How to Know When to Call the Doctor If Your Baby or Child Is Sick

It's sometimes hard to know when your child needs a doctor. Here are some general guidelines to help you decide'but remember that if in doubt, it's always safest to call the doctor.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Antibiotic Ointment
• Bandages
• Butterfly Bandages
• Fever Reducers
• Hydrogen Peroxides
• Ipecacs

1. Take his temperature. High fevers can lead to seizures in children who are prone to them. If your child has a very high temperature (greater than 103 degrees F measured by an oral thermometer), is lethargic, is very irritable or refuses to eat, or if he doesn't respond to fever-reducing medication, contact a doctor.
2. Check his breathing. If your child is having respiratory difficulties such as wheezing or rapid breathing, get him to a doctor immediately. This is especially important if your child is asthmatic.
3. Consider allergies. If your child has one or more severe food or environmental allergies, seek treatment immediately when you know or suspect that he has been exposed.
4. Go to a doctor if your child falls or bumps her head hard enough to lose consciousness'even a mild concussion can be dangerous. An inability to remember the events surrounding the injury may also indicate a concussion. Look for confusion and drowsiness as warning signs of more serious problems.
5. Talk to your child. If she is unresponsive or semiconscious, or has trouble focusing her eyes, get medical help immediately or call 911.
6. Seek help for cuts if you have trouble stopping the bleeding, or if the cut is deep and severe enough to require stitches.
7. Call the doctor if your child is vomiting frequently or has severe diarrhea. The doctor will be able to tell you how to monitor your child for dehydration, and will let you know whether to come in.
8. Call a poison-control hotline if you think your child has ingested anything toxic. The staff will be able to tell you what to do and whether the situation is a medical emergency.
9. Seek medical attention if your child complains of a severe headache, especially if it's accompanied by a stiff neck and a fever'these symptoms sometimes signal meningitis.
10. Whenever in doubt, call your doctor, or call 911 in an emergency. It's always better to be on the safe side.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep emergency numbers, including the number for poison control, next to the phone.
• Put together a first aid kit with supplies you may need for your child, including (but not limited to) bandages, fever reducers, ipecac syrup, allergy medications, antibiotic cream and hydrogen peroxide.
• If your child requires regular medication for any condition, always replace it well before it runs out.
• If your child is asthmatic, be sure to have a spare inhaler where you can find it immediately, since children often misplace inhalers.
• If you think your child has taken poison, do not induce vomiting unless the poison control hotline tells you to.