1. Give the child pain-relieving tablet or liquid (acetaminophen or ibuprofen).
2. Your child's doctor can prescribe analgesic eardrops for pain.
3. Apply a cold pack or cold wet wash cloth to the outer ear for 20 minutes to reduce discomfort.
4. If the child is uncomfortable lying down, resting in an upright position may help reduce pressure in the middle ear.
Deanna hands Robin off to Michael before she can be tested on her medical incompetence. Michael looks panic-stricken to be dealing with crying Robin. He has mastered the unshaven zombie look.
Panel 2: In fact he is so uncomfortable with Robin, he leaps at the chance to hand him off to someone else, even if it is 3-year-old Meredith, who is now so advanced that even she realizes Robin is better off with her than her father.
Panel 3: Don’t get me started on this panel. A 3-year-old girl holding a baby on an unsteady chair with no parental supervision. Grrr!!! Michael is lucky Robin didn’t go crashing to the floor and cracking his head. I am almost too angry to point out Meredith’s cute furry slippers and Robin’s suddenly stunted growth arms.
Panel 4: Meredith suddenly grows a foot so her head that was resting near Robin’s shoulder in panel 3 is now above his head as she cries out for help from her daddy.
Panel 5: This is the joke for the day? Meredith has a low tolerance for rocking a crying brother? Maybe the joke is the hangdog expression on Mike’s face as he realizes that he has to take over. That would be a lot funnier, if it weren’t so pitiful. The angle on this strip shows exactly how precariously Robin is balanced on top of the now normal-sized Meredith and her little right hand getting ready to push Robin off. Unfortunately for Meredith, her father is so slumped over; his arm extends almost down to his knee. The only consistent drawing in today’s strip is Meredith’s model hair, perfectly tucked behind her ear in every panel. She’s looking hott! I sense a star in the making.