We’ve all had a bad earache at some point, so we all know just how horrific it can feel.

It might only be a twinge in your ear, but when it’s happening to you, it can feel as dramatic as if the world is ending at that moment.

Most likely, over your years of having parents, then being a parent, you’ve collected your own earache remedies.

Antibiotic ear drops can be pretty effective, though they often take a few days to work. For instant relief, a mild antiseptic like coconut oil can work well, but only for less aggressive earaches.

If your child is dealing with a particularly painful earache, you should arrange to see your doctor as soon as possible.

But in the meantime, if you’re looking for effective relief, you need to know about this mom’s hack.

Echo Featherstone, a Canadian mom blogger, is pretty popular in the online mom community.

In her bio, Echo says that she “writes uncomplicated, honest truths about herself and her life in the hopes that someone will find comfort in her words when they can’t find them themselves”.

She shares pretty much every aspect of motherhood – including the not-so-good times.

So when Echo’s little boy had an earache, she was keen to share with her followers the best way to deal with the problem.

It’s never nice seeing your little one in pain, especially if you’re not well-prepared to deal with it. A nightime earache is particularly difficult to deal with, as it can take at least 30 minutes for pain meds to kick in.

But Echo has a secret solution – and she’s kindly shared it with the world.

In a viral Facebook post, she began:

“What I’m about to share with you, is a coveted family secret given to my mom from aunt Mer. Because as a child/ teen and now adult.. with ears prone to infections and broken eardrums.. I use this all the time.”

The photo that accompanies the post shows Echo holding a mug against her son’s ear. It looks a little random, and if you haven’t heard of this hack before, you’re probably wondering what on earth she’s doing.

But this is, according to Echo, “the handiest trick you’ll learn”.

Here’s what you need to do, in Echo’s words:

1. Take a facecloth and heat it up in water that’s as hot as your hands can stand, then wring the water out.

3. Place the mug in the microwave for 20 seconds until the cup is warm and the cloth is burning hot.

4. Place the open end of the mug on your child’s head, around the ear- being careful the hot cloth does not touch your child’s ear.

Echo says that the pressure from the mug can help to relieve the pressure built up in the ear, lessening the child’s pain almost instantly. She finishes the post:

“VOILA- back to sleep and calmed /not crying.. and then the pain meds will kick in. 😍 you are welcome.”

The post was made almost three years ago, but people are still tagging their friends in the comments today.

Lots of commenters agreed that this trick worked best for them throughout their childhood, so it’s worth trying out if you’ve never done so before.

Equally, you might have your own earache trick that you think works even better than this. If you do, consider sharing yours too!

Scroll down to check out Echo’s video explanation of the mug trick.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Article Sources:

Echo Featherstone/ Facebook

Echo Featherstone/ Facebook

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By Laura Shallcross

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Laura Shallcross is a contributor at SBLY Media.