3 Common Emergencies to Take Your Child to an Urgent Care Center for Kids - Legacy ER

Kids can get sick or injured often after the pediatrician’s office is closed for the day. If your child is having a non-life-threatening emergency, it can be a good idea to take your child to a pediatric urgent care center instead of the ER. More than a quarter of all U.S. patients admitted going to an urgent care center in the last couple of years. What are the most typical situations that these centers for kids treat? Here are three common emergencies where you should take your child to an urgent care center for kids.

Persistent Cough

If your child has a cough that doesn’t want to go away, you may want to go to a pediatric urgent care clinic instead of the ER. Since the illness is not life-threatening, you can end up waiting a long time to be seen and expose your child to more illnesses if you go to the emergency room The ER can also be more expensive. An urgent care center for kids has all the equipment necessary to diagnose and treat your child for a persistent cough. You can even make a follow-up appointment to check on how the treatment is progressing.

Colds And Flu

Children can catch up to 12 colds each year. Typically, you can just let it run its course and your child will just be fine. But if symptoms won’t go away, you can take them to an urgent center to get checked out. If your child is running a high fever over 104 degrees, you may want to consider seeking emergency room care.

Swallowing A Foreign Object

Taking your child to an urgent care center for kids for this one is going to depend on what they swallowed and their reaction. If they’ve swallowed a hazardous material such as a detergent pack or battery, you may want to seek immediate treatment at the emergency room. If they don’t appear to be choking, then a trip to one of the local urgent care clinics will be just fine. Your child will most likely need to have x-rays and you’ll probably be able to get in and out quicker.

It’s important to be prepared before any illnesses or injuries occur. Research the urgent healthcare services in your area that work with children. You can get recommendations from your pediatrician or by scouring reviews online. You’ll be able to rest assured that trusted experts in emergency care will be there the next time your child needs immediate care.