Three months is the typical age of a "nursing strike".  Also typical is
a baby who will breastfeed fine at night, when he is sleepy or if the
mother walks around with him.  It is also typical in the situation where
the mother has tons of milk. The baby is obviously hungry, but refuses
to take the breast when fully awake.  Mothers who are using pacifiers
can sometimes get the baby to calm down with the pacifiers and get the
baby to take the breast.

Interestingly the baby usually continues to gain weight very well, even
though he only nurses a few times a day (sometimes only 3 or 4 times).

My approach is to reassure the mother that this usually gets better
spontaneously (though it may take a couple of weeks).  As long as the
baby is nursing well a few times a day, there is no need to do anything
except watch his urine output and his weight.  Even if the weight gain
slows, there is no need to panic.  It is also important not to try to
force the baby to take the breast--which is futile in any case.

The rationale for ear drops seems more mystical than rational here.

Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC