Maybe they’re throwing up in the middle of the night. Maybe they’re coughing or wheezing to a frightening degree.
Whatever is happening to your child, it’s important to stay calm and plan your next steps in a way that maximizes your time and energy. Here’s a general action plan for when your child gets really sick.
Identify Their Symptoms
The first step is figuring out what’s actually wrong with your child. For example, they might claim to be cold, but if they’re running a fever at the same time, their symptom is actually “chills.”
Making a list of these things can help you do some quick research on the web to gauge the seriousness of the situation. It’ll also be useful to give to the doctor if you wind up taking them to the clinic after all.
Use the Internet Judiciously
Speaking of the web, it’s common for parents to consult Dr. Google as soon as they have concerns about their child’s health.
Heed the suggestions that seem reasonable. Like bringing down your child’s temperature and not letting them scratch their rash, but hold back on any extreme measures.
Be wary of home remedies, too. The only advice you can really trust will come from a trained medical professional.
Retrace Their Steps
Think back on your child’s day. If they were playing in the kitchen before they felt unwell, there’s a possibility they ingested something poisonous from under the sink.
If they were fine before they went to daycare, they might have picked up a contagion from the other children. Having this information can make all the difference in diagnosing and treating your child’s illness.
Be informative rather than accusatory. Doing this serves two purposes.
First off, it lets the parents know their child may be sick if they don’t already know. Secondly, your child may not have even caught their sickness from this other child.
This lets the parents know their child could end up contracting the illness as well. On a side note, be careful when letting your children play with other sick children.
If it can’t be avoided entirely, then make sure your child washes their hands after playing with them. Do your best to make sure they don’t eat each other’s food.
Find an Urgent Care Facility
Kids don’t wait for office hours to get sick. If your child needs immediate medical attention but it’s too late to see your regular doctor, consider taking them to a pediatric urgent care service.
These places provide many of the same services as emergency rooms, but the wait is typically much shorter. As a bonus, an urgent care facility devoted to pediatric health will be child-oriented and kid-friendly in a way regular hospitals aren’t.
It can be a scary, scary thing when your child starts vomiting or running a fever, but getting panicked won’t help anyone. Use these tips, keep yourself calm and figure out what to do to take care of your child when they need you the most.
It’s important to steer your child in the right direction so they can be successful. One of the most important things to do is encourage your children to make healthy life decisions.
Here are a few ways to encourage a healthy lifestyle.
