According to US News & World Report, treatment with antibiotics may be useless when it comes to some children's conditions – and antibiotics may even make matters worse.

A recent study indicates that the use of antibiotics for any purpose may increase the chances of a child developing asthma, and another study suggests that antiobiotics do not work as a preventive treatment for urinary tract infections. In the study, children with recurrent UTI infections who received daily antibiotics were more than seven times as likely to develop a drug-resistant infection.

‘The more antibiotics a child is exposed to, the more likely [he or she is] to develop a resistant infection,’ explains Dr. Patrick Conway, a pediatrician at Cincinnati Children's Hospital.

Conway also points out that a large proportion of childhood illnesses are caused by viruses. Antibiotics do not work against viruses.

Experts do not suggest abandoning antibiotic treatments altogether, but they recommend a ‘watchful waiting’ period of time before using antibiotics.

Also see Use of Antibiotics Increases Asthma Risk.