Broken sleep and recurrent ear infections are common, exhausting, and almost always addressable.
“A child who isn't sleeping is a family that isn't sleeping. Fixing this is some of the highest-leverage work I do.”
Sleep issues and recurrent ear infections are two of the most common, and most exhausting, pediatric concerns. They're also often related: poor sleep stresses the immune system, and the inflammation behind ear infections often disrupts sleep.
Standard care has its tools: antibiotics for ear infections, sleep training, sometimes tubes. I work to reduce how often those tools are needed by addressing the underlying pattern.
Recurrent ear infections in kids almost always point upstream. We work the immune system, the gut, and the local picture together.
Iron, magnesium, melatonin rhythm, dairy reactions, even gentle gut imbalances can each fragment a child's sleep. They're each testable.
Dairy is the most common food driver of chronic ear inflammation and fluid in the middle ear. It's worth a short trial in children with recurrent infections.
Sleep history and pattern. Ferritin, magnesium, vitamin D. Dairy and food reactions. Gut function if there are symptoms. Melatonin rhythm and light exposure. Targeted supplements matched to your child's case. Gentle sleep hygiene support that's actually livable for families.
Immune work: vitamin D, zinc, elderberry, and others by case. Dairy trial where indicated. Gut support when the microbiome picture points to it. Xylitol nasal rinse for prevention in older kids. Herbal antimicrobials for early-stage infections. Coordination with your pediatrician for anything that warrants antibiotics or ENT referral.
I'm not anti-antibiotic. Sometimes infections need them. My goal is to reduce how often you're reaching for them and to support the immune system between rounds. Tubes are sometimes the right answer, naturopathic care and ENT care aren't in conflict.
Sleep changes often show in 2–4 weeks with the right inputs. Ear infection frequency usually takes a season or two to evaluate. Both are worth it.
Therapies I'd likely use
Two to three in a season, or recurrent every winter, warrants a closer look at the immune and gut picture. That's not inevitable, it's a pattern worth investigating.
In children with recurrent ear infections or fluid in the middle ear, a 3–4 week dairy trial is often worth doing. If it helps, you have your answer. If it doesn't, we move on.
Yes. Most children's supplements come in liquids or chewables, and I match the protocol to what's actually going to get taken. The basics, vitamin D drops, fish oil, are usually easier than parents expect.
I treat the totality of the person: body, mind, and spirit as one interconnected system. Naturopathic medicine gives me a wide toolbox: clinical nutrition, herbal medicine, acupuncture, IV therapy, somatic approaches, and more. I don't apply protocols; I look for the pattern underneath your symptoms and build care that fits your specific life.
