5-Year Old Daughter's Voice Is Changing?

Since it's an on-and-off change, and she complains that it feels scratchy, it's quite likely allergies. Acid reflux is a possibility too, if you know she has that problem anyway. If she had a cold recently, this could be a lingering irritation. Much rarer would be a polyp growing in her throat. Voice changes due to maturity are rare in kids so young unless there's an endocrine disorder, and she'd probably have other symptoms as well, like the growth of pubic hair.

If it's really bothersome, I'd check it out. A month would probably be okay to wait if it's only occasional and not troubling her too much.

Like another mom, I believe it could be allergies. The timing seems to suggest it. One of my sons always had a scratchy voice on and off. It was from post nasal drip. He now uses a nasal spray and allergy pill and is fine. Unless it's really painful for her right now, I'd just make sure to bring it up at her check up next month. Can't hurt to try Zyrtec or Claritin in the mean time. My pediatrician told me you have to give the medicine a couple weeks. Hope this helps! I have 3 at home, and all suffer from allergies. They aren't fun.

Sorry about the money, but I would really recommend getting her in to the doctor. Strep, untreated, can lead to other complications, and if her throat is red at times, then something's going on. There are kids who have that raspy sort of voice, but they have it when they're 2, 3, 4...it doesn't just change because they're getting older. I hate bringing my boys in to the dr when it's not necessary (seems like they pick up a bug in the waiting room almost every time we go--then we're back in to get that treated a week later!) but if I were you, I'd get this checked out.

I know it's another $25., but if it were me, I would take her to the doctor to check it out. Because I always think, what if it's a first sign of something bad, and they didn't catch it right away because I didn't want to spend the money on the doctor? I could never live with myself if that happened. But, that's ME. : ) I bring a lot of guilt upon myself!

hi
I agree that it could be something simple as allergies/acid reflux, but it could also be something bad (eg a friend would who is an avid singer stated that for a while her voice was scratchy, then she had a hard time swallowing food (it got stuck) - it turns out she had a cyst under her tongue).