Often, parents only have minutes to decide if their child needs medical attention. In a perfect world, we’d be able to take our children to the hospital for every sore and bruise. On one hand, hospitals are expensive, even with insurance. On the other hand, your child’s life is worth more than any hospital bill. Here’s how to know when your child needs an ER visit.
Fever
Fevers can usually be treated at home, but are sometimes a sign of something more dangerous.
Stay at Home:
- it’s only been a few days
- your child responds to fever reducer medicine
Go to the Hospital:
- your child is under three months old with a temperature 104° F or higher
- your child is older than three months old with a temperature of 104° F or higher accompanied with unresponsiveness, inconsolable crying, trouble breathing, vomiting or seizures
Bleeding
Scratches and scrapes are an easy fix, but heavy bleeding needs to be taken seriously.
Stay at Home:
- small cuts or laceration
Go to the Hospital:
- open flesh or exposed bone
- even with bandages and applied pressure, the bleeding continues after fifteen minutes
Vomiting and Diarrhea
If your child is vomiting and has diarrhea, pay attention to other symptoms.
Stay at Home:
- your child can keep down sips of liquid
- your child is producing tears
Go to the Hospital:
- your child has had a dry diaper or hasn’t urinated for six hours.
- your child is unable to keep anything down, even small sips of liquid
- the soft spot on your baby’s head is noticeably sunken
- your child is crying is unable to produce tears with crying
- your child is listless, not feeling and not looking well
- your child vomits blood or has diarrhea with blood
When in doubt, always visit a hospital. If your child has had frequent hospital visits, it’s time to see a pediatrician. Request an appointment through Pediatrix today.
