Childrens Health
Sometimes there's no doubt, but often it's difficult to tell whether a child is ill. Children may be listless, hot and miserable one minute, and running around quite happily the next. Watch out for:
- Signs of illness like vomiting, a temperature, cough, runny nose/eyes, etc.
- Unusual behaviour for your child, e.g. lots of crying/being very irritable, refusing food or drink, being drowsy or disorientated.
Possible signs of illness are always more worrying if your child is a baby or very small.
Above everything else, trust your feelings. You know better than anyone else what your child is like day-to-day, so you'll know what's unusual or worrying. If you are worried contact your doctor. Even if it turns out that nothing is wrong, that's what you need to know.
For medical advice, contact NHS Direct on 0845 4647 24 hours a day.
an emergency dial 999.
