Antibiotics for My One Year Old

I would use caution with the antibiotics as well. My daughter got Roseola in December (when she was 18 mos), which started with a fever that hit 105.4 degrees (had to go to ER because so high and 7pm on a Friday night). At the ER the doc prescribed antibiotics as his conclusion was ear infection, though I knew in my gut that wasn't it. She was very listless for 4 days as we fought the fever. USE MOTRIN -- lasts longer and works faster, per multiple docs. By either Monday or Tuesday she broke out in the typical Roseola rash. Nearly 100% of the population gets Roseola when they're young, so you might want to look into that.

The cloudy snot means she might have a sinus infection. Since she's had a few ear infections already, waiting to give her the antibiotics will just give the infection a chance get into her ears. My son had a pattern of getting an ear infection a week or so after a cold. He'd get through the fever and sniffles, be fine for a few days to a week, then we'd have ear trouble. And an ear ache is so painful. Get a second opinion if you don't like your pediatrician or get another pediatrician, but why bother going to a doctor if you're not going to listen to their advice?

99.6 is not a fever! Most respiratory infections and even ear infections are caused by viruses and antibiotics are useless in treating them.
Doctors prescribe them because it makes them and the parents feel like they are doing "something" rather than just waiting out the course of the illness.

I have been through this with my daughter about ten times, often as you say first amoxillin, then omnicef... by the time you start the omnicef, it usually coincides with the viral illness to get better by itself, so while it seems like the abx is doing a good job... it really is just the infect taking it's natural course.
It's really funny, because my ped has posters about ear infections/cold not needing abx all over the office, and still he prescribes them every single time...

Anyways, here is what I do now (and I have talked to my ped about it, so you might want to as well): I only take her in if her temp is over 102 F for more than 3 days or not responding to tylenol or when I have other concerns (pain, rash, etc...)
Generally a temp under 100.2 is not a fever!
If she has fluid in her ears I give medicated nosedrops and expectorant (only once a day, consult you ped for dosage, they do not put it on the packaging for kids that young) to help with drainage. We also use saline spray several times a day. We go back after one week to make sure everything is fine!
With this regimen she has not needed abx in one year.
Before that she was on abx 10 times (5 different kinds) within about 8 months. This regimen was suggested to me by a doctor in my home country (in Europe), but I checked it with my ped. here, since the expectorant I was given at home is not available here.
He was skeptical, but ok to give it a try - we have not been back since.
Also read this on the overuse of abx: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/23/tech/main###-##...
Good luck!

There was a lot of over-prescribing of antibiotics the past several years which has led to super bugs being created, but most physicians have really cut back to prevent that as no new antibiotics have been developed (that haven't been withdrawn from the market for safety issues) in years.

I would recommend using Tylenol/Motrin even for a low-grade fever. Yes, fever is part of nature's way of fighting infection, but keeping a fever elevated (even minor) can lead to more serious issues down the road. My nephew, when 2 years old, had a low-grade fever that wasn't treated and became a high-grade fever followed by febrile seizures.

Here's some direction on fevers and treating them:
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/cond...

Omnicef is a very powerful antibiotic, so I would question the physician's choice for that first-line. It's worth a call back to the office to explain your concerns and ask what he suspects is causing the infection that he wants to fight it so aggressively.

Here is what the American Academy of Pediatrics says about antibiotic use:
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/cond...

I think your doctor probably gave you the prescription because if her nose is cloudy he/she doesn't want it turning into something worse. Amoxicillin never worked for my children either - it is a very common, mild antibiotic, so I really don't think you have to worry and think your daughter is becomig resistant - doctors do not like to give out the stronger drugs right away because of this. And, it is very possible she may clear this up on her own - but a little tylenol or motrin may make her feel a little better and more comfortable while her body is doing this. Hope she feels better soon.

I am wiht you on not wanting to introduce antibiotics when the symptoms seem to be getting better.
what i would suggest is to add a probiotic to her regiment, but from a powder or capsule form, not from yogurt. dairy is a mucus forming food, so that will just create more congestion which is not going to help your daughter.
Natren makes one that is for children, so if you want to go that route, you may be able to find that in your local health food store. i can also provide you with an online site if you are interested. and if you can figure out a way of this, have her take a clove (or half) a clove of fresh garlic every day. i find it works well in hummus. but usually easy with adults, not to much with kids. but that is your natural anti-bacterial and anti-viral. works wonders! but it has to be the raw stuff.

PS. i actually have an extra bottle i can ship and sell to you of the childen's probiotic
J.
www.nutrition-in-motion.net
nutrition coaching

By the time my son was 10 mo. old he had had 3 rounds of antibiotics for ear infection and his ear was still red inside! I decided that I needed to look elsewhere for a cure, so I checked my alternate/supplement/herbal books to see what they would offer. I found a simple recipe that works wonders for ear infection and at the first complaint of my children, I apply it. It is:13 drops of olive oil, along with the contents of 1 vit. E softgel and contens of 1 garlic softgel; all of which can be bought at Wal-Mart. I mix this up in quantity in an infant Tylenol dropper bottle to keep on hand for when the children complain. Usually only 1 treatment does the trick! When my 19 mo. old daughter gets the sniffles, I also go to my cupboard. I have (also from Wal-Mart) fruit flavored chewable vit. C (500mg.) which I cut into quarters and give her a piece throughout the day. Also in Wal-Mart there is a box of packets called Emergen-C which I dissolve a tiny bit in a couple teaspoonfuls of water and give her 2-3 times a day. Also for fever I push the liquids--kool-aids, juices (not milk, which can create phlem), fruit slushies, etc. anything to get the poisons washed out of their system. You can see that I use antibiotics as a LAST resort. Hope this helps.

