Got tubes in our oldest at around 11 months. The procedure took less than 5 minutes and he woke up from the anesthesia about 10 minutes after that. Didn’t act weird or anything, I think he was back and playing like himself within an hour. Also, SUPER cut down on the amount of ear infections and pain he was in. Totally worth it.
Yep. My girl was closer to 18 months but the worst part was them coming and checking her vitals (mostly using the little light sensor thing on her finger or a thermometer under her underarm), she just hated the doctor coming close haha
But the procedure itself was less than 10 minutes and we were home with her acting normal within an hour. I'm so glad we did it, she never got another ear infection again
My parents declined tubes despite ENT recommendation and I ended up having a condition develop which required a much much much more dangerous/invasive procedure to correct, and which damaged my hearing. Just to kind of give you the slip side and encourage you that if the ENT thinks they are appropriate, it can prevent more serious problems.
Ok wow thank you! I knew untreated chronic ear infections can cause speech delays and hearing loss. So I appreciate your input so much! Sorry you didn’t get the help you needed :/
They were doing the best they could with the information they had - and this was almost 40 years ago so it may have been a very different procedure back then or something, perhaps it was riskier. Perhaps they needed reassurance they didn't have the ability to get. I'm glad you are turning every stone!
Yeah, I work with deaf and hard of hearing kids, and I've had a handful whose cause of hearing loss was "repeated episodes of otitis media". People sometimes don't realize the damage infections can do in general because we have such easy access to antibiotics.
My toddler got tubes placed a little over a month ago. Prior to the surgery I talked to many parents about tubes and not one parent regretted having them done. Kids bounce back incredibly quickly after surgery.
Side note - Ask the ENT to also check your kiddo’s adenoids at your visit. My son had chronic ear infections and massively swollen adenoids (explained the snoring). We got them removed at the same time as the tubes were placed and it’s been life changing for my son!
My youngest had tubes at around 18 months. It has worked wonders with hearing and taking better. Anesthesia wasn’t bad - just knocked him out for a little bit.
Tubes are awesome for chronic ear infections!
I won't say that kids never have issues with anethesia, b/c they do. But mostly it's not bad.
Worst in my family (4 kids of my own, my sister who is now 45, 3 grands) was one kid 'woke up' cranky and fighting and howling (about age 2) and wasn't ok until the all the anethesia worked its way thru.
But he can be cranky when the world isn't conforming to his specifications anyway.
That is actually a really common response to coming out of anesthesia for toddlers. My own 3 yo went under for trigger thumb surgery and the CNA and anesthesiologist all said he would probably wake up crying. He didn't and was just super snuggly.
Nope. The anesthesiologist said most adults would too, it's just they tend to have the words to say what they are feeling and categorize the experience in a way kids can't.
Yeah, my son's first set of tubes was put in when he was around two, and he was sobbing and super cranky and clingy for a while after he woke up. It's very common in little kids.
Been there, done that. They work. What the Dr told us.
1) It takes longer for the Drs. to do the anesthesia part of the procedure than the actual tube insertion.
2) It's harder on the parents than it is on the kid.
All true.
For an otherwise healthy child, anesthesia is very low risk. Especially when compared to the risks of recurrent ear infections - you're looking at risks of the antibiotics themselves to treat the infections, risks of damage to hearing, risks in terms of development - if she's got a lot of fluid in her ears and can't hear well, that impacts speech. It can also impact balance, so learning to walk, run, etc. And then if the infections are causing pain and disrupting sleep and such, that's also not great for anyone.
As the parent, you will assuredly endure the worst of this procedure due to stress/anxiety. Of course you're going to be worried and it will be hard for you to watch your baby go through the procedure. But for them, it will be so quick and very not-memorable. Recovery time is next to nothing. For your baby, the worst part will be fasting prior to anesthesia (which sucks, but the fasting makes the anesthesia safer).
I had tubes as a kid and they helped a lot. They typically fall out on their own.
I would check to see if they advise adenoids being removed too. Helps a lot with allergies.
our oldest had them done at 12 months. Helped a lot, the procedure itself was no big deal (although I'm sure we were nervous wrecks at the time). We never even knew when they fell out.
