Welcome to the ProSquad! We check in regularly with our team of experts to get answers to parenting's trickiest dilemmas and hottest issues. This week, our financial expert talks about credit scores for stay-at-home parents, and our resident doctor gives us the scoop on treating strep throat.

I'm a stay-at-home mom for now and am worried that I'm hurting my credit score. Would a part-time job help boost it?

Your credit scores are crucial because they are a big factor in determining if, how much and at what rate a lender will loan money to you. Your credit is usually checked when you lease a car, buy car insurance, rent an apartment, open a credit card, or even get a new cell phone. And these days, more and more employers are pulling people's credit history when they apply for a job.

The vast majority of lenders in this country look at your FICO scores — you have three, one for each of the existing credit bureaus. The higher the number, the more likely you'll (supposedly) be to pay your bills on time.

And here's great news for all mothers who have taken time off from their office jobs or left the work force to raise their families — your FICO score doesn't include your salary. But there's a catch. While your income doesn't show up on credit reports, most lenders will ask for it on a loan application. And a mortgage broker might, for example, reject an unemployed man or woman, especially in today's tight market. It's the loan officer's call, based on your overall mortgage application, not just your FICO number.

Whether you want or need to go back to work part-time is probably a multifaceted and highly personal decision for you and your family — but your credit score shouldn't have anything to do with it.

Legal Pro, Jacoba Urist

Jacoba Urist, Esq. is a lawyer, writer and mom in Manhattan. She's currently working on a book, The Happiest Parent, about estate planning and personal finance, specifically for parents. Over the past year, she's interviewed hundreds of mothers and researched (almost) every aspect of protecting your family's long-term well-being, and she came to one overwhelming conclusion: The Happiest Parent is the one who plans for the future no matter how hard it may seem today.

Jacoba earned her Juris Doctorate from New York University in 2002 as well as her Masters in Taxation in 2004. She also has a Masters from The Johns Hopkins University Institute for Policy Studies where she studied economic and regulatory issues. She's practiced at one of the country's top law firms and written on a wide range of topics for legal professionals.

Can I really treat my child's strep throat without antibiotics?

I often get this question from parents, wondering if antibiotics are absolutely necessary. I have to say, it's quite the change from a few years ago, and I'm glad more and more parents are trending away from the use of unnecessary medications. I, too, am prudent about unnecessary antibiotics and other medicines in children. However, when it comes to a bona fide strep throat infection that has been diagnosed by a throat culture, your child absolutely needs the appropriate antibiotics to clear that infection and prevent serious post strep complications. Why? Because although your child's strep throat will improve on its own after a few days of infection, she is still at risk for spreading this infection to others. Most importantly, this puts her at risk for complications such as Rheumatic Fever and post strep glomerulonephritis, a potentially serious kidney disease that can lead to kidney failure.

If your child's sore throat is simply the result of a viral infection and has had a negative strep culture, then you can most certainly ease her symptoms by having her drink warm liquids, sucking on popsicles, and/or gargling with warm salt water. These types of sore throats that are due to viruses usually have associated viral symptoms such as a runny nose, congestion, and/or cough. They do not need antibiotics and are amenable to the above natural remedies…and time.

Medical Pro, Melissa Arca

Melissa Arca, M.D. is a board certified pediatrician, mom of two, writer, and blogger who has found her passion in writing and speaking about parenting and children's health. She realizes that parenting is not an exact science and offers her practical tips on handling common parenting dilemmas. In addition, she loves educating parents and children about their health and ways to improve it.

She authors a weekly Dr.Mom column in The Sacramento Bee and appears weekly on KCRA with Dr.Mom tips on a variety of pediatric health topics. Her blog, Confessions of a Dr.Mom, is truly the place where doctor and mom collide.

Dr.Arca received her undergraduate degree from UC Irvine and went on to obtain her medical degree from USC Keck School of Medicine. She completed her pediatric residency in 2003 from Children's Hospital Los Angeles and is a member of the AAP Council on Communication and Media.

She lives in Northern California with her husband and children, ages 4 and 6. They visit the ocean any free chance they get.