baby manically scratching ears...

[moodlesoup]

my DD1 15month old has been scratching her ears for about a month now.
we put it down to molars coming through at the back as other babies we know at the same age have seemed to do the same.

she's scratching in her ear when she's awake hard enough to form scabs, and then in her sleep she's scratching away at her ears and head.

she doesn't seem to be teething when she does it, so i'm worried i've ignored an ear infection or something...

does anyone have any ideas on what it could be?
thanks,

Are you using fabric softner when you wash her bedding? she could be allergic to it and it is irritating her ears.

firstly I guess I would rule out things like washing powder/softner/shampoo/baby wash , DS does this but only when tired and not enough to form scabs so not the same reason.

ear infec?

Could it be eczema? My ds did this for a while before I connected the two..

In the meantime, keep her nails short, and if she is injuring her ears, you could sew socks onto the cuffs of her PJs/sleepsuit.

thanks for the tips. don't think its washing powders, nothing has changed lately. she's stopped doing it so vigorously in the past couple of days, and she seems to have stopped teething too, so maybe they are connected. teething is starting to make me question my judgement of everything! don't think its eczema... but will keep an open mind and an eye on it.
the trick is trying to cut her nails, its a forth bridge job, can't believe how hard and how often you have to trim them!

thanks again.

Ear infection.

went to the doctor and there's no sign of ear infection, thank goodness, but no idea of what it is that's bugging her. she's still doing it, so the doctor has prescribed canesten to rub on and around her ears. very strange.... thanks again!

hello - a month on it turns out that those symptoms were the very early signs of ezcema. so thanks to naturopath - you were a better diagnoser than our doctor!

she's since developed full body ezcema and we're now dosed up on epaderm and hydrocortisone... horrible.

are there any natural remedies anyone can recommend for ezcema. some one has given me some ground seaweed, but i'm not sure whether its ok to apply to a baby?

filter your water for chlorine; there are filters for the tub/shower. keep the temperature temperate and not too hot. there are several other posts with all kinds of tips too. hth.

ps - there are pj's with hand mits already on them. someone posted the link on one of the other threads; may help.