There’s nothing worse for parents than when their child gets sick. It’s not just the worry and the stress that’s the problem but also the cost. It’s no secret that healthcare can be expensive, which is what makes caring for a sick child even harder to deal with. The problem is that knowing when to take a child to see a doctor can be hard to judge. As a parent, it’s easy to rush them to the doctor’s office at the first sign of any sickness. But it’s important to realize that a lot of childhood illnesses can be safely treated at home.
Many parents struggle when it comes to their child getting sick as while they want them to get the best care. However, they don’t want to pay for medical treatment unnecessarily. It’s a tricky situation and one that a lot of moms struggle to know how to cope with. With that in mind, this guide should help parents to decide the best ways to care for a sick child and when to take them to see a doctor. As well as a few useful tips for keeping health care costs as low as possible.
Google their symptoms
When a child gets sick, it can sometimes be hard to work out what’s wrong with them. As a parent, this can make things even more stressful as it’s easy to panic about what it could be. The best thing to do in this situation is have a look online and do some research. Obviously, it’s important to realize that often, the internet gives the worst case scenarios. However, look past these and focus on the everyday illnesses that are common in children. Getting an idea of what could be wrong with a child that’s sick is important, as this will help to make it easier to work out the next steps to take. Things like coughs, colds, sickness bugs and viruses can be treated at home. Infections, however, require medical attention.
Keep an eye on the child
As a parent, the best thing to do when a child is sick is keep an eye on them. Often, they’ll act differently, when they’re sick to how they act when they’re healthy. These signs can be subtle, but as a parent, it’s important to look out for them. Lots of moms worry that they won’t be able to tell if their child is really sick, but it’s obvious when a child is severely unwell. A child who is very unwell will sleep all day, have a raging fever and may even be delirious. Any of these symptoms requires immediate medical attention.
Leave it 24 hours
As long as the child doesn’t have a high fever or is delirious, it’s often okay to monitor them for 24 hours before taking them to see a doctor. Obviously, this depends on how sick the child is, but in most cases 24 hours of monitoring is the best thing to do. That way, the child can be watched to see if they start to improve or if they seem to be getting more unwell. If a child appears to be getting more sick, it’s important to take them to the doctors as soon as possible, to ensure that they’re getting the right care.
Check their temperature
The most important factor when a child is sick is their temperature. Most fevers – high temperatures, are mild and disappear on their own. However, if a child is burning up with an extremely high fever, it’s important to know how to get it down. Temperature spikes can be dangerous for young children, so knowing how to relieve a fever is a must for all parents. The best way to do this is by giving them painkillers, if after an hour, their temperature is still high, it’s time to call a doctor.
Make a doctor’s appointment
If the child has a raging temperature, has been getting more and more sick or is delirious, a doctor’s appointment is essential. Health care can be expensive, especially if the child isn’t covered by medical insurance. However, that shouldn’t stop a sick child from seeing a doctor. While most medical facilities are expensive, there are some that offer low-cost or even free care. Many parents aren’t aware of this but low-cost medical care does exist, it’s just a case of finding it. There is also help available to help parents on a low-income cover the cost of medical bills. There’s even prescription assistance available, to help make medicine more affordable.
Do as the doctor says
Doctors don’t give advice for it not to be listened to. If a child is sick enough to see a doctor, it’s important that the advice given is taken on board. If a doctor recommends that a sick child should spend two days in bed, this should be followed. Many parents take a child to see a doctor and then don’t heed what the doctor says. It’s important to take the advice on board that’s given, to help speed up how quickly it takes the child to heal.
Ensure the prescription is completed
It’s also essential that if the child is given a prescription, the whole course of medicine is completed. Far too often, once a child starts to feel better their parents stops giving them their medicine because they believe they no longer need it. However, that’s not the case, for medicine to be effective, the entire course must be completed. Even if the child is much happier and more active, it’s still essential that all their medicine is taken. This helps to prevent the illness returning and strengthens their immune system making them less prone to future bouts of the same thing.
As a parent, any time a child is sick it’s incredibly worrying. However, it’s important to be rational and decide whether it’s essential that a sick child sees a doctor. Take the time to research their symptoms and monitor them and then decide whether or not they need to see a professional.
