Poor baby, I'm sorry to hear he's having trouble with ear infections. My son had trouble too (he's 22 now). He got one ear infection after another, and I took him to an ENT. He told me he needed to have his tonsils out and have tubes put in his ears. When I started to ask questions, he said he didn't have time for questions, he was running behind. So, I got a second opinion. The second ENT put him on antibiotics for 10 days, and my son's ear infection cleared up. Then, he took his tonsils out, but no tubes. He was 3 at the time, and he did very well with the surgery. Had surgery in the morning, and went home that evening. He never had another ear infection after that.
If you're concerned about the tubes, try a second opinion. But, these days they aren't a big deal. They have improved over the years.