There is a lot of controversy out there right now about how to treat upper respiratory infections in children younger than 6. Because over the counter meds have not been shown to be incredibly effective in this age group and because the risk of side effects is higher the younger the child, a lot of pediatricians are either discouraging their use or telling parents to use them sparingly. Also, since the rate of drug resistant staph in children is rising, doctors are really trying to balance that with when an antibiotic is truly necessary. The newest research on sinus infections showed that with or without antibiotics the infections cleared up in about the same amount of time (which averaged about 2 weeks.)

If your son has a persistent fever, has difficulty breathing, has significantly altered sleep or eating patterns, becomes lethargic or highly irritable, then the doctor might consider doing something different. Otherwise he/she will probably just tell you to ride it out with lots of fluids and lots of handwashing. However, since this is causing him to be excluded from school for an extended period of time, I would recommend checking back with the doctor and seeing how long you should expect this to go on before his/her recommendations change.

HTH!

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Andi