Pediatric emergencies are a concern for every parent. No one wants a child to get sick or injured, and if they do, getting quick care is the top priority.
Recognizing symptoms of serious illness or injury in children can be life-saving. Getting prompt care is important, but not every urgent situation requires a trip to the ER. In some cases, you can go to a nearby urgent care clinic when your child is sick, injured, or suffering from food poisoning and get treatment without the long waits and high costs you might have at an ER.
When to Call 911 vs. Visit Urgent Care for Your Child
Knowing when to go to an ER and when to go to urgent care for pediatric emergencies will ensure your child gets the right care at the right time. The ER is the right place to get critical care for life-threatening emergencies. Urgent care for pediatrics offers same-day treatment for mild or moderate illnesses and injuries in a quiet, professional setting, equipped to care for patients of all ages.
When to Choose ER
You should visit the ER for emergencies that are life- or limb-threatening injuries. You should also take a child to the ER if they have:
- Difficulty breathing
- High fever in a newborn
- Injury with uncontrolled bleeding
- Severe stomach pain
- Head injury with loss of consciousness, vomiting, or behavioral changes.
When to Choose Urgent Care
You can visit urgent care for pediatric emergencies that are not life-threatening but need same-day treatment, such as:
- Cuts requiring stitches
- Persistent illness with coughing, vomiting, or mild fever
- Mild allergic reactions, such as rashes
- Sprains or other mild or moderate injuries
1. High Fever in Infants and Young Children
Parents can manage mild fevers from common pediatric illnesses at home. Sponge baths with cool water, over-the-counter fever-reducing medications like acetaminophen, and giving the child plenty of fluids can ease discomfort and help them feel better.
Parents should take a baby to the ER if they are three months old and have a fever over 100 degrees, especially during RSV season. In addition, fevers over 102.2 degrees require a trip to the ER, as do fevers accompanied by unusual symptoms, including:
- Lethargy or listlessness
- Ill appearance
- Difficulty breathing
- Tiny reddish purple dots (petechiae) or splotches (purpura) appearing on the skin
- Continuous crying
- Headache, neck stiffness, and/or confusion
Occasionally, fevers can trigger febrile seizures. Seizures are abnormal electrical signals in the brain that can cause:
- Convulsions
- Involuntary movements
- Altered awareness
- Abnormal sensations
If your child has a seizure, take them to the ER. They can determine whether the seizure is caused by fever or a more serious health condition.
2. Respiratory Emergencies
Coughing and sneezing are common cold symptoms that tend to go away with time and rest. Occasionally, children develop serious respiratory issues and have trouble breathing. Signs of a respiratory emergency include:?
- Difficulty breathing
- A blue tint to the lips and/or skin (cyanosis)
- A loud squeaking noise when the child breathes in
- Episodes of uncontrollable coughing followed by a high-pitched intake of air
Children with these symptoms should get to the ER for immediate medical treatment.
3. Severe Allergic Reactions (Anaphylaxis)
Severe allergic reactions can cause a life-threatening situation known as anaphylaxis. The immune system goes into overdrive, leading to rapid swelling of the face, mouth, and throat. Heart rate can increase, and breathing may become difficult as the throat and airways become swollen.
If your child shows signs of anaphylaxis, you should call 911 or go immediately to the nearest emergency room. They will need epinephrine injections to stop the reaction, and they will need to be monitored for several hours to make sure symptoms don’t return.
4. Dehydration and Heat-Related Illnesses
Exposure to heat can lead to dehydration and heat-related illness in children. Parents should plan ahead for outdoor safety, and avoid heat by staying indoors during the hottest times of day, keeping children out of direct sun, and making sure children drink plenty of fluids before, during, and after time outdoors.
Signs of heat illness include:
- Flushed skin
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Muscle cramps
If your child has signs of heat-related illness, move them to a cooler area. A cool bath or applying a cold compress to their neck, wrists, or armpits can help them feel cooler. Have them sip on fluids like water or a sports drink to help them rehydrate.
