Choosing the right care in the moment can be scary for a new mom. KidsStreet Urgent Care shares our tips on making the right choice for your precious little one.
Your baby’s first year of life will have many magnificent memories. It’ll also be chock-full of countless questions. Am I feeding her correctly? Is he sleeping enough? Is this poop normal?
One crucial question that may arise is where to take your infant for medical care. Should I call the pediatrician’s office? Do I need to call 911 or head to the emergency room? Should I take my baby to urgent care?
As a parent, you want to make the best decisions for your child, but sometimes the choices can lead to uncertainty. We’re sharing our best tips to help you make the safest healthcare choices for your little one.
When to Call 911
When you call 911, emergency medical services (EMS) personnel are sent to your location. This is the best choice in a life-threatening emergency when every minute counts. EMS can likely get to you faster than you can get to the emergency department.
You should call 911 if your infant is:
- Choking.
- Having a first-time seizure or a seizure lasting more than 5 minutes.
- Not breathing.
- Not responding or waking up.
- Suffering from a neck or spine injury. (Do not move your baby; let EMS personnel move them to prevent further injury.)
- Suffering from severe burns to their chest, face, or groin area.
- Suffering from a severe allergic reaction with swelling to their airway.
EMS will use their emergency resources to treat your infant and then transport them to the closest emergency room or children’s hospital for further assessment and treatment.
When to Go to the Emergency Room
Emergency rooms provide care for patients of all ages with life-threatening illnesses or injuries 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Emergency departments are part of hospitals with vast resources.
You should take your infant to the emergency room if your infant has:
- A fever of 100.4°F or higher, and they are younger than two months old.
- A fever accompanied by a purplish-red rash or a stiff neck.
- A head injury with a loss of consciousness or vomiting.
- An open fracture or broken bone.
- Bloody diarrhea or vomit.
- Signs of dehydration, with symptoms including dry lips, mouth, and tongue, few or no tears when they cry, fewer than six wet diapers a day, sunken eyes, or a sunken soft spot on their head.
- Trouble breathing, unusually deep breathing, or rapid breathing.
- Uncontrolled bleeding.
You might be tempted to think that the emergency room is always the best choice since they have the most resources. However, there are drawbacks to going to the emergency department.
Emergency rooms tend to be crowded and have long wait times. They do not treat patients on a first-come, first-served basis. They must provide care for the sickest patients first, which can mean a long wait time for you and your little one if they do not have a critical illness or injury.
Sitting in an emergency waiting room for a long time could unnecessarily expose your infant to bacteria, germs, and viruses that their young immune system may be unprepared to fight. Additionally, emergency care is usually more expensive than primary and urgent care.
When to Go to Urgent Care
Urgent care clinics help bridge the gap between the emergency room and primary care services at the pediatrician’s office. Licensed medical providers staff urgent care centers and quickly treat non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries.
Many urgent care centers are open seven days a week with extended hours. Some clinics, like KidsStreet Urgent Care, offer convenient on-site lab testing and X-ray imaging.
You should take your infant to urgent care if they have:
- Allergies or minor allergic reactions that do not impair their breathing.
- An ear infection not responding to home treatment.
- Animal bites.
- Bee and insect stings.
- Bronchitis symptoms not responding to home treatment.
- Cold and flu symptoms not responding to home treatment.
- Fever in an infant over two months old lasting two days or a high fever of 104°F.
- Foreign objects stuck in your infant’s ears or nose.
- Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease in your baby younger than six months or lasting longer than seven to 10 days.
- Minor abdominal pain.
- Minor burns and sunburns.
- Minor cuts and lacerations that may need sutures.
- Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea that lasts 48 hours without signs of dehydration.
- Signs of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) not responding to home treatment.
- Sinus infection not responding to home treatment.
- Skin rash or poison ivy not responding to home treatment.
Not all urgent care centers are created equally. Urgent care centers like KidsStreet Urgent Care are pediatric urgent care centers specifically designed to treat baby urgent care needs, infant urgent care needs, and child infant care needs. Our kid-friendly healthcare providers specialize in treating your kiddo’s little emergencies.
When to Call the Pediatrician
Your pediatrician knows your infant better than other healthcare providers. They are your go-to person for well-baby visits, scheduled vaccines, and routine health concerns during regular office hours.
If your infant has an urgent health concern outside of office hours and you are unsure whether to call 911, go to the emergency room, or take your baby to urgent care, we recommend calling your pediatrician’s office. Your pediatrician should have an answering service that can help address your concern, with your infant’s specific health history in mind, and advise you on the appropriate location to seek care for your baby.
Turn to KidsStreet Urgent Care
Is your infant having one of life’s little emergencies? KidsStreet Urgent Care can help them heal and feel better fast!
Register online to visit one of our kid-friendly clinics near you. You and your little one can wait in the convenience of your home or car until we’re ready to see you. We’ll text you when it’s time to head to the clinic.
We love walk-ins! However, we do recommend registering online to reduce your in-clinic wait time. Walk-ins join the same queue as those who register online.