- Constipation is not an emergency and can usually be managed with home care until our office opens.
- To minimize the occurrence of constipation, provide your child with a well balanced diet, containing plenty of fiber and make sure he/she drinks plenty of water.
- If your child develops severe pain and/or significant vomiting in relation to constipation, he/she needs to be seen at one of the pediatric emergency rooms.
- At home care: Nasal saline drops/spray used with nasal suctioning; cool-mist humidifiers; steamy showers
- Very few medicines successfully treat cough and congestion
- Nothing approved under 6 months of age
- Children 1-4 years old can try honey or honey-based cough syrup such as Hyland's or Zarbees
- Children under 4 can try OTC cough and cold medication
- In general, these are not emergencies and can wait until the office is open to be seen and treated unless child can't swallow and/or is drooling or having trouble breathing
- Pain relievers- acetaminophen and ibuprofen; warm or cold liquids can help with sore throat as well as gargling teaspoon of salt dissolved in warm water
- Conjunctivitis is commonly referred to as pink eye and has many causes, of which not all require treatment, nor do they require immediate treatment
- If child has developed redness of eye and/or discharge, please call during business hours for appointment
- Home care: warm compresses, artificial tear drops
- Fever is common in children of all ages and will not harm your child in any way. The fever is caused by the body's immune system trying to kill off the virus or bacteria that is causing an infection.
- Significant fever is any temperature over 100.4
- Most accurate way to check temperature is rectally in infants under 2 months.
- The number alone is not an indicator of the severity of illness.
- Treat the fever based on the child's behavior, not the number.
- Most fevers can be monitored at home for 48-72 hours as long as there are no other concerning symptoms (unless patient <2 mo)
- Fever reducers do not "cure" a fever or the cause of the fever, the fever is likely to return once the medication wears off if the body is still fighting the infection
For fever reducer dosing information click here
- Our main concern is keeping the child hydrated. Children 3 years and under may use Pedialyte and infants should continue to breastfeed. Older children can be given water or Gatorade.
- If a child starts to vomit, wait at least 30 minutes before trying a liquid, as this will allow the stomach to settle. Then, start with small frequent sips and gradually increase as tolerated
- Do not offer solids until vomiting resolves for at least 12 hours
- Juice, Pedialyte and Gatorade/Powerade are all high in sugar and can worsen diarrhea, therefore if vomiting is resolved we recommend switching to water (if child is over 6 months)
- Call the doctor if your child is unable to keep liquids down for several hours. Rule of thumb is 6 hours if under 1 year and 12 hours for older children
- If your child has severe stomach pain with vomiting, vomit that is bloody or green, diarrhea that is bloody or the child appears very dehydrated and/or has not had any urine for over 8 hours please call the doctor or go to the emergency room.
- Common- fever, discomfort, not feeling well, fussy for 24-48 hours
- Swelling and redness around the injection site can take 12-24 hours to appear and last 3-4 days. This area can be large or just a pea-sized knot.
- In most cases, rashes are not emergencies and cannot be diagnosed over the phone. It is always good practice to take a picture of the rash with your phone in case it has changed or disappeared before the appointment.
- If your child has recently started a medicine and develops a rash, stop the medication, take a picture of the rash and call our office in the morning.
Infant acetaminophen now has the same ingredient and concentration as children’s formulations. Please be sure to read the back of the bottle or package under “Active Ingredient” to verify the following medicine strength (5 ml = one teaspoon).
Acetaminophen 160 mg per 5 ml (one teaspoon)
Infant’s and Children’s Formulations
Ibuprofen 100 mg per 5 ml (one teaspoon)
Children’s Formulation
Under 12 lbs
12 to 17 lbs
18 to 23 lbs
24 to 33 lbs
34 to 45 lbs
46 to 57 lbs
58 to 69 lbs
70 to 81 lbs
82 to 94 lbs
over 95 lbs
Please check with us
2.5 ml (1/2 tsp)
3.5 ml (3/4 tsp)
5 ml (1 tsp)
7.5 ml (1 ½ tsp)
10 ml (2 tsp)
12.5 ml (2 ½ tsp)
15 ml (3 tsp)
17.5 ml (3 ½ tsp)
20 ml (4 tsp) or 2 x 325 mg tabs for total of 650 mg
Under 11 lbs
11 to 16 lbs
17 to 21 lbs
22 to 32 lbs
33 to 43 lbs
44 to 54 lbs
55 to 65 lbs
66 to 76 lbs
77 to 87 lbs
over 88 lbs
Please check with us
2.5 ml (1/2 tsp)
3.5 ml (3/4 tsp)
5 ml (1 tsp)
7.5 ml (1 ½ tsp)
10 ml (2 tsp)
12.5 ml (2 ½ tsp)
15 ml (3 tsp)
17.5 ml (3 ½ tsp)
20 ml (4 tsp) or 2 x 200 mg tabs for total of 400 mg
If you have concentrated infant formulation with the active ingredient concentration below, use the following dosing chart.
Ibuprofen 50 mg per 1.25 ml (or 100mg/2.5ml)
Infant’s Concentrated Formulation
11 to 16 lbs
17 to 21 lbs
22 to 32 lbs
1.25 ml
1.875 ml
2.5 ml
While there is no scientific study to support the effectiveness, we have found alternating acetaminophen and ibuprofen is helpful when treating fever.To do this, dose acetaminophen (Tylenol) every 6 hours, and dose ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin) every 6 hours, waiting 3 hours after the initial dose of the first medicine.In the example below, each medicine is given every 6 hours, within the safety limit. Because you are alternating them, your child gets a dose of medicine every 3 hours.
Example:
6 am – acetaminophen
9 am – ibuprofen
12 noon – acetaminophen (6 hrs from last dose of acetaminophen)
3 pm – ibuprofen (6 hrs from last dose of ibuprofen)
6 pm acetaminophen
9 pm – ibuprofen
This can be done the first 24 hours of a fever illness. Then, increase the interval of time between doses by 3 to 4 hours (or longer) to see if your child’s fever returns between doses.Another effective way to help reduce fever, in addition to medication, is to sponge your child with cool damp washcloth, wiping head, neck, across the chest. This is better than giving a child a cool bath which may be uncomfortable when fever is rising.
