When Should I Take My Child to Urgent Care?

A child’s immune system is not fully developed, which exposes them to frequent medical conditions. As a parent, you cannot rest or concentrate at work when your child is sick. You would, therefore, appreciate a health facility that can treat your child without delays.

An urgent care center is a viable option to handle your child’s health emergencies without delay or wasting an entire day. If your regular doctor has closed, be sure you’ll find an open urgent care center.

More importantly, urgent care centers offer various treatment services at affordable rates.

If you’re looking for a convenient healthcare facility for your child’s well-being, consider visiting a reputable and trusted urgent care center in Houston.

Reasons to Take a Child to an Urgent Care Center

You should monitor the physical condition of your child and decide if they need to be evaluated by a doctor. Then, determine whether urgent care services will cover your child’s needs.

Below are some common child illnesses and when to take a child to an urgent care center:

Common Cold

A common cold is a viral infection that affects the sinuses, throat, and windpipe. Cold symptoms include cough, irritability, sneezing, loss of appetite, slightly swollen glands, and increased drooling.

Visit an urgent care center if your child develops the following conditions:

• The fever becomes high
• Starts vomiting
• The child has trouble breathing
• Cries a lot
• Ear and stomach pain
• Cannot eat
• Sleeps than usual
• The child starts wheezing

Asthma

Childhood asthma occurs when the lungs and airways become inflamed due to exposure to specific triggers. Triggers that cause asthma include pollen, colds, and other respiratory infections.

Children with asthma experience the following symptoms:

• Shortness of breath
• Chest congestion
• Wheezing sound
• Frequent coughing that worsens while sleeping or exercising.

See a doctor if you suspect your child has asthma. Early treatment will control symptoms and prevent possible asthma attacks.

Visit an urgent care center if your child develops the following symptoms:

• Rapid breathing and shortness of breath
• Constant and intermittent coughing linked to a physical activity
• Complaints of chest tightness
• Whistling sound when the child breathes out
• Repeated episodes of pneumonia

Fever in Children

Fever is when a child has excess body temperatures of up to 100.4°F (38°C). Conditions that cause fever include upper respiratory infections, ear infections, tonsillitis, whooping cough, and flu.

Visit an urgent care center if your child:

• Is vomiting repeatedly
• Is below three months and has a fever of (38°C) or above
• Is over three months old and has a fever of (39°C) or above
• Is suffering dehydration—no tears when crying, infrequent urination, or sunken eyes.
• Has a fever that lasts five days or more
• Has lost appetite
• Has a fever that doesn’t go away with paracetamol
• The baby cries a lot and is fussy

Eye Infection

The most common eye infections include bacterial conjunctivitis and viral conjunctivitis. These infections cause symptoms such as yellow or green discharge, stuck eyelids, swollen eyelids, and pus oozing from the eyes.

Visit an urgent care center if:

• The child’s vision becomes blurred
• The child develops a fever above 40°C
• The child acts or looks sick
• Eye discomfort or pain is severe
• Eyelids are very red or swollen

Constipation

Constipation is common in children undergoing potty training and kids around 2-3 years old. Your child may be constipated if their poop is too large or hard, develops stomach pain, has poor appetite, or hasn’t had a bowel movement at least three times in the last week.

Although constipation is not severe, it can lead to complications or indicate an underlying illness.

Visit an urgent care center if constipation lasts more than two weeks and is accompanied by:

• Weight loss
• Blood in the stool
• Abdominal swelling
• Pain during bowel movements
• Not eating

Diarrhea and Vomiting

Throwing up or producing watery stools is common in children and can happen at any time of the year. Vomiting and diarrhea often occur together; however, some children develop diarrhea or vomiting separately.

Take your child to an urgent care center if they display the following symptoms:

• Signs of dehydration
• Vomiting for more than 12 hours
• Have diarrhea more than five times within a day
• Temperatures of 38°C and above

For children above two years, visit an urgent care center if they have vomited for more than two days or had diarrhea for more than seven days.

Nasal Congestion

Children may develop nasal congestion while trying to build up immunity. They may also develop nasal congestion due to colds, flu, and allergies. If your baby has nasal congestion, they may cough, produce discolored nasal mucus, snore, and experience difficulty breathing while sucking.

Visit an urgent care center if:

• The symptoms last more than two weeks
• The child develops ear pain
• The child is congested and is three months or below
• The child has a fever and cough
• The child is breathing fast

Bronchitis

If your child has bronchitis, they’re likely to produce a cough with or without mucus that is either clear, yellow, gray, or green. The child may also experience pain while coughing. Other signs of bronchitis include sore throat, fever, fatigue, headache, body aches, and stuffy nose.

Take your child to an urgent care center if they:

• Are finding it difficult to breath
• Produce blood in the mucus
• They have a cough that lasts more than three weeks
• Have a fever with temperatures being 38°C and above

Try Lifeline Urgent Care Center Child Treatment Services

Fever is a common symptom of illnesses, including colds, flu, and ear infections. If left untreated or a delay occurs while seeking treatment, it can trigger seizures. Unfortunately, seizures increase the risk of injuries and long-term behavior and learning problems.

With that in mind, you should consider visiting a nearby urgent care center anytime your child becomes ill for timely and quality treatment.

At Lifeline Urgent Care Center, we have board-certified physicians and are open for extended hours, making us an ideal solution for child care.

Contact us online or call us at 281.771.1144 to book your appointment.