Your child has a fever, swollen glands and glazed eyes. Y'all rush him to the pediatrician, eager for the magic medication that will help him feel better. Whether or non your dr. prescribes antibiotics will depend on the issues that's making your little ane sick.

Antibiotics are effective for treating bacterial infections. They're essential for some — but not all — cases of ear infections, strep throat and bacterial sinusitis.

The majority of childhood illnesses, however, are acquired by viruses, which ways they can't be treated by antibiotics. Using antibiotics to treat a viral infection is problematic: It wipes out good for you leaner in the body and tin can pb to antibody resistance.

Here'due south what you need to know about when antibiotics are warranted, and when information technology's ameliorate to avoid them.

Can babies and toddlers take antibiotics?

Yes, babies and toddlers can and should take antibiotics to treat a bacterial infection, such as a urinary tract infection or bacterial sinusitis.

If your doctor diagnoses 1 of these weather condition, information technology'due south of import for your child to take the total form of antibiotics as prescribed to ensure you become rid of all of the bacteria making her sick.

Why overuse of antibiotics in babies and children can be dangerous

Antibiotics are non necessary for every illness. Giving them to your child when they aren't warranted can exist potentially harmful, with some research suggesting it may be especially problematic during the first yr or two of life.

Many potential risks of antibiotics are idea to be linked to disturbing the remainder of bacteria in the microbiome (i.e. the salubrious bacteria, fungi and viruses in our bodies, most of which live in our gut). The microbiome has a number of important functions, including defending against bad bugs and supporting immune system office. Changes in the gut microbiome have been linked to increased chance of infections, autoimmune diseases and chronic inflammation.

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Overuse of unnecessary antibiotics:

  • Exposes your child to the drug'due south potential side effects (like diarrhea and thrush) as well as to a potentially serious allergic reaction.
  • Has been linked to an increased chance of weather involving immune system functioning, including inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, diabetes and babyhood asthma. More inquiry needs to be done to empathise the potential connection.
  • Over time, antibiotic overuse increases a bacteria'southward resistance to antibiotics, so that the same antibiotic may eventually not work on the same infection.
  • Contributes to the overuse of antibiotics in the community, which tin lead to the growth of new bacteria strains (sometimes called superbugs) that are resistant to antibiotics birthday. As more than bacteria have grown stronger and go allowed to treatment in communities across the land, this has become a major public-health trouble.

When do babies and toddlers need antibiotics?

Your doctor will prescribe antibiotics if he or she suspects a bacterial infection is the cause for your baby or toddler'due south symptoms. The post-obit illnesses may warrant a course of antibiotics for children:

  • Strep throat
  • Bacterial sinusitis
  • Bacterial pneumonia
  • Some types of ear infections (more beneath)
  • Impetigo
  • Bacterial skin infections
  • Urinary tract and bladder infections

Some of your child's symptoms may or may non require antibiotics depending on the disease causing them (one more reason to run across your child'southward pediatrician to go a proper diagnosis). Here are a few of those potentially grey-surface area symptoms:

Fever

The vast majority of all fevers in young kids are triggered by viral infections like the flu or a cold, which do not require antibiotics. Fevers are office of the trunk'due south natural defense against infection, and your medico tin help determine whether the infection causing the fever needs further treatment or will amend with residue and lots of love from you.

A fever that's triggered past bacteria (like bacterial sinusitis or strep throat) volition usually — though not always — require antibiotics. Because the just symptom of a UTI in babies may be fever, if your child has an unexplained fever and your dr. may ask for a sample of your child's urine.

Since some fevers can be serious, it'south essential to:

  • Seek medical care immediately if your babe is under 3 months old and has a fever of 100.4º F or higher taken with a rectal thermometer, or if a child of any historic period has problem breathing, is non drinking or peeing, is lethargic, looks very sick and/or has not received all recommended vaccines.
  • Call your pediatrician if your infant over 3 months has a fever of more than 104° F, or if your toddler or older child has a fever that's non getting amend afterwards two to 3 days.

If you lot accept any questions or need reassurance, call your pediatrician.

Ear infection

Acute otitis media is a common childhood ear infection that happens when the middle ear becomes painfully clogged with fluid, commonly due to a cold or other viral upper respiratory infection. This fluid becomes a breeding basis for leaner, viruses or fungi. With whatsoever ear infection, a infant may:

  • Pull at the infected ear
  • Accept difficulty sleeping (pain often becomes worse at night)
  • Have fever
  • Be tired or cranky

If you call up your child has an ear infection (and specially if she has a fever), encounter your pediatrician. Your physician may prescribe antibiotics if:

  • Your babe is under 6 months old
  • Your child is over 6 months andhas a fever of more than than 102.2º F, or if an infection is very painful and lasts for more than a couple of days

Many doctors take a look-and-see approach before prescribing antibiotics to toddlers over 2 years old. That's because nearly viral ear infections and even many bacterial ear infections get better on their own within ii to three days, and antibiotics haven't been shown to reduce pain or improve recovery. In the meantime, enquire your pediatrician about giving your child acetaminophen or ibuprofen to ease the hurting.

