When to take a child to the ER?

Question

At what point do you take your child to the ER or wait till there open? Normal cold/flu child 3yrs wont push fluids. Has only pee 4x today. I am packing a bag, I rather be safe then sorry. But still feel silly since its a cold/flu with a bad cough and from time to time throwing up. She has problems when sick w/ dehydration. So am I jumping to fast?

Ok going to add a little.

She has had a fever for past 3 days. She only has drank about 1 small cup of kool-aid. And then the 1 1/2 pop cycles she just had came up as fast as she put them down.

She hasnt slept since Thursday night and that wasnt much. She tries to sleep but only makes it about 10 mins. at a time if that.

She tends to lay around all day and night. Every now and then she will get up to get a barbie to lay but not playing.

Last time she was sick we were in the hospital for a week, for dehydration, they had problems with keeping her hydrated.

I think I am going to try another pop cycle and see what happens. Give it a few more hours.

Thank you all for the replys

Answer 1

If she has been running a fever for 3 days and not drinking fluid she is probably dehydrated. Does she have dark circles around her eyes and do they look somewhat sunken in? Try pinching her skin on the back of her hand and see if it recoils instantly,(lays back down). If not she needs fluid. Is she lethargic? Sounds like she is. For a three year old to not be running around playing is not normal, esp. at this time of year. When my daughter was three she had similar symptoms, lethargy, fever, etc.
Turned out she had Mono! Still don't know where it came from (24 years later) because I was a stay at home mom--no day care etc..
You know the old saying "mother knows best" so go with your basic instinct and do what you know is the right thing. You must have complete disreguard to things like- what others think you shoud do, whether you have insurance, ect. What's the worst that could happen--So what if they send you home from the ER. At least you will have peace of mind and maybe some medicine for her. Good luck. An old trick I used to get my kids to drink fluid at a time like this was to pour 7-up from one glass to another until all the fizz was gone and they would love it. Good luck and I hope she is all better soon.

Answer 2

You could call your doctor and ask. Or bring him in to the ER if you feel he is dehydrated.

That said, a fever of 103 degrees F (39.4 degrees C) or higher is generally considered cause to check with a doctor. She will probably ask you about other symptoms when you call. The most important thing is how your toddler looks and acts — if he's lost his appetite, has little energy, is noticeably pale or flushed, if he's extremely irritable and cannot be consoled, or you notice other changes in his behavior and appearance, for example.

Be sure to mention symptoms such as a cough and ear pain (if you suspect it) or vomiting and diarrhea — these can help the doctor make a diagnosis. She will then give you instructions on how to care for your toddler and whether you need to come into the office.

Answer 3

Take her if she has not peed within last 2 hours and she can't when you take her. She could be dehydrated and need fluids thru an IV. Dehydration is very serious, it can cause all sorts of problems, especially if she has a fever. The fluids help keep the fever down.

Answer 4

if she cant seem to hold anything at all down this its a good idea to go.
see if she can and will eat a freezy pop. (this is what the ER will give her) its cold (helps with feaver) its wet (helps with hydration) and its sweet (they like them)!

I have 3 sons and just went thru having all 3 sick with a stomach virus. a few pops and some baby motrin and they were fine. (and yes I did end up with one in the ER they gave him a supostory to surpress nausea and a a freezey pop! and sent him home)(he was not happy about the suppository!!!)

Answer 5

you're a good mommy to pack a bag and go, little ones can dehydrate so fast, and their symptoms can worsen rapidly, I'll keep you and your kiddo in my prayers. Good luck, I hope its nothing serious! Cold and flu season is scary for mommies, I know, I've spent many hours in the ER with my 2 (now 15 & 17)

Answer 6

You will likely be waiting several hours to be seen at the ER, especially tonight since its New Year's Eve. I'm an EMT and have seen it plenty of times. Unless you are a trauma victim, you will be low on the priority list. You have to decide if its worth putting the child through that all-night wait around a lot of dirty scary people when you could take her to reg. doctor when they open (probably on Tuesday).
Unless she has a serious fever, I'd wait. Try to get pedialyte to prevent the dehydration.
Watch for the fever, however. I'd say anything higher than 101 would require the ER.

Answer 7

u can go but sometimes it's a waste of time and money. i'd wait until there's another important sign like really high fever or very bad diharrea. keep watching and make sure she does pee once in a while. make sure she eat's good food, like soup. if she has those problems w/ dehydration, make sure she has a lot of liquids and u can give her popsicles to suck on and keep her entertained. if she is happy and shows interest in toys or games she is not that bad. if u go to the doctor sometimes they'll just say to keep watching her and give her liquids.

Answer 8

Never hesitate when it comes to dehydration and a child. They dehydrate and deterioate so quickly that it is better to have them seen as soon as you can. Keep pushing fluids. Soda pops are good bribes.

Answer 9

If they have had trouble keeping her hydrated in the past i would take her.. Otherwise they do usually send you home and tell you to keep doing what your doing.. They gave my daughter suppositories also so she could keep stuff down at the clinic once.. I would go with your instincts though and take her if you think you should...

Answer 10

I would call a nurse hotline and ask them. Probably should take your child in, urgent care a possibility? Push fluids, pedialyte helps alot. Good luck!