In this episode of the Here's to Your Health podcast, host Jill Melby interviews Dr. Elizabeth Ranniger, a pediatrician at Crawford County Memorial Hospital, to discuss ear infections in children.

Dr. Ranniger talks about how symptoms often vary by age. Younger children may be fussy, cry, tug at their ears, have a fever, have a decreased appetite, or have poor sleep. Older children are typically able to communicate specific ear pain.

While some mild infections resolve on their own, parents should consult a pediatrician if a child experiences severe pain, is woken up from sleep, or if symptoms persist and worsen over several days.

"Frequent" infections are defined as three or more in six months or four or more in a year. In these cases, ear tubes may be surgically inserted to drain fluid from behind the eardrum and preve ...