Signs That Your Child Is Seriously Ill

If your baby has a serious illness, it’s important to get medical attention as soon as possible.

It can be difficult to tell when a child is seriously ill. Above all, trust your instincts. You know better than anyone else what your child is usually like, so you’ll know what is worrying behaviour. To help you here is a comprehensive checklist of “red alert” symptoms that should always be treated as serious:

• a high-pitched, weak or continuous cry
• a lack of responsiveness, marked slowdown in activity or increased floppiness
• in babies, a bulging fontanelle (the soft spot on a baby’s head)
• neck stiffness
• not drinking for more than eight hours (taking solid food is not as important)
• a temperature of over 38C for a baby less than three months old, or over 39C for a baby aged three to six months old.
• a high temperature, but cold feet and hands
• a high temperature, coupled with quietness and listlessness
• fits, convulsions or seizures
• turning blue, very pale, mottled or ashen
• difficulty breathing, fast breathing, grunting while breathing, or if your child is working hard to breathe – for example, sucking their stomach in under their ribs
• your baby or child is unusually drowsy, hard to wake up or doesn’t seem to recognise you
• your child is unable to stay awake, even when you wake them
• a spotty, purple-red rash anywhere on the body (this could be a sign of meningitis)
• repeated vomiting or bile-stained (green) vomiting

It can be difficult to know when to call a doctor, but use the following as a guide.

Rush to the hospital if the:

• stop breathing
• are struggling for breath (you may notice their skin being sucked in under the ribcage)
• are unconscious or seem unaware of what’s going on
• won’t wake up
• have a fit for the first time, even if they seem to recover

Take your child to A&E if they:

• have a fever and are persistently lethargic, despite taking paracetamol or ibuprofen
• are having difficulty breathing (either breathing fast or panting, or they are very wheezy)
• have severe abdominal pain
• have a cut that won’t stop bleeding or is gaping open
• have a leg or arm injury that means they can’t use the limb
• have swallowed a poison or tablets

Again, trust your instincts. You know what’s different or worrying behaviour in your child.

 

Source: www.nhs.uk