15 reasons to take your baby or child to the emergency room

if your baby or child has any of the following 15 symptoms, go immediately to a hospital emergency room.

1. Possible broken bones.

2. Difficult breathing.

3. No reaction or response when you speak to him or her.

4. Possible swallowing of an object or poisoned or poison.

5. Large or deep cuts to the chest or stomach.

6. Blue or gray skin or lips.

7. Seizure or rhythmic jerking.

8. Continuous diarrhea or vomiting.

9. Severe or increasing pain.

10. Neck stiffness with fever.

11. Splotchy purple areas or little red dots accompanied by fever.

12. Burns to hands, feet, groin, chest or face, or larger than a child’s fist.

13. Loss of consciousness or confusion after a head injury

14. Swollen lips or tongue, or constriction in the throat

15. Bleeding that doesn’t stop after 10 minutes of pressure.

Since none of these symptoms are planned, it’s wise to know where the closest emergency room is. If the symptom is urgent but you have extra minutes, you might want to have a “first hospital” choice, depending on affilation with your pediatrician, child-friendly facilities, or higher ratings. Clearly, an emergency is not the right time to research the best hospital.