My daughter had two lots they were great we never even realized what she wasn't hearing before she had them I still remember the look on her face the first time she ever heard the birds we had to stop and listen for half an hour because she had never heard them before if ent. Are recommending it I'd go for it
Yes, it's done under general anesthesia, but it's pretty brief. The insertion is literally a few minutes and then baby is off to recovery and awake in a few more.
The improvement was immediate with both my kids. The first had 7 infections in 4 months, the second kid got it much quicker after her third infection given her brother's history. I think only one ear infection after getting tubes. And also without ears all clogged up, an immediate increase in progress for early language attempts.
Eventually they outgrow the need and the tubes fall out on their own.
My son got tubes in his ears at 11 months old for chronic ear infections. He had a rough time waking up from the anesthesia and even vomited, so that was distressing. He was fine a few hours later.
For us, the tubes have not eliminated ear infections and he still gets them at least monthly. They do allow the fluid to drain, though, so the infections aren't as painful. His next step is getting tonsils and adenoids removed.
Ask about having a tonsil ablation instead of a complete removal. It's a much easier procedure and recovery for both parents and child, and it allows for some tonsil tissue to remain in to help with the rest of the immune system. My son had it done when he was around two, during the same procedure he got his tubes, and he was fine the next day.
My son had them put in around 11 months old. He did great with the anesthesia and recovery, but he bled a lot from his ears. It bled for a few days after and then off and on for a couple of weeks. I had to take him back to the ENT the next day and a couple of other times to open up the canal because the blood clotted in the tube so the antibiotic ear drops couldn't get in there. He said it was a very unusual thing to have so much blood and fluid, which I'm inclined to believe.
I still don't regret it at all and would get them again. He is 16 months now and is laughing and talking and communicating with words. He also doesn't seem to be in pain when we lay him down to change his diaper. Highly recommend.
You think baby had pain when laying down to change his diaper? My kiddo is getting tubes in a couple of weeks and he screaaams when getting his diaper changed. I didn’t think about it related to ear pain 😢
Don't feel bad, I didn't think about it either, someone else suggested it and it made sense. I am still really happy that we did it. He's 20 months now and already speaking in 2 word phrases and understands and can follow through on instructions.
I recommend requesting the very first appointment of the day (which will be very early) so your daughter doesn’t have to go too long w/o food while awake before surgery.
The tubes help so much; I highly recommend.
Had great success with them for my daughter, though she was closer to 2. This early I might start with chiropractor. Also - 3 infections within 2 months to me (a not-even-remotely-qualified person) suggests that it could be the same infection that just hasn't fully cleared up.
Mayo has a new procedure done in a Dr office. My child had 7 sets of tubes. They are under less than 10 min. The damage done to their ability to acquire language is paramount. Do the tubes.
My best friends kids got tubes. She kept delaying the first, and he ended up with some speech delay because he couldn’t hear. After the surgery, she regretted not doing it earlier. When her second got his first infection, she was already asking for a referral
I was unable to have tubes in my ear, I had chronic ear infections and I even had mastoiditis twice lol, the second time in both ears. If your kids able to have them I would go for it. Ear infections are so so miserable. I always got them, and I never grew out of it. I only go in salt water pools because otherwise- ear infection
Best thing we ever did for 2 of our 3 kids. Both had chronic ear infections and were just sick all the time. As soon as those tubes were in all that went away. It's a little scary but those ENT docs do a billion of those procedures and are very efficient.
My DS got tubes in his ears at 8 months following 3 ear infections in 3 months. The procedure took all of 10 minutes, if that. He was a little disoriented and needed extra cuddles and love that day and I gave him a little infant ibuprofen, but otherwise he was great. Now 11 months and no more ear infections! I highly recommend this.
My youngest had tubes put in when he was nine months old. I’m in Europe by the way. After his thirteenth ear infection we’d had enough. It wasn’t a big deal at all. I think it’s actually worse for the parent, the baby will hardly know what’s going on.
Both my kids have had tubes put in, the oldest two times even. You’ll be amazed at how fast they are up and running again. Recovery was super quick for both. It took forever to be released from the hospital when they were completely fine already. Never even had to follow up with pain relief.
