Helping Sick Children

The first thing to remember with your child is that if your feelings are telling you that the child is unusually sick, or if you are frightened because of the illness, it is alright to get advice or help. Often you can call your Doctor's office and the nurse or the Doctor will be able to give you some help over the phone. Have the phone numbers of the offices, ambulance, and hospital handy. Remember to use 911 for true emergency, but never just for advice or a minor illness.

Fever in young children less than 3 months of age is an urgent problem and the child should be taken to the Doctor or the emergency room. In an older child, a small fever, with temperature not greater than 39°C or 102.2°F can be watched or treated with simple measures like fluids and children's tylenol or ibuprofen. We generally avoid aspirin or ASA. It is a good idea to have a thermometer handy at home, and some of the fever treating over the counter medication if you might need them. These can generally be given safely by the directions on the bottle, however if you have any questions, call for advice.

When you call the Doctor's office don't be afraid to tell the staff that the child is sick, especially if you feel especially concerned. They will talk to the Doctor and advise you when your child can be seen, or whether to go right to the emergency.

If you have problems or concerns about the health care system or about your own care, you can call the ECMS (519) 256-4611, and we will try to help. If you have a complaint or a bit of praise, tell us and we will help to resolve the problem, or pass along the positives. As you ask us questions on the web site, we will begin to post more answers as we begin to know your concerns.

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