My Child Is Still Sick After Antibiotics: When Should I Go Back to the Doctor?
Your child has been sick. You took them to the GP, they were prescribed antibiotics, and you expected things to start improving.
But now you're wondering: Why is my child still sick after antibiotics?
Maybe they still have a fever. Their cough isn't improving. They're still miserable or tired. Or perhaps they actually seem worse than when you first saw the doctor.
One of the hardest situations as a parent is knowing when to wait and when to take your child back for another medical review.
This guide isn't about diagnosing your child's illness or telling you whether their antibiotics are working. It's about helping Australian parents navigate what to do next when a child isn't getting better after starting antibiotics.
Important: This article provides health-system navigation information, not individual medical advice. If your child appears seriously unwell or you think they need emergency medical attention, call Triple Zero (000) or attend an emergency department.
How long do antibiotics take to work in children?
There isn't one timeframe that applies to every child or every infection.
How quickly a child improves can depend on what illness they have, whether the illness is bacterial, where the infection is, which antibiotic has been prescribed, your child's age and overall health, and whether something has changed since they were originally assessed.
However, 48 hours is an important reassessment point for some childhood infections. For example, Children's Health Queensland advises parents to see a GP if a child with a urinary tract infection is not getting better after two days of antibiotics. Royal Children's Hospital guidance similarly advises seeking medical review when a child with fever is becoming sicker or isn't getting better after two days.
But that does not mean parents should automatically wait 48 hours if their child is deteriorating. If something has changed or your child seems significantly more unwell, the relevant question becomes: Does my child need to be reassessed now?
My child isn't better after 48 hours of antibiotics — what should I do?
If your child has been taking antibiotics for around 48 hours and isn't improving, contacting the healthcare professional who assessed them — or arranging another medical review — can help determine what should happen next.
You don't have to work out yourself whether the antibiotics haven't started working yet, the infection needs more time, the antibiotic needs changing, the original diagnosis needs reconsidering, the illness may be viral rather than bacterial, or another problem could be causing the symptoms.
Those are questions for a healthcare professional. Your job as the parent is much simpler: explain what has happened since your child was last assessed. That includes what is better, what hasn't changed and — importantly — what has become worse or new.
My child still has a fever after antibiotics
A continuing fever doesn't by itself tell you whether an antibiotic is or isn't working. Antibiotics treat bacterial infections; they don't treat viral illnesses. The severity of illness also cannot be determined simply from how high a child's temperature is or how the fever responds to fever-reducing medicines. How the child appears and behaves is important.
So instead of focusing only on the number on the thermometer, consider the bigger question: Is my child otherwise improving, staying the same, or getting worse? If you're worried your child seems to be becoming more unwell, seek another medical assessment.
What if the antibiotics don't seem to be working?
It can be tempting to assume: “The antibiotics aren't working.” But as a parent, you generally can't determine that from symptoms alone.
A child may need reassessment for several different reasons. A clinician may need to reconsider the diagnosis, review test results, assess whether the infection has changed, or decide whether further investigations or different management are needed.
Rather than trying to answer “Why aren't the antibiotics working?”, a more useful question may be: “My child isn't improving as expected. Where can I get them reassessed?”
Should I take my child back to the GP?
If your child is not improving but does not appear to need emergency care, returning to your GP is one option.
When you make the appointment, explain that this is not simply the same problem again. You can say: “My child was seen two days ago and started antibiotics, but they aren't improving and I'm concerned they need to be reassessed.”
If something has specifically worsened, say that too. A clear timeline can be useful because the clinician is assessing not only how your child looks at that moment, but also how their illness has changed over time.
What if I've already taken my child back to the GP?
This is where navigating the system can become frustrating. You sought help. You followed the plan. Your child still isn't improving. You went back. And you're still worried.
Depending on the circumstances and how unwell your child appears, options in Australia may include another appointment with your GP, another GP assessment or second opinion, an urgent care clinic, a virtual paediatric or emergency service where available, contacting a state or territory health advice service, or returning to an emergency department if your child's condition warrants emergency assessment.
The appropriate service depends on your child's individual circumstances and how urgently they need assessment.
What if my child was already seen at hospital?
Being discharged from an emergency department doesn't mean you can't return. A child's condition can change after they have been assessed.
If your child was assessed in hospital, started treatment and has since become more unwell, tell staff clearly: “We were here previously, but my child's condition has changed since we were discharged.” Explain what is different now.
If your child is admitted to hospital and you feel they are getting worse but your concerns aren't being heard, there are formal escalation processes within Australian hospitals.
My child's infection is getting worse despite antibiotics
A worsening illness deserves particular attention. Australian paediatric resources advise reassessment for some infections when a child isn't starting to improve after a few days of antibiotics or symptoms are worsening.
The important point isn't that every infection follows the same timeline — they don't. It's that worsening symptoms can change the situation.
You don't need to wait until a prescribed course of antibiotics is finished before seeking reassessment if you are concerned that your child's condition has deteriorated.
Should I wait until the antibiotics are finished?
Parents sometimes assume: “We were given a course of antibiotics, so I should wait until it's finished before going back.” That isn't necessarily how follow-up works.
For some childhood infections, Australian paediatric guidance specifically recommends reassessment while treatment is still underway if the child isn't improving as expected.
If you have been given specific follow-up instructions by your child's treating clinician, follow those instructions. But if your child's condition changes or you're worried they are becoming more unwell, you can seek reassessment rather than waiting simply because treatment hasn't finished.
What information should I take back to the doctor?
When a child has already been assessed once or several times, a clear timeline can be extremely helpful.