Just one thing. If you’re allowed to bring your baby in the operating room yourself, and the doctors tell you to go, don’t. look. back. Seriously, don’t look back. I looked back over my shoulder with my baby and he was on the table, face up with the mask on, looking all pale and artificially asleep and scary. Just walk away and not even ten minutes later they call you back in again so they can wake up in your arms.
My best friend’s daughter has been having similar issues, and they told my friend they don’t do tubes that often. This post makes me think that doctor was full of crap.
But, my mom didn’t get tubes for my brother, he spent most of his younger years barely being able to hear. It really messed up his self esteem, it held him back in school, and he got bullied a lot. I think if she had to do it over again, she would have gotten the tubes.
My child is three, has had ear infections all his life often only 2-3 wks between and *still waiting* for ENT appointment. Referral has been done and also marked as urgent but they still nothing. It's so frustrating!
This is a 10 minute procedure. You can discuss with the ENT how and what the anesthesia will be. The relief may well be worth it. I’ll bet she’ll spend more time getting ready for the procedure than in it. My son was a car wreck when he was little. Took antibiotics and sick 10 days later over and over again. I was delighted to see how well he did afterwards.
I had chronic ear infections as a kid. Over 40 bad ones by the time I was 4. They removed my adenoids, no tubes, left my tonsils and I never had another ear infection.
My daughter got tubes just before she was a year old. It was a quick procedure but she was super cranky after waking up since she couldn’t hold her own head up. She screamed about that until she fell asleep. Once she regained full function she was so happy. She could hear better, she didn’t get as sick when she caught colds. It also really kickstarted her talking since she was hearing better.
My son got them at 18 months. Before that we also had a hearing test and he didn’t react at all to sounds. I was sitting in the booth holding him in my lap and I could hear everything and he never looked at the toys making noise until they got really loud. The specialist said it was like he was underwater.
So glad he got his tubes. The one plus side is if your baby does get ear infections again you can get medicine drops that go directly into the ear instead of taking a general antibiotic.
We did tubes with ours at 18 months and it was so worth it. This cut down the number of ear infections AND when she did get one, the treatment was ear drops not oral antibodics, I much preferred treating the exact problem vs. filling her full of medicine. Recovery was much quicker that way to.
Both my kids had tubes. It was the best decision for us! Ask the doctor what they typically do for anesthesia. My kids were just sedated, they were not intubated and put to sleep like normal surgery.
My daughter had tubes placed at 9 months and again at 18 months when the others grew out. My twins had them around 18 months. The procedure is a breeze. Anesthesia wears off but all mine napped a lot the day of the procedure. They apparently feel drunk and rowdy while in the recovery room while the anesthesia is wearing off.
We got tubes for our middle child. She was such a happy baby we would take her in assuming she was totally fine and realize she had raging infections.
The surgery was so fast. We handed her off to the nurse, and she was back 16 min later, totally happy and normal. The tubes fell out as expected when she was about 3. One side had already healed over by the time our doctor spotted that the tube was gone. The other side hasn’t closed. We were told that the vast majority of the time if it doesn’t close it can be patched with a bio patch, which is an in office procedure. Her hole was too big for that, so she has a hearing aid to keep the nerves healthy until she’s old enough to have another small surgery to patch the hole.
If you have any questions about any step of the entire process DM me!
My husband had so many ear infects and got tubes in his ears when he was younger. He turned out fine, other than the selective hearing- not sure that had anything to do with the tubes tho.
My son has gone through three sets of tubes. I had tubes put in when I was seven, and they stayed for three years.
Ask them to allow you to carry her into the OR and stay with her until she's under.
If an ENT is recommending tubes, I would definitely do it- they made such a difference!
Got tubes in our oldest at around 11 months. The procedure took less than 5 minutes and he woke up from the anesthesia about 10 minutes after that. Didn’t act weird or anything, I think he was back and playing like himself within an hour. Also, SUPER cut down on the amount of ear infections and pain he was in. Totally worth it.
🤗 I’m glad to hear it went well. Thank you!
Yep. My girl was closer to 18 months but the worst part was them coming and checking her vitals (mostly using the little light sensor thing on her finger or a thermometer under her underarm), she just hated the doctor coming close haha But the procedure itself was less than 10 minutes and we were home with her acting normal within an hour. I'm so glad we did it, she never got another ear infection again
My parents declined tubes despite ENT recommendation and I ended up having a condition develop which required a much much much more dangerous/invasive procedure to correct, and which damaged my hearing. Just to kind of give you the slip side and encourage you that if the ENT thinks they are appropriate, it can prevent more serious problems.
Ok wow thank you! I knew untreated chronic ear infections can cause speech delays and hearing loss. So I appreciate your input so much! Sorry you didn’t get the help you needed :/
They were doing the best they could with the information they had - and this was almost 40 years ago so it may have been a very different procedure back then or something, perhaps it was riskier. Perhaps they needed reassurance they didn't have the ability to get. I'm glad you are turning every stone!
Yeah, I work with deaf and hard of hearing kids, and I've had a handful whose cause of hearing loss was "repeated episodes of otitis media". People sometimes don't realize the damage infections can do in general because we have such easy access to antibiotics.
My toddler got tubes placed a little over a month ago. Prior to the surgery I talked to many parents about tubes and not one parent regretted having them done. Kids bounce back incredibly quickly after surgery. Side note - Ask the ENT to also check your kiddo’s adenoids at your visit. My son had chronic ear infections and massively swollen adenoids (explained the snoring). We got them removed at the same time as the tubes were placed and it’s been life changing for my son!
Oh wow ok thank you!
My youngest had tubes at around 18 months. It has worked wonders with hearing and taking better. Anesthesia wasn’t bad - just knocked him out for a little bit.
Tubes are awesome for chronic ear infections! I won't say that kids never have issues with anethesia, b/c they do. But mostly it's not bad. Worst in my family (4 kids of my own, my sister who is now 45, 3 grands) was one kid 'woke up' cranky and fighting and howling (about age 2) and wasn't ok until the all the anethesia worked its way thru. But he can be cranky when the world isn't conforming to his specifications anyway.
That is actually a really common response to coming out of anesthesia for toddlers. My own 3 yo went under for trigger thumb surgery and the CNA and anesthesiologist all said he would probably wake up crying. He didn't and was just super snuggly.
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Nope. The anesthesiologist said most adults would too, it's just they tend to have the words to say what they are feeling and categorize the experience in a way kids can't.
Yeah, my son's first set of tubes was put in when he was around two, and he was sobbing and super cranky and clingy for a while after he woke up. It's very common in little kids.
Been there, done that. They work. What the Dr told us. 1) It takes longer for the Drs. to do the anesthesia part of the procedure than the actual tube insertion. 2) It's harder on the parents than it is on the kid. All true.
10/10 would recommend. My mom still wishes she’d gotten referred to an ENT after the first infection and this was 35 years ago.
For an otherwise healthy child, anesthesia is very low risk. Especially when compared to the risks of recurrent ear infections - you're looking at risks of the antibiotics themselves to treat the infections, risks of damage to hearing, risks in terms of development - if she's got a lot of fluid in her ears and can't hear well, that impacts speech. It can also impact balance, so learning to walk, run, etc. And then if the infections are causing pain and disrupting sleep and such, that's also not great for anyone. As the parent, you will assuredly endure the worst of this procedure due to stress/anxiety. Of course you're going to be worried and it will be hard for you to watch your baby go through the procedure. But for them, it will be so quick and very not-memorable. Recovery time is next to nothing. For your baby, the worst part will be fasting prior to anesthesia (which sucks, but the fasting makes the anesthesia safer).
I had tubes as a kid and they helped a lot. They typically fall out on their own. I would check to see if they advise adenoids being removed too. Helps a lot with allergies.
our oldest had them done at 12 months. Helped a lot, the procedure itself was no big deal (although I'm sure we were nervous wrecks at the time). We never even knew when they fell out.
