It’s respiratory season, and that means parents are dealing with snotty kids and long waits in emergency rooms. Knowing where to go for help when your child is sick can be overwhelming, but there are a few things that can usually wait to be seen in your pediatrician’s office, saving you time and the headache of waiting in an emergency room.
Coughs and most fevers in otherwise healthy children, who are breathing well and older than three months, can safely be evaluated and treated at your pediatrician’s office. It’s better to make an appointment than to rush to the emergency room, unless you are worried and believe your child needs immediate medical attention.
When children are seen in the pediatrician’s office, a stepwise approach can be taken, which is tough to do through an emergency room. Also, the need for viral testing can be discussed in this setting.
However, if you are worried, emergency rooms are staffed with dedicated professionals ready to help, and it’s important to trust your parental intuition if something doesn’t feel right and believe your child needs to be evaluated right away.
Editor’s note: Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez is a practicing pediatrician at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, co-founder of Informada, a contributing editor to SheKnows, and a mom to an active toddler.
Before you go, grab these all-natural remedies to relieve your child’s cold symptoms:
