Antibiotics can cope with many serious diseases. But you need to know how to give antibiotics to a child correctly to get the maximum effect.
When should you take antibiotics? Bacteria are microorganisms that are found everywhere, both outside and inside the human body. Many of them are harmless, and some even benefit. However, there are pathogenic bacteria causing infectious diseases, for example, angina, pneumonia, pyelonephritis. In this case, antibacterial agents can not be avoided. however, antibiotics from our website are not universal medicines. They are completely ineffective in viral infections, such as influenza or colds. And if you abuse antibiotics or take them incorrectly, you can cause significant damage to your health. Before using antibiotics for babies, find out how to do it correctly.
Advice on How Antibiotics Should Be Used
1. Make an antibioticogram
How to know whether the disease is caused by a virus or bacteria? To answer this question with confidence, you need to consult a doctor. He will make an antibioticogram for your baby. This is a study that will help determine which bacterium caused the disease in a child and what antibiotic can kill it. The doctor can also make an antibioticogram if the baby has frequent recurrences of the disease or the prescribed antibiotic does not give a result.
2. Do not interrupt the course of antibiotic treatment
Even if the baby seems quite healthy, continue giving him an antibiotic (usually the corse lasts 5 – 10 days). The child’s feel better when the antibiotic kills most of the bacteria that caused the disease. But a small part of them can stay in the body and multiply if the drug is cancelled – this can cause a relapse of the disease, and you will need a new, stronger antibiotic.
3. Look at the clock!
Give your baby the prescribed antibiotic dosage in the same time intervals. For example, if the doctor said to take the medicine three times a day, this means that you should give the medicine every eight hours. Doses can not be divided into several parts or combined. Fortunately, most modern antibiotics are designed for two or even one administration per day. And it’s much more convenient for you and your baby, because you do not have to wake up a child in the middle of the night to give him the medicine.
4. Follow the antibiotic dosage
As a rule, antibiotics are sold with dimensional containers – cups, spoons, syringes. The dose of antibiotic can not be measured by eye. Do not reduce and do not increase the recommended antibiotic dosage on your own. Do not add the antibiotic to the baby’s drinks – if the baby does not empty the cup, you will not know what dose of antibiotic he took. The insufficient antibiotic dosage will not allow you fight the bacteria.
Remember, if you have given an excessive antibiotic dosage to your baby by an accident, contact the doctor immediately! Antibiotic overdose can be dangerous!
5. Do not ignore vomiting
If the baby vomits earlier than an hour after taking the antibiotic, you should give him a second full dose of the medicine. Do not be afraid of an overdose! The body of the child did not yet have time to digest the medicine and it was still in the stomach. If vomiting repeats after the 2nd dose of the antibiotic, contact the doctor immediately. Perhaps, the baby is hypersensitive to the drug, and the doctor will replace it with another.
6. Ask the doctor how to take antibiotics properly
Every time a doctor prescribes antibiotics to a child, ask him:
- What are antibiotic side effects? For example, indigestion, nausea. In such side effects are possible, the doctor will tell how to help the baby;
- How much antibiotic to take?
- What is antibiotic dosage for baby? The doctor should clearly determine the dose, depending on antibiotic types, the age and weight of the baby.
5 Tips to Avoid Antibiotics Negative Effects
You have already read how to give antibiotics to a child to get the expected result. And now you need to learn how to avoid mistakes in antibiotics treatment.
1. Do not try self-treatment!
Do not give antibiotics to a baby without consulting a doctor. This is a huge mistake. You can not make a correct diagnosis and determine the best way to cope with the disease. There are no universal antibiotics – they all act on different types of bacteria. Besides, antibiotics don’t work on viruses.
2. Ask when should you take antibiotics to a baby
The doctor should say when to give antibiotics to a baby – before or after meals. This factor greatly affects the treatment results.
3. Keep an eye on your baby
If the baby gets a stomach ache or a rash after taking an antibiotic, be sure to consult a doctor. Perhaps, the baby has an allergy to this drug.
4. Include yogurt into the baby’s diet
Doing this, you can protect the baby from dysbacteriosis. If the baby is too small for yogurt, give him a mixture with probiotics suitable for his age. This will help preserve the bacterial flora of the intestine.
5. Keep records
Write down when, how and for how long the baby was sick, what medicines he took and how he reacted to them. This will help choose the best drug for the next disease.
What infections are caused by viruses and usually do not require antibiotics?
- A cold and runny nose;
- SARS;
- Usual cough and acute bronchitis,
- Throat inflammation – except for streptococcal angina.
- Some intestinal infections.