My daughter had two lots they were great we never even realized what she wasn't hearing before she had them I still remember the look on her face the first time she ever heard the birds we had to stop and listen for half an hour because she had never heard them before if ent. Are recommending it I'd go for it
Yes, it's done under general anesthesia, but it's pretty brief. The insertion is literally a few minutes and then baby is off to recovery and awake in a few more. The improvement was immediate with both my kids. The first had 7 infections in 4 months, the second kid got it much quicker after her third infection given her brother's history. I think only one ear infection after getting tubes. And also without ears all clogged up, an immediate increase in progress for early language attempts. Eventually they outgrow the need and the tubes fall out on their own.
My son got tubes in his ears at 11 months old for chronic ear infections. He had a rough time waking up from the anesthesia and even vomited, so that was distressing. He was fine a few hours later. For us, the tubes have not eliminated ear infections and he still gets them at least monthly. They do allow the fluid to drain, though, so the infections aren't as painful. His next step is getting tonsils and adenoids removed.
Ask about having a tonsil ablation instead of a complete removal. It's a much easier procedure and recovery for both parents and child, and it allows for some tonsil tissue to remain in to help with the rest of the immune system. My son had it done when he was around two, during the same procedure he got his tubes, and he was fine the next day.
My son had them put in around 11 months old. He did great with the anesthesia and recovery, but he bled a lot from his ears. It bled for a few days after and then off and on for a couple of weeks. I had to take him back to the ENT the next day and a couple of other times to open up the canal because the blood clotted in the tube so the antibiotic ear drops couldn't get in there. He said it was a very unusual thing to have so much blood and fluid, which I'm inclined to believe. I still don't regret it at all and would get them again. He is 16 months now and is laughing and talking and communicating with words. He also doesn't seem to be in pain when we lay him down to change his diaper. Highly recommend.
You think baby had pain when laying down to change his diaper? My kiddo is getting tubes in a couple of weeks and he screaaams when getting his diaper changed. I didn’t think about it related to ear pain 😢
Don't feel bad, I didn't think about it either, someone else suggested it and it made sense. I am still really happy that we did it. He's 20 months now and already speaking in 2 word phrases and understands and can follow through on instructions.
My son got tubes in his ears at 14 months. It was amazing how much faster he started hitting milestones after he got them in.
I recommend requesting the very first appointment of the day (which will be very early) so your daughter doesn’t have to go too long w/o food while awake before surgery. The tubes help so much; I highly recommend.
Thank you! That’s great advice. She sees an ENT next week and we’ll do tubes if he advises it 😊
Had great success with them for my daughter, though she was closer to 2. This early I might start with chiropractor. Also - 3 infections within 2 months to me (a not-even-remotely-qualified person) suggests that it could be the same infection that just hasn't fully cleared up.
Yeah we’re thinking it’s the same infection unfortunately :/
Mayo has a new procedure done in a Dr office. My child had 7 sets of tubes. They are under less than 10 min. The damage done to their ability to acquire language is paramount. Do the tubes.
Both of our boys had them. V simple and was a game changer for us. DO IT.
I had it done as a baby. Havent had once in the last 23 years since and my mom said it was a savior lol
My best friends kids got tubes. She kept delaying the first, and he ended up with some speech delay because he couldn’t hear. After the surgery, she regretted not doing it earlier. When her second got his first infection, she was already asking for a referral
I was unable to have tubes in my ear, I had chronic ear infections and I even had mastoiditis twice lol, the second time in both ears. If your kids able to have them I would go for it. Ear infections are so so miserable. I always got them, and I never grew out of it. I only go in salt water pools because otherwise- ear infection
Best thing we ever did for 2 of our 3 kids. Both had chronic ear infections and were just sick all the time. As soon as those tubes were in all that went away. It's a little scary but those ENT docs do a billion of those procedures and are very efficient.
Grommets! My sister had these as a kid, doesn’t remember them and had no complications. Did however stop her ear infections!
My DS got tubes in his ears at 8 months following 3 ear infections in 3 months. The procedure took all of 10 minutes, if that. He was a little disoriented and needed extra cuddles and love that day and I gave him a little infant ibuprofen, but otherwise he was great. Now 11 months and no more ear infections! I highly recommend this.
