Is it a harmless symptom or a genuine cause for alarm? Surely this has happened to most mothers. A scary symptom shows in your precious little one, and you rush to the emergency room. When you’ve rendezvoused with doctors several times in a short span of time and you were just sent home each and every single time, you begin to wonder whether or not you were just being too much of an alarmist. How can you tell if something is worthy of a midnight trip to the emergency room? Well, it’s always best to consult a doctor when your child complains of any pain or discomfort. One symptom can have any number of possible diagnoses. A tummy pain can be a sign of diarrhea, appendicitis, or urinary tract infection. The point is, you simply cannot second-guess if your baby’s health or life is at stake.

It’s necessary to educate parents of common childhood illnesses. It’s better to err on the safe side and keep yourself well-informed. After all, positive panic is a natural response to the unknown. With more time and experience, parents will be able to distinguish between major and minor illnesses. It is imperative that you also learn to evaluate your child’s distress calls and identify a safe whimper from a serious sob.

For stomach pains, it is good to take note on how your child looks. If they are pale and are sweating profusely, check their bowel movements. Diarrhea only lasts for a day or two if it’s not too serious. This could have simply been caused by a bacterial or viral infection. Some children suffer from indigestion more than others if they are extremely sensitive to food. What you need to do is stay close and observe other symptoms. If there is abdominal pain, nausea, and fever that do not go away immediately, call your pediatrician for advice. Paracetamol for the pain and oral rehydration fluids are commonly given at first. It helps to be calm unless you observe three or more other symptoms present. If there is no improvement even after all the medicines the doctor has given, ask the hospital for a stool sample. Dehydration is especially scary for infants and only a doctor can prescribe the proper medication.

For constant vomiting, that could be food poisoning or an internal injury. If it’s just a case of indigestion, it’s not going to be fatal and dangerous. Stay calm even if watching your child vomit is scary enough as it is. They key solution here is to provide them with lots of fluids. If there are signs of dehydration such as dry mouth or skin, infrequent urination, or weakness, ask your doctor how you can make your child take the fluids that they need. However, tummy pains and vomiting aren’t the only things you should be watchful for. If you’re child has had that cough for more than a week, you definitely need to see your doctor. Whether it’s a mild respiratory ailment or something bigger, you need to make sure that you are giving them the medicines to help strengthen them when they are at their weakest.

Lastly, it is natural for parents to panic. Don’t feel bad that you over think a lot of these things. It is your right and privilege to know what is happening to your child at all times.