Sore pharynx

A sore pharynx is oftentimes the first sign of a cold virus infection, which does not require antibiotics. A sore throat caused past a viral infection is ordinarily accompanied by one or more of the post-obit symptoms:

  • Runny nose
  • Cough
  • Hoarseness
  • Pink eye

Strep throat is a bacterial infection that may require antibiotics. It's very rare, nonetheless, for babies and toddlers nether 3 years old to be treated for strep pharynx. The infection is almost mutual in kids ages five to 15. Your doc may test your baby or toddler for strep if there's been an outbreak at her day care or if a close relative had strep.

If your kid does have strep throat, a sore throat will unremarkably exist accompanied by:

  • Fever
  • Swollen tonsils
  • Tiny, blood-red spots on the roof of the mouth
  • Swollen lymph nodes

Pinkish center

Pink eye (a.k.a. conjunctivitis) is an inflammation of the membrane lining the optics or eyelids, causing one or both eyes to look pinkish or cherry-red. Information technology can exist acquired by bacteria, viruses, allergens (like pollen) or other irritants (like swimming puddle chlorine). A bacterial infection may be accompanied by:

  • Yellow or light-green discharge from the heart
  • Hurting
  • An ear infection, which oftentimes occurs with pink heart

It can be difficult to nail down the verbal cause of pinkish eye. If the white of your kid's eye turns red and looks swollen, see your kid's doctor for treatment.

Green mucous

When mucous turns yellow or green it'southward known equally sinusitis, or an inflammation of the nasal crenel. Information technology's normal for nasal discharge to turn yellow or green a few days after the starting time of a cold.

Bacterial sinus infection is commonly triggered after a viral infection similar a cold, causing a fever and other symptoms to go worse. Information technology's relatively uncommon, occurring in only about 5 per centum of all colds.

Doctors often have a wait-and-see approach to green mucous for about 10 days before prescribing antibiotics. Your dr. may besides suspect bacterial sinusitis if symptoms go improve and get worse again, or if your child has a fever of at least 102.2º F for iii days in a row accompanied by yellowish or green nasal belch.

Coughing

Most coughs are acquired by a viral infection, like a cold or the flu. Simply your doctor may recommend antibiotics for your child'due south coughing if information technology doesn't get better within 14 days, or if tests evidence your child with whooping cough or bacterial pneumonia.

Diarrhea

Although diarrhea has many different causes, most diarrhea is caused past a viral infection like rotavirus. More rarely, information technology tin can exist caused past a bacterial infection. Your md may prescribe antibiotics if your child has bloody diarrhea.

When are antibiotics not necessary for babies and toddlers?

Antibiotics are not necessary for viral infections and will only impale the healthy bacteria in your child's arrangement. Viruses are the crusade for many mutual childhood ailments, including:

  • The common cold
  • The flu
  • Hand, human foot and oral cavity affliction (coxsackie virus)
  • 5th disease (parvovirus B19 virus)
  • Croup

How to avoid overuse of antibiotics

Controlling the utilise of antibiotics is not just up to your doctor; it'southward upward to you, too. Here'southward how you assist avoid antibiotic overuse in your baby and toddler:

  • Recognize that antibiotics aren't always the answer. Keep in mind that young kids get a lot of colds — 6 to eight per year, especially if they're in day care. Most symptoms like runny nose, coughing and congestion are linked to a viral cold and will get better on their own.
  • Await it out. If your kid has a virus, often time is the all-time medicine. Ask your doctor if hurting relievers can assistance ease the symptoms.
  • Speak upwards. If your pediatrician suggests an antibiotic, don't be agape to ask why it'due south necessary.
  • Follow instructions. If your little one does demand an antibiotic, follow directions closely to kill off the infection equally speedily as possible. And always give your child the full course of antibiotics, fifty-fifty if she seems better mid-grade: When you stop early on, bad bacteria can withal linger and make your kid sick all again, requiring yet some other course of antibiotics.
  • Get a new prescription every time. If you have quondam antibiotics hanging around from a previous illness, never give them to your child. Every infection requires a specific drug and dose. Plus, it is likely they have expired.
  • Wash your easily regularly. Washing subsequently you apply the restroom and before you set food reduces the run a risk of catching a bacterial or viral infection.
  • Avert raw meat and dairy. Protect your family from a foodborne bacterial infection by avoiding unpasteurized milk and skipping raw meats and fish.
  • Go your child immunized.Some of the about contagious and dangerous bacterial infections can be avoided with vaccines, including diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTaP vaccine) and pneumococcal illness (pneumococcal conjugate (PCV) vaccine). Indeed, research has shown that getting the PCV vaccine helps foreclose antibiotic-resistant infections in kids.
  • Get yourself vaccinated, likewise.If you're expecting, exist sure to become the Tdap vaccine to give your baby protection from birth, and enquire other caregivers to be sure their vaccinations are upward-to-date, too to protect baby from whooping cough.

What antibiotic side effects should parents look out for?

Equally many as one out of 10 kids accept side effects from taking antibiotics. Allow your doctor know if your child has any of the following symptoms later on using antibiotics:

  • Watery diarrhea
  • Diarrhea with blood in it
  • Nausea
  • Stomach pain
  • Thrush
  • Itchy rash or hives (ruby welts)

Seek medical attention immediately if your kid has a more serious reaction to antibiotics, including:

  • Baking pare
  • Swelling of the face up and throat
  • Animate bug
  • Astringent and persistent diarrhea (which could exist a C. difficile infection)