Abscess:
A parent's guide for infants and babies

Your child's doctor may drain the pus or fluid collection by making a small incision in the skin after it has been numbed. While this can be scary and difficult for you and your child, it will drain a majority of the bacteria, helping the body fight the small amount that remains. This fluid may then be sent to a laboratory for testing (culture), but not necessarily. The culture can tell the doctor not only what type of bacterium is causing the infection but also what antibiotics will work best to treat it. This may take as little as 2–3 days, and your doctor may choose to have your child start oral antibiotics aimed at treating the most common bacteria that cause abscesses. However, if the infection is small and it has been drained, your doctor may decide to not treat your child with oral antibiotics.

If your child's symptoms are not improving or it is determined that the bacterium is not one of the common types, your doctor may prescribe different antibiotics. If the doctor prescribes antibiotics, it is important for your child to take the entire course as prescribed, even if he or she is feeling better or the infection appears to be gone after just a few days. Since this can be difficult with infants, your pharmacist may recommend flavoring the medication. If your child has been taking antibiotics and the infection itself or the way he or she is generally feeling has not improved in about 2–3 days, return to see the doctor.