Rina Risper

 

  This time of year, kids spend a lot of time in the water, which can lead to a painful condition called “swimmer’s ear” (otitis externa). This is a common summer infection of the external auditory canal, the portion of the ear that connects the outer ear (where the Q-tip goes, but really shouldn’t!) to the inner ear.

 

  I’ve always been a proponent of teaching children how to swallow a pill. In fact, I think I taught my boys this skill before they were 5 years old, mainly because I was tired of trying to find the measuring cup or syringe for the liquid medicine, which often didn’t go down “like spoon full of sugar,” even though we sang the song during dosing.