What You Need To Know About Sick Child Visits
While you will certainly bring your child in regularly to see our Irvine, CA, pediatricians for standard wellness visits, it’s also important to know when certain conditions, injuries, and symptoms require immediate and professional medical attention. Not sure when to handle illness at home and when to bring your sick child in for a visit? Here are some rules to follow...
Dangerous Conditions
It’s a good idea to call our pediatricians in Irvine if your child is experiencing,
- A high or prolonged fever
- Trouble breathing
- Severe or persistent pain (e.g. earache; sore throat)
- Thick eye discharge
- Vomiting or diarrhea that is persistent or contains blood
- Signs of dehydration (this is considered an emergency situation)
- Severe lethargy or illness lasting more than 4-5 days
- Symptoms of a contagious illness (e.g. chickenpox; mono)
- Symptoms after recently traveling outside the country
- A widespread or painful rash
Fever
When it comes to a fever, it’s important that you monitor your child closely for any changes. Watch out for a high fever, especially if it is accompanied by lethargy and other symptoms. If your child is also having trouble breathing, they will require immediate medical attention.
Additionally, the age of your child is a large factor when determining whether the fever warrants a trip to our office. A pediatrician should see babies under the age of three months who have a fever over 100.4 F. Children between three months and 3 years should also be evaluated by a medical professional if their fever is over 102 F.
Ear Pain
Ear pain is often caused by an infection, and while some ear infections will go away on their own without medication, sometimes it’s important for your little one to receive antibiotics in order to fight the infection. If your child’s earache is accompanied by a high fever/additional symptoms, if the pain is severe, or if there is discharge coming from the ear, then you should see a pediatrician as soon as you can.
Vomiting or Diarrhea
Again, this is a symptom you’ll want to watch closely. If symptoms persist or are severe, then you’ll want to see a doctor right away. Call us if,
- There is blood in the stool
- Your child is showing signs of dehydration (e. dark urine)
- The fever is over 104 F
When in doubt, if your child is very sick or seems in distress, it’s best to play it safe and give us a call right away.