When your child is under the weather, it can be tempting to skip going to the doctor & just let them stay home from school then try to treat it at home. In general, this approach is a good one, but it’s important to note that more than 700 health conditions present like a cold to start with. Some of them are mild, while others can be life-threatening.

The following are signs that you should investigate your child’s illness sooner, not later.

• Fever—This is a sign the body is dealing with something big, such as bacteria & viruses. Flu is the most common cause, but if the fever is very high, call a doctor or go to an emergency room.
• Severe Headache—Headaches so intense they leave your child in tears or cause problems with concentration or ability to think clearly should be checked out at an ER. It could be meningitis, which can attack and even kill within hours of exposure.
• Extreme Aches & Tiredness—If they are so achy and weak that they can barely get out of bed, it’s time to seek medical help. It might be just flu, of course, in which case they can get treated with an antiviral like Tamiflu (which can cut symptoms by several days) rather than trying to ride it out. It can also prevent complications from flu, such as lung problems.
• Vomiting—This is the body’s way of rejecting various germs. Vomiting in children is cause for concern due to how easily they can get dehydrated.
• An Irregular Heart Beat—We all have this from time to time, but in children, it could be a sign of dehydration, or a virus that’s attacking the heart.
• A Cough That Lasts Longer Than 10 Days—This is always suspicious, especially if your child has been taking cough medicine.
• Pain or a Feeling of Pressure in the Chest—This could be a sign that a cold or flu has worsened to affect the lungs.
• Shortness of Breath—This is also a sign that the cold has started to affect the lungs in some way.
• No Relief of Symptoms Despite Natural Remedies or with Taking Medicine—This could be a sign of more than cold or flu.
• Worsening Symptoms, Especially a Sudden Change—If you’ve been treating your child with over-the-counter or prescription medications but there is no improvement, or they start to get worse or experience a sudden, rapid decline, take them to the ER.
• Pain in the Forehead or under the Eyes—This could be a sign of sinus infection.
• Pain in the Ears, Dizziness—These could be signs of ear infection.
• Changes Related to any Chronic Condition—If your child has Type 1 diabetes, asthma, kidney problems, or any other long-term medical condition—keep an eye out for any changes. These could become very severe quite quickly, even with just a common cold.
• Sudden Vomiting, Listlessness and/or Untypical Aggressive Behavior—This could be a sign of Reye’s Syndrome. It is a two-phase illness almost always linked to a previous viral infection such the flu, a cold, or the chicken pox. It’s associated with taking aspirin. It can be misdiagnosed as encephalitis, meningitis, diabetes or some form of poisoning. Always use over-the-counter medications with care exactly as directed on the label.

Keep a watchful eye just in case that “cold” is something more, and you will be better able to keep your family safe.

My Child Is Sick: Expert Advice for Managing Common Illesses and Injuries