Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

there is some thinking that under 1 year or 2 - antibiotics shouldn't be given..
where do you stand?

Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

I gave my daughter antibiotics to fight an ear infection when she turned one. I didn't give it a second thought to be honest.

Re: Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

DS had many ear infections from the time he was a baby. He was also at daycare. I think he was on a lot of antibiotics from the age of 6 months to 2. Now at 4 he really built up his immune system from daycare I guess. LOL

Re: Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

DD had antibiotics at least 2x before 1, and what seems like every other month from 1-2. Mainly for ear infections and bronchitis and most recently an infected bite on her leg early in the summer . I'd never hesitate giving her antibiotics, but I also don't run to the ped every single sniffle/fever either.

Re: Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

Depends on what it's for... I trust that my Ped will prescribe them only if they're really necessary... I know they're doing it less and less for ear infections now, for example. So yes, I think it's fine as long as they aren't abused.

Re: Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

If my child had an infection and their ped prescribed an antibiotic, I would not hesitate. The risk of an infection progressing is far more scarier to me than meds.

Re: Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

If they have an infection, they need antibiotics.
I trust my ped to determine what is an infection and what is a virus.
A virus obviously won't respond to or need antibiotics.
But an infection-
I was not taking any chances of it spreading or becoming worse.
Any time my DD took antibiotics at that age she was better in 24 hours...and that is all i cared about- getting her better.
There is a reason people died of things like strep, etc- in the 1800s- it was because antibiotics weren't invented yet and infections festered and spread.

Message edited 9/23/2013 4:00:24 PM.

Re: Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

I'm not a big fan of any medication for myself or DD. However, DD has been on antibiotics once around 15 months bc of an ear infection. I try to use it as an absolute last resort. For example, DD was feeling off over the summer. I took her to the dr and her ear was slightly red. I opted to take her back to follow up a few days later in the hopes it would clear on its own and it did.

Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

DS is almost 2 and had antibiotics once just after his 1st bday, I did by want to because we are generally a natural family but in that instance it was necessary. Twice afterwards antibiotics were suggested but we declined and he recovered just fine.

Re: Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

If its necessary to make my kids well, I wouldn't give it a second thought.

Re: Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

Re: Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

In a case of strep or confirmed bacterial infection, absolutely. However, many pediatricians improperly prescribe antibiotics, especially for ear infections. This has become such a problem that even the AAP and CDC have addressed this issue.

My youngest had a wheezy cough at 3 months. Her pediatrician prescribed antibiotics. She threw it up the first two times I gave it to her, so I had to stop giving it to her. She got better on her own.

Message edited 9/23/2013 9:05:44 PM.

Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

I agree with the above poster in that many pediatricians improperly prescribe them. I feel 98% of the time you don't need them.

I wouldn't say I would never give an infant one but it would take a lot to get me to that point.

Re: Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

In our case, DD takes antibiotics everyday as a prophylactic for Kidney Reflux. She has since 8 weeks old and it is 100% necessary to prevent infection or damage to the kidneys.

Re: Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

My DS was a few weeks out of the NICU when he caught strep throat. MY ped said this is only the 3rd case of having an infant with strep in all his years as a ped. I gave my DS the antibiotic and didn't think twice about it. Untreated strep can be very serious, plus also DS had stopped eating bc of the infection. If he didn't start eating by the next day he was going back to the hospital. I gave it to him and DS started eating again so we avoided a trip back to the hospital. I was all for giving antibiotics

Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

I think it was..
Under 6 month nothing more than pain killers really
over 6 months it was green lighted for antibiotics.
over 1yr for allergy meds
6yrs old for cold meds

But I can't remember anymore (mama brain!)

I remember her being super sick around 3months and nothing we could do for her. I HATED it! She had a UTI at 8m and I know she got antibiotics then. I never thought twice about it. She was antibiotics on and off from 9m thru 17m when she got her tubes put into her ears. I've only given it to her twice since then. Once was really only because it was post surgery.

Re: Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

It really depends what type of infection we're talking about. Sometimes an antibiotic is necessary, others it's not at all. I would verify with the doctor that it was absolutely necessary (as others have mentioned, they're now saying antibiotics are over prescribed for ear infections). If my ped thought it was then I'd give them. . . Ultimately he's the doctor, not me.

Re: Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

There are certain things that need antibiotics. One of them is strep. I was told by my ped, that babies don't get strep because they do not have the tonsil tissue yet and the youngest case of it my ped has seen was at 18 months.

Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

when my ds had his first ear infection (10months), we didn't hesitate. the second time he was diagnosed with an ear infection, we looked further into it and asked the ped a lot of questions about how far gone the infection was. even though he wanted to write us a script for antibiotics, it was at this point he taught us how to look at the inside of the ear to determine how far along it was.

he said we could let my ds fight what's going on on his own, but if we notice a change (crankiness, fever, changes in appearance of inner ear) we should bring him back & if it's worse, reconsider the antibiotics.

he had a few "ear infections" after that. sometimes back to back, one ear, then the next ear. we took him to the ped every time, and closely monitored how it developed. and each time there after, his body was able to fight it off without help.

when he was around 2 or shortly thereafter, he got another ear infection. we followed the same protocol, but this time the inner ear looked bad, and he was complaining that he had a loud, painful sound in his ear. I did not hesitate to give his antibiotics that time.

Re: Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

My thoughts are the same at any age including myself. If they are necessary - you have to take them. For example, if your child has strep or a bacterial infection. That said, they are rarely TRULY necessary. Many peds overprescribe antibiotics when they are definitely not necessary. Likewise, many parents actually ask for antibiotic scripts and the peds oblige even when the child would likely get better on his own. Luckily, our ped is very conservative when it comes to prescribing antibiotics and so I trust him 100% when he says my child needs them. My DD is 3.5 and has never been on antibiotics and my DS is 6 and has only been on antibiotics twice. HTH!

Message edited 9/28/2013 7:20:27 PM.

Re: Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

If the child is that ill that their immune system needs some support, I am all for it. I feel like some illnesses are een more serious for that population, so why not?

Re: Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

I think that, just like with most anything else, everything in moderation. Taking antibiotics should never really be done unless there is a bacterial infection (not viral) and this goes for infants, children and adults. Of course we should be most careful with our babies. That said, if a child is suffering from a bacterial infection and is sick with bronchitis, ear infection, etc. then pretty much the only thing that will make the baby better is antibiotics. Without antibiotics, infants and other children (and adults) can die. So in my opinion, it is on a case by case basis.

Re: Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

I got tubes placed in my daughters ears because she was getting such frequent ear infections. Yes I gave her antibiotics but my ped was always honest if he/she thought it was a virus vs. bacterial infection when DD was sick.

Re: Your thoughts on infants and antibitoics ...

Are they overused? yes. Parents go in and don't want to hear "It's viral, wait it out".

However, if your kid has something bacterial like strep (my kid had it before a year) and you don't give them, the illness could kill them

I am all for not overusing them but, people have to let doctors be doctors.