Tubes in My Baby's Ears

My son had his first set in at 15 months and it was simple. He was gone about 10 mins total - and when he came out of the anesthesia he was a little out of it - but that was short lived. He acted completely normal once we got home. He was given some tubes from the doctors office that we used for bathtubs and swimming, but they didn't work so great all the time in the pool (they kept falling out). When he got older, we used those putty type ones that you can get at walgreens for the pools - and they worked a lot better. One Step Ahead (online catalog) has a band I saw not too long ago that I wish they had when my son was little to help keep the plugs in and water out. My son had two sets in - and both times - we had no issues at all. He just got his out after 4 years and is doing wonderful. It's amazing what a difference the tubes make.

Both of my children went through tube & adenoid surgery. My son was 12 months and my daughter was 3 years. Both were a little disoriented coming out of anesthesia - not pain, just hard to console & whiny. That didn't last very long. The recovery was minimal.
As for ear plugs - you might want to double check. Our ENT said we only needed them if we were swimming in the ocean or going 3 feet or more underwater. The bath tub was fine. I only say double check because if you can avoid them, it's one less thing to hassle with :>)
Good Luck! They did make ALL the difference with both children, my son went 3 years with the tubes and not ONE infection! :>)

This procedure was easy for my son, who was 10 months old at the time.
We waited for him to be taken in (this was the hard part).
He went in with the surgeon. Not more than 15 minutes later, the surgeon came out and told us it went well and he was recovering. About 20 minutes later, they came to tell us he woke up and we could come back. He was crying on the table (what baby wouldn't, waking up to strangers looking at you). We were still nursing, so I fed him right away, and this calmed him right down and he was fine within a few minutes. And that was it. We did the antibiotic drops in his ears. And, over the next winter, he had a few cases of ear infections after colds (goop coming out of his ear). But this was so easy to treat - no forcing down antibiotics, just put in the ear drops for a week, and it was gone.

Our ENT told us not to worry about earplugs if there was just splashing. But if your little one likes to dunk his head under the water, then you need them. Our doctor fitted us for these earplugs in his office (http://proplugs.com/), and we purchased more online when we lost them in the pool.

I was nervous too, and was worried about having it done. But it was so easy, and those tubes stayed in through two winter seasons and made him feel so much better.

My son was running around , the afternoon of his surgery( surgery, was 10 am). He tugged at his ears a little for a couple days after but that was it. As for the ear plugs, his ENT doc said they're not needed & we haven't any problems & he swims a lot.

That must be so hard! One of my littles had to have surgery for something different, but it was so difficult for me. He did great though.

Have you considered taking him to see a chiropractor before going this route. It could be something as simple as his neck being out. It his top vertebrate is out, it will block the proper drainage of his ears, causing a pooling of fluid and continual infections. A simple adjustment could make the world of difference for him, and no surgery. If it were me, I would at least look at that option first.

My son had them when he was three. It was a very simple procedure and he was fine and running around as soon as he woke up. The nurses gave him a popsicle, and that was his favorite part. He wore earplugs in the bath and the pool for the next few years. I had custom ear plugs made by an audiologist because he was very active in the water (head under water, jumping and diving into the pool etc) and all the other plugs fell out. It was expensive, but it was covered by our medical, and they never fell out.

Our daughter did great, my husband had to have his mom there and he was given a Valium. They both survived.

Awww hugs!

My little man had tubes put in at 3.5. I also had tonsils and adenoids out in the same procedure. I tried to let him grow out of the ear infections, but it just didn't happen. I wish I would have done it sooner.

Mine also has respritory issues. They will give him a breathing treatment before the procedure as well as some 'happy juice'. It's some kind of liquid that's about the same thing as xanax or ativan for a baby. It's safe. I'm one of those people that research everything, a little too much.

For mine, coming out of the anesthesia was horrible. They are disorriented and you can't really console them all that well. He screamed and cried. But it wasn't due to pain.

I laid him down for a nap once I got him home, . Whenever he woke up a couple hours later, I swear, it was like nothing happened. My child is dramatic too :) He never said it hurt, he didn't cry. His energy level was the same. I could not tell that just a few hours before he had been through surgery.

And it stayed that way. People say the following days can begin to show signs of pain or irritation. It didn't happen. And many of the people I discussed it with had the same experiences.

Relax and dont worry. It will be worth it in the long run for him not to have infections anymore.

Oh and also, some are against it, but I didn't want mine in pain. I gave him the liquid loratab that they prescribed. I did the first day and half of the second, just to make sure. It's always your choice, of course.

Good luck and prayers!

Both of my kids had it done by 2 different ENTs. They both said no ear plugs unless you are swimming in a lake.

It literally takes 20 minutes, you then wait until they wake up and get oriented. And honestly both were fine by the time we got home. You hve to put in drops for 5 days after and I think they sting the first day. I gave both baby Tylenol for a day.

Both times it was the best for them. No more ear infections, speech improved immediately , sleep improves immediately.

My little guy got tubes the day after his 1st birthday. He is now 2 1/2 & only has had 1 ear infection since getting the tubes. His recovery was pretty good. He was cranky & crabby waking up from surgery (normal!). By that same afternoon he was back to his normal self. We didn't have to do any ear plugs with him since his surgery was in the winter & we were not going to be spending time in a swimming pool but if your ENT recommend them then I would take their advice.
For me waiting was the hardest part. It was the longest 10 minutes of my life. I'm glad we made the decision to do the surgery though. My prayers are with you & your family

Try chiropractic first! I've seen it firsthand help several kids with these issues.