Having a sick or injured child is every parent’s worst nightmare, but knowing what to do when emergencies arise is crucial. Many times, it’s vital to visit nearby medical professionals for health concerns. However, a trip to urgent care can be scary for kids and stressful for parents.
So, what should you do when your child needs urgent care? And when should you rush them to the emergency room? Let’s look at the four things you need to remember for an urgent care trip.
1. Keep Calm and Communicate with Your Child
For one, urgent care trips are a scary experience for children and parents. But remember that panicking will not ease the stressful situation. Take a few deep breaths and focus. Next, try to be clear and concise when speaking to the medical staff. Tell them what happened, what symptoms your child is experiencing, and other relevant information.
Finally, be patient as they get an attending pediatrician. The facility may be busy, and it could take a while to attend to your child.
2. Bring Your Child’s Medical Records
At the same time, when seeking urgent care for your child, you must familiarize yourself with your kid’s medical history, such as allergies, previous illnesses, injuries, surgeries, vaccinations, or chronic conditions.
Consider writing it down and keeping a readily available copy at home. That way, it will be handy in the face of an emergency.
3. Have Snacks for You and Your Child
Urgent care facilities are always hectic, especially during the pandemic. This makes the waiting time seem longer, and kids can get hungry. One essential step in providing your children urgent care in the emergency room is providing them healthy snacks. Snacks are critical for keeping your blood sugar level as normal as possible. Protein bars, nuts, crackers, and trail mix are good options.
However, if the cause of your child’s emergency is unknown, do not feed them unless your healthcare provider says otherwise.
4. Bring Gadgets and Chargers
Lastly, bring a gadget to keep your child occupied. It is acceptable to get a phone or iPad during your urgent care trip. Letting your child watch their favorite show or play their favorite game can help take their mind off the long waiting hours and fear of the hospital. You may also use them to keep in touch with concerned loved ones.
Chargers must also be immediately available for easy recharge.
Warning Signs to Seek Urgent Care for your Child
Your children are more at risk because their immune system has not fully developed yet. As a parent, seeking urgent care for your child can be tricky. That’s why you must know what to do when emergencies rise. However, if you’re unsure whether to rush them to the hospital or not, you can always consult your pediatrician.
Rush them to the nearest urgent care facility immediately if they experience difficulty breathing, allergic reactions, significant bone breaks, or an abnormally high fever that doesn’t subside.
To Sum Up
Urgent care trips are scary, especially for children and parents. That’s why you must prepare them and yourself for the worst-case scenarios. Gentle communication and planning ahead can help reduce stress.
If your child needs urgent care, bring them to our medical professionals at Your Kids Urgent Care! We provide reliable children’s urgent care in Vestavia Hills, AL. We also offer telemedicine services for children needing online urgent care services. Contact us today!
