy, off food and sleeping badly. We thought it was teething but when we took her to the gp she could tell it was an ear infection right away. Took 2 rounds of week long antibiotics to clear it up. I would take her to Gp to get her ears looked it.

Also - she did not have a temperature.

I'd check it with a gp as might be infecction or might be glue ear

I believe current advice is, unless lasting more than a few weeks, even if an infection, no need to consult a doctor and almost certainly will resolve on its own as likely to be viral. I would just keep a close eye.l

Sorry, just checked NHS website which said should resolve in a few days. It said if still having problems with hearing etc after a few weeks, then consult a doctor. Which isn’t quite what I said. Either way, without other symptoms, I would be taking a wait and see approach.

Thank you all. I will try to book with the GP.

Msfoxy17, how old is your baby? Poor mite, two weeks. Glad you’ve got it sorted. Mine also has poor sleep, up every 90 minutes, usually such a good sleeper

At that age I always found you’re constantly second guessing yourself, is it teething, is it something else?!! You can drive yourself mad, if you know she’s not right then to put your mind at rest a trip to the GP is worth a visit to get her checked over, or if you don’t want to make an appointment then does your health visiting service offer s drop in clinic, ours did and as it was in the surgery there was always a GP on hand at the drop in clinic.
My youngest has had numerous ear infections and perforated ear drum twice, we got abx for the perforations as standard but I don’t think ear infections are routinely treated with abx and are more of a watch and see

Yes, definitelyshouldknowbetter, that’s exactly it-second guessing. She’s just been up for a feed and banging away again on the ear so I reckon I’ll try to book with the GP to have a look. Better to have it checked as she seems so uncomfortable, even if no medication can be give . Thank you

She was 15 months at the time.
Hope it clears up soon, with or without antibiotics. It must be pretty uncomfortable for them!

Mine had many ear infections. Typically, they started with pulling at their ears, often, with no other symptoms.

Thank you, yes she seems uncomfortable. And she’s really such a chilled and happy baby usually, really doesn’t seem like herself. I thought perhaps it was a growth spurt or wonder leap fussing and nursing constantly butbniwnwith the ear pulling perhaps it’s an infection, poor girl.

I have a few friends who are GPs and they always say that they never mind seeing babies as they don't expect new parents to be able to diagnose something when they child can't talk and is developing so rapidly that they don't really have a "normal" behaviour to compare against.

Thank you, this is quite reassuring. Feel we’ve been round to see the GP almost every week! Though to be fair, there is always something that they find