If symptoms worsen, seek medical attention at an urgent care center. Your child may need IV fluids or other treatment to prevent heat sickness from progressing to heat stroke.
5. Burns, Injuries, or Accidents
Serious cuts, burns, and injuries like broken bones or sprains need medical attention right away.
Urgent care clinics can perform X-rays after sports injuries or other accidents to see if a bone is broken. If it is, they will stabilize it and refer you to an orthopedist for follow-up care.
A cut needs stitches if it is longer than .75 inch, very deep, or gaping. Use a clean cloth to put steady, firm pressure on the wound to slow or stop the bleeding, then come to urgent care to have it cleaned and sutured.
If a child gets a burn, immediately soak the burn in cold water until the area cools and pain is relieved. If the burned area isn’t blistered or oozing, cover it with clean gauze and use an ice pack wrapped in a towel or over-the-counter pain relievers to ease discomfort.
Blistered or oozing burns need medical attention. Urgent care staff can clean and dress a burn and give you aftercare instructions to help your child heal and avoid infection.
6. Seizures
Seizures are uncommon but can be a sign of more serious health conditions; you should follow up with a healthcare professional.
If your child is having a seizure, you should stay calm. Lay the child on the ground and clear away any nearby objects. Turn them on their side to prevent choking. Do not restrain the child, but stay close by to make sure they don’t injure themselves.
You should call 911 for a seizure if:
- It is the child’s first seizure.
- The seizure lasts 5 minutes or longer.
- The child does not wake up after the seizure.
- The child has trouble breathing.
- The child has diabetes or other underlying health conditions.
7. Poison Ingestion or Exposure
Families should keep any poisonous materials out of reach of children to prevent poisoning. In the event that a child does ingest or come into contact with a poisonous material, it’s important to act quickly
If your child is conscious and not having emergency symptoms, you can get help from Poison Control online or by calling 1-800-222-1222. The trained staff can advise you on what steps to take.
If your child is unconscious, not breathing, or having convulsions or seizures due to poison contact or ingestion, call 911 for immediate medical help.
8. Choking
Knowing how to respond quickly when a child is choking is critical. Parents should recognize the signs of choking:
- Gasping or wheezing
- Unable to talk, cry, or make noise
- The child turns a bluish color.
- Grabbing at their throat, waving their arms, and appearing panicked
- Becoming limp or unconscious
If a child is choking, give back blows between their shoulder blades to try and force the object out of their throat. If that doesn’t work, you can perform abdominal thrusts, sometimes called the Heimlich maneuver:
- Stand or kneel behind the child.
- Find their navel with two fingers and make a fist with your other hand.
- Place the thumb side of your fist against their stomach, above your fingers.
- Take your first hand away from the navel and cover your fist with it.
- Pull inward and upward 5 times.
Keeping choking hazards away from children and taking a CPR course from a certified instructor will teach you how to respond in a choking emergency.
Tips to Stay Prepared for Your Child
Being prepared is the best way to be ready for any medical emergencies that arise. Parents can improve preparedness by having the right supplies and information close at hand, including:
- List of emergency contacts
- Child’s medical history, conditions, allergies, etc.
- Vaccine record, including the most recent flu shot and tetanus shot
- A supply of necessary medications
- First aid kit
- Location of the nearest urgent care and ER
- Copies of insurance cards and medical records
- Detailed, up-to-date emergency plans
Visiting Preventive and Pediatric Urgent Care in Texas
Parents know their children best, and they are the best judges of when a kid’s symptoms merit professional care. If your child is injured, sick, or not acting like themselves, bring them to Next Level Urgent Care for same-day professional treatment. You can come to any of our locations in Houston, Austin, or San Antonio between 9 am and 9 pm, seven days a week. Walk-ins are always welcome, or skip the wait by checking in using our mobile app.
