It’s 6 AM. Your child is standing by your bed, tears streaming, pointing at their throat. They can barely speak. Your mind races: Is it just a cold? Do we wait for the pediatrician? What if it’s strep?

Here’s what every parent needs to know: strep throat is common, contagious, and completely treatable—but only if you catch it in time. At Night Watch Pediatric Urgent Care in Winchester, we make strep testing fast, accurate, and kid-friendly.

🔍 How to Tell If It’s Actually Strep

Not every sore throat needs a doctor visit. But strep is different—and the symptoms are usually pretty obvious once you know what to look for.

🚨 Strep Throat Symptoms in Kids

• ⚡ Sudden, severe throat pain (they’ll tell you it REALLY hurts)
• 🌡️ High fever (usually 101°F or higher)
• 👅 Red, swollen tonsils with white patches
• 🚫 Refusing to eat or drink because swallowing hurts
• 💢 Swollen neck glands
• 🤕 Stomach pain, headache, or body aches
• ❌ NO cough or stuffy nose (those point to a virus)

💡 Pro tip: If your child has a cough, runny nose, or hoarseness, it’s probably NOT strep. But if the throat pain is the main event? Get tested.

⏰ Why Strep Can’t Wait

We get it—kids get sick all the time, and not everything needs immediate attention. But strep is one of those things you don’t mess around with.

What Happens If You Don’t Treat It?

• 💔 Rheumatic fever → Can cause permanent heart damage
• 🎀 Scarlet fever → Red sandpaper-like rash
• 🫘 Kidney problems → Inflammation that can be serious
• 🦠 Spreading it everywhere → Siblings, classmates, the whole family

✨ The silver lining? Once your child starts antibiotics, they’re no longer contagious after 24 hours—and they’ll feel so much better within a day or two.

⚡ Know in Minutes. Treated Today. Better Tomorrow.

Our rapid strep test is quick, painless, and accurate. We do a fast throat swab (your child barely has time to complain), and you’ll have results in about 10 minutes.

Here’s How the Visit Goes

• 🚶 Walk in—no appointment, no hassle
• 🩺 Quick throat swab (takes 5 seconds, promise)
• ⏰ Wait minutes for results
• 💊 If positive: prescription sent to your pharmacy immediately
• 🏫 Back to school in 24 hours (once they’re fever-free and on meds)

📅 No More Waiting Until Monday

Strep loves to hit on Friday nights and Saturday mornings. Lucky for you, we’re open evenings and weekends—so you don’t have to watch your child suffer through the weekend while you wait for the pediatrician’s office to open.

⏰ Strep throat moves fast. So should you.

Walk into Night Watch Pediatric Urgent Care – Winchester.