Should I take her to the ER? Does he need to see our pediatrician? Am I over-reacting to this fever? Should I be worried she hasn’t eaten today? We’ve all asked these questions.
Fevers and cold symptoms are being spread like confetti lately. If your family has been hit with the crud, you no doubt have asked yourself if a trip to the doctor or ER is the right step to take. While snuggle time with mom is for sure the best medicine, sometimes our littles need a bit more to get back to their wild selves.
No parent wants to see their child sick, but what’s worse than caring for a sick kid? Not knowing if you should take the symptoms seriously, or if you should let it run its course. Whether you are an “I’ll call the doctor just to be sure” mom or a “take a nap, you’ll feel better soon” mom there are some things to keep in mind when our kids aren’t feeling their best. It could be a cold, but it could be flu or RSV and those are nothing to scoff at. Some symptoms could indicate an illness that needs immediate attention.
We teamed up with the best of the best at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center to share some tips and things to remember when our littles are sick.
Follow this guide for signs and symptoms to help answer:
“Should we go see our doctor or visit the ER?”
For babies 0–12 months:
Consider calling your physician if:
Pulling or grabbing their ears, the child is sleepy, has “dull eyes”, irritable and whimpers off and on, will take sips or bites of food when offered, voiding but the urine is dark in color
Call your physician or visit the ER if:
Any fever in babies less than 12 weeks, fever above 100.4 for babies 12 weeks to 1-year-old.
Rule of thumb: if your child shows 2 or more of these symptoms call your family physician or seek the ER
Increase breathing rates, makes grunting or wheezing noises when breathing, less frequent or no wet diaper in the last 12 hours, frequent vomiting or diarrhea, slow to wake up, continuously whimpers or moaning even if consoling
For children toddler age 12-24 months
Consider calling your physician if:
Pulling or grabbing their ears, the child is sleepy, has “dull eyes”, irritable and whimpers off and on, will take sips or bites of food when offered, voiding but the urine is dark in color
Call your physician or visit the ER if:
Fever of 102 or above
Rule of thumb: if your child shows 2 or more of these symptoms call your family physician or seek the ER
Increase breathing rates, makes grunting or wheezing noises when breathing, less frequent or no wet diaper in the last 12 hours, frequent vomiting or diarrhea, slow to wake up, continuously whimpers or moaning even if consoling
Children preschool to school age
Consider calling your physician if:
Runny noses, fever, acting fussy or listless, generally not quite themselves
Rule of thumb: if your child shows 2 or more of these symptoms call your family physician or seek the ER
They complain of their throat or ears hurting, symptoms become worse, complain of difficulty breathing, grunting or wheezing when breathing, frequent vomiting, or diarrhea, they haven’t voided for greater than 12 hours
While these are great things to keep in mind and a wonderful guide to follow – you know your child best! If ever you are concerned, call your physician or EIRMC’s Ask-A-Nurse line – it’s completely free!
Ask A Nurse Advice Line – FREE & Available 24/7
208-467-6167
Not sure if your child’s symptoms call for a trip to the ER?
Talk to a specially-trained pediatric RN 24/7!
Be Prepared
So, you’ve determined you need to call your physician, the Ask A Nurse line, or visit the ER…now what? Here are some questions you want to be prepared to answer to ensure that doctors and nurses can provide the best care possible.
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What was your child’s most recent temperature and what time was their temperature last taken?
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If you gave your child medication, what did you give and when was it given?
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What time did you notice your child becoming sick or getting worse?
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How are they acting now? Alert, sleepy, fussy?
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What concerns do you have?
It’s always a good idea to have paper and pen ready to write down their instructions.
This “sick season” is no fun for anyone. We do our best to keep surfaces clean and hands washed but “sick” happens. And, when it does rest assured that Ask a Nurse is ALWAYS available and this guide can help you make a plan so you can focus all your energy of snuggling your littles back to health.
