When to Call the Doctor About Your Child's Cold

    * Carole A. Stashwick, M.D.
      Colds are very common, and most children with a "simple" cold do not need to see the doctor. However, some viral respiratory infections result in ear infections, wheezing, or asthma-like coughing, bronchitis or pneumonia (lung infection), and other complications. How can you tell when to call the doctor, and when your doctor needs to see your child for a cold? Call your pediatrician if:

      Your baby is less than 6 weeks of age and develops a fever with a cold
      Your child's cough is very frequent, seems to choke him, causes him to vomit or sounds like a seal barking (a "croupy" cough).
      Your child is wheezing or is breathing fast.
      Your child is not eating well, and is not drinking or urinating normally.
      Your child complains of ear pain or a sore throat, repeatedly rubs or pokes one ear, or has a thick bloody discharge from an ear
      Your child's eyes have a yellow discharge, or the eyelids are stuck together in the morning (conjunctivitis).
      The fever lasts longer than 72 hours, or if the fever returns after being gone for two or three days, at any age.
      The coughing from a cold, or yellow discharge from the nose, lasts longer than two to three weeks.
      Your child seems very ill or in other ways makes you worried.

Influenza A/H1N1 preventative measures

When to Call the Doctor About Your Child's Cold