When the illness started
When your child was first assessed
What diagnosis you were given
When antibiotics were started
What has improved
What hasn't improved
What has become worse
Any new symptoms since the previous assessment
Any tests that have already been performed
Any follow-up instructions you were given
If symptoms come and go, photos or videos may sometimes help you explain what you have observed — particularly when the symptom isn't happening during the appointment. The goal isn't to prove that something is wrong. It's to give the next clinician the clearest possible picture of how your child's condition has changed.
What if I think the original diagnosis might be wrong?
You don't need to diagnose your child yourself before asking for another assessment. You can simply say: “I'm concerned because my child isn't improving the way we expected. Could they please be reassessed?”
If you've already had repeated reviews and remain concerned, you can ask: “Is there anything else that needs to be considered?” or “At what point would you expect us to come back or seek another opinion if this doesn't improve?”
A second opinion doesn't necessarily mean the first clinician made a mistake. Sometimes the most useful new information is simply time. An illness that looked one way on day one may be easier to assess when the child is reviewed again on day three.
Could my child's illness be viral even though they were given antibiotics?
Yes, viral illnesses are extremely common in children, and antibiotics don't treat viruses.
But whether your child's particular illness is bacterial, viral or something else isn't something an online article can determine. If your child isn't improving as expected, the useful next step is not trying to diagnose the illness through Google. It's deciding whether and where they need to be reassessed.
Can my child have a bacterial infection and a viral infection at the same time?
Yes. One possibility that can make the situation confusing for parents is that a child can have more than one infection at the same time.
For example, a child may have a bacterial infection that is being appropriately treated with antibiotics while also having a viral illness.
This means that even if the bacterial infection is responding to treatment, some symptoms may continue, change or even become worse as the viral illness runs its course. Antibiotics don't treat viral infections.
This can make it particularly difficult for parents to judge what is happening: Are the antibiotics not working? Is this still the original illness? Is something else developing? Why does my child seem worse even though they've started treatment?
You don't need to work this out yourself. If your child isn't following the course you were told to expect, develops new symptoms, or seems to be becoming more unwell, another medical assessment can help a clinician consider the whole picture rather than simply whether the prescribed antibiotics are working.
When seeking another review, it can be helpful to explain: “My child started antibiotics for a bacterial infection, but since then they've developed new symptoms or seem more unwell. Could they please be reassessed?”
The important point is that starting antibiotics doesn't mean every symptom your child subsequently experiences will necessarily be treated by that antibiotic. If you're worried about deterioration, you don't need to establish whether the cause is bacterial, viral or something else before seeking another assessment.
When should I seek urgent help?
This article can't determine how urgently your individual child needs medical attention. Australian paediatric resources advise urgent or emergency assessment for certain signs of serious illness, including significant breathing difficulty, a child becoming very pale or blue, or a child who cannot be woken.
Babies, particularly very young babies, can also require a lower threshold for medical assessment.
If you think your child is seriously unwell or requires emergency medical attention, call Triple Zero (000) or attend an emergency department.
What if I don't know whether we need a GP, urgent care or emergency department?
This is one of the hardest decisions when you have a sick child. You may be thinking: We've already seen the GP. Do I go back? Do we need urgent care? Should I take them to emergency? Can someone assess them virtually?
Rather than trying to answer that question based only on whether your child has been taking antibiotics for one, two or three days, consider that the appropriate service depends on how your child is now and what has changed since they were last assessed.
The important question isn't just “Are the antibiotics working?”
When your child isn't getting better, it's very easy to become fixated on the medication: Shouldn't the antibiotics have worked by now?
But from a navigation perspective, there's a more useful question: “My child has already been assessed and treated. They aren't improving as expected. What is my next pathway to getting them reassessed?”
Sometimes that means going back to your GP. Sometimes it means another medical opinion. Sometimes circumstances change enough that a different level of care is appropriate. And sometimes the most important thing you can tell the next clinician is simply: “This is different from when they were assessed last time.”
Related guides for Australian parents
My Child Is Getting Worse but We Already Saw a GP: What to Do Next
Should I Take My Child to Hospital, Urgent Care, GP or Virtual ED?
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take antibiotics to work in children?
There isn't one time frame for every antibiotic, infection or child. Some Australian paediatric guidance uses around 48 hours as a point for reassessment for particular infections if a child isn't improving. If your child is getting worse, you don't need to wait for a particular number of hours before seeking medical assessment.
Should my child still have a fever after 48 hours of antibiotics?
A fever alone can't tell you whether antibiotics are working. Consider the child's overall appearance and other symptoms rather than relying on the temperature alone. Seek medical review if your child is becoming more unwell or isn't improving.
What should I do if my child is getting worse on antibiotics?
If your child's condition is deteriorating, seek another medical assessment. If they appear seriously unwell or you believe they require emergency medical attention, call Triple Zero (000) or attend an emergency department.
Should I finish the antibiotics before going back to the doctor?
You don't need to wait until a course is finished before seeking reassessment if your child is deteriorating or you are concerned about their progress. Some paediatric conditions specifically require review during treatment if improvement isn't occurring as expected.
Can I get a second opinion if my child isn't getting better?
Yes. Seeking another assessment doesn't necessarily mean the first clinician was wrong. Your child's symptoms may have changed or evolved since the original assessment, providing new information for the next clinician.
Disclaimer: This article provides general information about navigating healthcare services in Australia and is not a substitute for individual medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you are concerned about your child's health, seek advice from an appropriately qualified healthcare professional. In an emergency, call Triple Zero (000).
