...and there are ways to prevent it! Children go under general anesthesia more often for ear tubes than any other reason. A study in the August 1999 Pediatric News ( 33(6):15, 1999) found that the two most important risk factors for needing surgery were exposure to tobacco smoke and attendance at daycare. Lack of breastfeeding was number three. Is your child plagued by ear infections? Avoid smoke, and keep the daycare group size at 6 or fewer children, especially during the fall and winter months. There are a number of other simple measures to reduce ear infections for most children.