How to Know if Your Baby is Allergic to Their Antibiotic

I think it's super important that if your baby or toddler is being given antibiotics to not start new foods during this time!

If they break out in hives, you, whom ever else might be watching your child and the doctor needs to know that they are having an allergic reaction to their meds, and it's not a food related allergy.

My Story:

I'm highly allergic to Sulfa. I was in high school when I had my allergic reaction. The hives started out looking just like pimples all over my face. By the end of the day I was covered with hives. I itched everywhere. The spots were hot. My mom told me to call the doctors office right away. Luckily I could communicate with them how I felt. They told me to take another antibiotic, and come in the morning if I was still feeling bad. I am so glad my mom knew better! She's a nurse. She was worried I'd get hives in my throat.

I went in the next morning. They had to give me a shot of steroids. I was laid up for two days. I was hot, feverish, swollen and shaking from the steroids.

Mica's Story:

My oldest son was on Penicillin. He was at home on Home IV antibiotics from his life threatening staph infection. I was scared enough to give him his IV antibiotics. Then all the sudden in the middle of the night, he broke out with hives all over! Tiny red dots on my then 7 month old. I stopped his dose right in the middle, called home health care. They called the Infectious Disease Doctor, which got a new prescription for something different. I was so glad I knew it was an antibiotic reaction. If I had started him on his 7 month meats, I wouldn't know what the rash would be from {meds or food?}.  

Isaak's Story:

My youngest son was on Penicillin last week from his ear infection. He's almost 3, so he eats anything. He was done with his antibiotic at the tail end of last week. On Tuesday of this week he woke up with a few spots on his face. I didn't think too much of it because he's always had super sensitive skin. I didn't think the spots were from his meds at first. Mainly because he was done taking them. 

On Wednesday he woke up with hot blotches all over his legs, lower tummy, and a few other places. I knew right away that they were hives, and suspected his Penicillin. The nurse thought that's what it was too. He went on Wal-dryl. I had to ask if it was ok for him to take it because it says for ages 4 and up on the bottle. They told us to give it to him every 6 hours. He was lucky, and his blotches went away in one day. 

What to do if you suspect your child has had an allergic reaction: 

• Call your pediatrician's office right away! 
• If it happens in the middle of the night and your pediatrician's office doesn't answer phone calls you may need to take your child to the emergency room. If they have a fever, are super cranky I'd take my child in. If they seem to be acting fine and are not feverish then I'd stay up with them just to make sure they don't get worse. 
• I find that local pharmacists are a great resource. Some are open 24 hours a day. 
• Another great resource is Midwest Minor Medical. Different parts of the US will have different places like Midwest Minor Medical. They are an extended hour clinic. Check your area to see what your options are.

Important People to Tell:

• Any doctor, recent and new.
• Any dentist. I don't know why they need to know, but I just filled out paper work at the dentist for Isaak to go for the first time. Allergies were on the form.
• Schools.
• Caregivers. 
• Later in life: Work.