Tips For Helping Kids With Recurring Strep Throat

If you have a child that has recurring strep throat, you likely know the pain of going to the doctor's office multiple times, taking time off of work, and living with a crying child whose throat hurts. You are going to need to go to an ear, nose, and throat doctor in order to make sure that you get your child's recurring strep throat fully under control. In the meantime, here are some steps you can take to reduce the chances that your child will get strep throat and that your lives will be disrupted because of it.

1. Follow Through on Antibiotics

Your child is going to be prescribed antibiotics to help out with his or her strep throat. When your child gets it, you absolutely need to make sure that he or she continues to take antibiotics until all of the pills are gone, even if he or she is feeling better. If you fail to do this step, you risk making the strains of strep throat that your child commonly contracts resistant to antibiotics, which can make his or her symptoms last much longer. People do not become resistant to antibiotics -- the illnesses do. In order to help reduce the chances that you will create a resistant strain, take all of the antibiotics. Taking a full course of antibiotics guarantees that the strain will be entirely killed off, rather than have a few lingering members alive to develop and spread the resistance.

2. Wash the Toothbrush

Midway through your child's course of antibiotics, make sure that you put his or her toothbrush in the dishwasher or replace it entirely. You want to do this to keep strains of strep throat from being reintroduced back into your child's body. Germs can stick around on toothbrushes and can develop slight resistance to the antibiotics. Doing this will also help your child's symptoms disappear more quickly.

3. Keep Your Household Free of Germs

Get into the habit of making everyone wash their hands when they come into your house after school. Schools are breeding grounds for strep throat and other illnesses, which can play havoc on a child's immune system. You can at least make sure that your child isn't being exposed to the strep throat strains that his or her siblings are being exposed to in their respective classes. 

For more information, talk to an ear, nose, and throat doctor. He or she might recommend that your child have his or her tonsils removed.