I agree that it's a pretty simple, safe, and common procedure. However, the New England Journal of Medicine, Jan 18, has a research article indicating there's no statistical difference in terms of hearing or speech development between kids who have the tubes placed, and those who don't. The indications are ear infections more frequent than 3 in 6 months. Also, most kids "outgrow" ear infections around 24 months as their anatomy changes. After 30 years in health care, I'm a minimalist when it comes to interventions!