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Glue ear toddler - could Cranial Osteopath help?

28 replies

Bearlionfalcon · 01/10/2025 14:02

Just found out my 18 month old has significant glue ear. The paediatrician said they would now monitor for three months and if it doesn’t resolve on its own he may need grommets.
He said the glue is such that he probably hears like he has fingers in his ears all the time / like he is underwater. It must be so horrible for him. He isn’t speaking much - he loves books and nursery rhymes and tries to make lots of sounds and to repeat words I say but all his sounds come out wrong. He struggles and gets frustrated in noisy environments.
I’m desperate to try something that might help to drain the fluid and have been looking into cranial osteopathy. Has anyone had any experience with this helping with glue ear? I’ve emailed one who said she has seen good results but I don’t know if I’m being taken in by a snake oil cure because I’m desperate for something that will help him.
Any other tips on managing this or things that could help him would be very welcome. We are reducing background noise and stoping tv/ radio use around him and obviously trying to tap to get his attention before speaking to him and that sort of thing.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
LooseCanyon · 02/10/2025 22:33

LooseCanyon · 02/10/2025 22:24

I have actually EXPERIENCED it with my child, as I said. Grommets helped, I believe. No other nonsense was suggested to us.

And yes, DC had multiple appointments to check hearing, because glue ear comes and goes. In the end it was decided that grommets should be inserted.

MargaretThursday · 03/10/2025 18:15

Ds had bad glue ear. He started it at around 10 weeks old and continued until he was about 12/13yo, and still has some trouble as an adult.

What helped was grommets. He got his first at 20 months, then another at 3.5yo and another at 6yo.

All these "nose balloons" "give up dairy"... anything else that the internet says is a wonder cure, didn't work.
What they did say was that with glue ear, is that it can suddenly clear - in fact often does and never has a problem again. Unfortunately ds was one of the few who didn't do this.

minipie · 03/10/2025 21:13

I can see that massaging and gentle manipulation could help. Cranial osteopaths don’t massage or manipulate anything though - they put their hand on you and keep it still for a while. Apparently this does something 🤷‍♀️ my mum swears by it but I’ve tried it a few times and it did nowt.

Nose balloons are medically proven to help but only suitable from age 3.

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