I guess I'm going to disagree with the other posts...... I say take her to the chiropractor and hold off on giving the antibiotics AND tylenol.

We rarely medicate our kids when they have a fever. That is our LAST line of defense. We give them a luke warm bath and lots of fluids when they get a fever. And we bring them to the chiropractor right away too! We've been prescribed antibiotics for our kids but only one time did we actually give it to our daughter. (Son has never had any.) And then she ended up being allergic to the amoxicillian and was even more miserable because of it! So, we're back to going the natural route to cure things.

The chiropractor has helped the kids with ear infections, colds, fevers, aches, pains, etc. So we only give the kids tylenol IF their fever spikes over 104 and the bath doesn't do the trick right away. (I think it only happened like once with each kid......)

Updated

I guess I'm going to disagree with the other posts...... I say take her to the chiropractor and hold off on giving the antibiotics AND tylenol.

We rarely medicate our kids when they have a fever. That is our LAST line of defense. We give them a luke warm bath and lots of fluids when they get a fever. And we bring them to the chiropractor right away too! We've been prescribed antibiotics for our kids but only one time did we actually give it to our daughter. (Son has never had any.) And then she ended up being allergic to the amoxicillian and was even more miserable because of it! So, we're back to going the natural route to cure things.

The chiropractor has helped the kids with ear infections, colds, fevers, aches, pains, etc. So we only give the kids tylenol IF their fever spikes over 104 and the bath doesn't do the trick right away. (I think it only happened like once with each kid where they got the tylenol......) It's so hard when kids get sick because we feel so helpless but hang in there!

My son (15 1/2 months old) had the same thing a few months ago. Turned out to be roseolla (a very common childhood virus). Basically the kid gets cold like symptoms first, then a high fever which will last about 72 hours, then a rash on their torso/face. There are no meds for it since it is a virus. Since all other parts of her were normal and lungs were clear, I would probably wait and see what develops. You can always give the antibiotics if needed.
Good luck.
J.

Hi, B.:
So what was the diagnosis of the baby?
Why did he prescribe the antibiotic?

If you don't know the answer to these question, call and talk to the nurse and ask her to explain what it is your child was diagnosed with and why
was the antibiotic prescribed?

You need to know. Good luck. D.

HI B., Normally I would agree with you and hold off on the meds myself. But speaking from personal experience this winter has been awful when it comes to illnesses. There have been so many bad colds, episodes of pneumonia, and bronchitis going around and becomming reasons for hospitalizations I would error on the side of caution and give her the meds. Best wishes.

I think you need to call your doctor back and have a conversation with him or her to clarify why they gave you the antibiotics and if they are really necessary. My son has been on antibiotics nearly a dozen times in his 29 months and now is battling a C.diff infection. If you decide not to give the antibiotics, you need to call the doctor and let him or her know that so they are up to speed on what is going on with your little one.

On the Tylenol/Motrin front, this is not the time to be chary with the drugs. Yes, fever is nature's way of killing bugs, but she is too little to be able to communicate exactly how much discomfort she is in (kids play through the pain), and pain will slow down her healing. When she's 5 you can take a "wait and see" approach, but keep her comfortable now.

My experience is just the opposite with the doctors in the U.S. They do not prescribe antibiotics unless it is necessary. In my original country, it is common for people to take antibiotics when they have a cold/flu even though it is viral and antibiotics won't help, but it prevents a bacterial infection like a sinus or ear infection that sometimes comes after a cold/flu, so people think antibiotics work on cold/flu.. Well, it is a totally different story but just wanted to say that my experience with doctors in the U.S. is that they don't prescribe antibiotics unless they suspect there is a bacterial infection. (Maybe it is just the doctors here at the UW hospital and clinics, I am not sure.)
To me it sounds like there is not an open and clear communication between you and your pediatrician. You didn't talk about your concerns and ask exactly why he is prescribing the antibiotics? Maybe you should find a pediatrician that you trust, and won't overprescribe antibiotics?
High fever can be dangerous. If she is uncomfortable and not able to sleep, it may also prolong the illness. By the way, I recently switched to Tylenol without any dye (white in color), which eliminates at least one worry :-)

If you are uncomfortable, since she does not have an infection, let her ride it out. you did the right thing by making sure lungs, and ears were clear. If she gets worse, and fever goes up again, then I would consider it. My son gets that all of the time, and his lungs, etc will be clear but he will have a low grade fever all week( 100 and under) but eventually it does go away. It is prob a cold or some virus he is fighting. lots of vit c in fruits, load up.

I am of the camp that says to wait. Even most ear infections do not require antibiotics, as they have now discovered many are viral and go away without treatment. It is still routine though for some Dr.s to prescribe antibiotics for any sign of possible infection. It is what they were trained to do, and only some Dr.s are trusting the new findings and saying to wait. Our primary says to wait especially with all the super bugs created. So far we have only had one ear infection return which needed antibiotics, and we have had a lot of EI's over the last 4 years with my daughter and my son is 2 and he is foloowing in his sister's footsteps, but he is the one who needed a full course of them when an EI did return once. 99% od EI's though don't need them. I do believe a sinus infection would need antibiotic treatment, but sinus infection is rare in young children. I think the sinuses don't even open until a certain age and your daughter may not even have them opened yet, so again I would say to wait. I am not a Dr. but I do a lot of research and this is just my opinion. I also do not medicate a fever unless it is over 104 as it is shown that children will get better quicker when their fevers are not being reduced. Anyway, I hope she feels better soon, my kids have both been sick with something similar.