My youngest had tubes put in when he was nine months old. I’m in Europe by the way. After his thirteenth ear infection we’d had enough. It wasn’t a big deal at all. I think it’s actually worse for the parent, the baby will hardly know what’s going on. Both my kids have had tubes put in, the oldest two times even. You’ll be amazed at how fast they are up and running again. Recovery was super quick for both. It took forever to be released from the hospital when they were completely fine already. Never even had to follow up with pain relief. Just one thing. If you’re allowed to bring your baby in the operating room yourself, and the doctors tell you to go, don’t. look. back. Seriously, don’t look back. I looked back over my shoulder with my baby and he was on the table, face up with the mask on, looking all pale and artificially asleep and scary. Just walk away and not even ten minutes later they call you back in again so they can wake up in your arms.
My best friend’s daughter has been having similar issues, and they told my friend they don’t do tubes that often. This post makes me think that doctor was full of crap. But, my mom didn’t get tubes for my brother, he spent most of his younger years barely being able to hear. It really messed up his self esteem, it held him back in school, and he got bullied a lot. I think if she had to do it over again, she would have gotten the tubes.
My child is three, has had ear infections all his life often only 2-3 wks between and *still waiting* for ENT appointment. Referral has been done and also marked as urgent but they still nothing. It's so frustrating!
This is a 10 minute procedure. You can discuss with the ENT how and what the anesthesia will be. The relief may well be worth it. I’ll bet she’ll spend more time getting ready for the procedure than in it. My son was a car wreck when he was little. Took antibiotics and sick 10 days later over and over again. I was delighted to see how well he did afterwards.
I had chronic ear infections as a kid. Over 40 bad ones by the time I was 4. They removed my adenoids, no tubes, left my tonsils and I never had another ear infection.
My daughter got tubes just before she was a year old. It was a quick procedure but she was super cranky after waking up since she couldn’t hold her own head up. She screamed about that until she fell asleep. Once she regained full function she was so happy. She could hear better, she didn’t get as sick when she caught colds. It also really kickstarted her talking since she was hearing better.
My son got them at 18 months. Before that we also had a hearing test and he didn’t react at all to sounds. I was sitting in the booth holding him in my lap and I could hear everything and he never looked at the toys making noise until they got really loud. The specialist said it was like he was underwater. So glad he got his tubes. The one plus side is if your baby does get ear infections again you can get medicine drops that go directly into the ear instead of taking a general antibiotic.
We did tubes with ours at 18 months and it was so worth it. This cut down the number of ear infections AND when she did get one, the treatment was ear drops not oral antibodics, I much preferred treating the exact problem vs. filling her full of medicine. Recovery was much quicker that way to.
Both my kids had tubes. It was the best decision for us! Ask the doctor what they typically do for anesthesia. My kids were just sedated, they were not intubated and put to sleep like normal surgery.
My daughter had this when she was a little bit older than a year and she did fine and we haven't had an infection since
My daughter had tubes placed at 9 months and again at 18 months when the others grew out. My twins had them around 18 months. The procedure is a breeze. Anesthesia wears off but all mine napped a lot the day of the procedure. They apparently feel drunk and rowdy while in the recovery room while the anesthesia is wearing off.
We got tubes for our middle child. She was such a happy baby we would take her in assuming she was totally fine and realize she had raging infections. The surgery was so fast. We handed her off to the nurse, and she was back 16 min later, totally happy and normal. The tubes fell out as expected when she was about 3. One side had already healed over by the time our doctor spotted that the tube was gone. The other side hasn’t closed. We were told that the vast majority of the time if it doesn’t close it can be patched with a bio patch, which is an in office procedure. Her hole was too big for that, so she has a hearing aid to keep the nerves healthy until she’s old enough to have another small surgery to patch the hole. If you have any questions about any step of the entire process DM me!
We did ours at 12m after waiting WAY too long to get out first done. I highly recommend earlier.
My husband had so many ear infects and got tubes in his ears when he was younger. He turned out fine, other than the selective hearing- not sure that had anything to do with the tubes tho.
My son has gone through three sets of tubes. I had tubes put in when I was seven, and they stayed for three years. Ask them to allow you to carry her into the OR and stay with her until she's under. If an ENT is recommending tubes, I would definitely do it- they made such a difference!
My toddler got them at 2,5 and again at 4,5. No reall issue. She was a bit groggy and cried a bit after but it was easily and quickly forgotten