Taking Your Child to the Emergency Room

Written by Taylor Blue

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• Remain calm. First and foremost, it won't help anyone if you are hysterical (as tempting as that might be). Splash your face with cold water, take a few deep breaths, and get it together. Just 5 seconds devoted to calming yourself can go a very long way. It will also help your child cope.
• Be prepared. Before emergencies even happen, just assume that you have a kid or kids and it's inevitable. Keep a bag packed and handy with essentials: numbers for important people and physicians, some small and favorite toys, child care essentials such as diapers for infants, snacks, medical records, insurance information, and a small amount of cash.
• Let the hospital know you're on your way. You can call your child's physician, who may want to meet your child there. You can also alert the emergency room so that they can usher your child directly to triage.
• When you pull up, look for the emergency room drive-up entrance. If it's an emergency, there is typically a spot where you can at least pull up temporarily to get your child checked in. This can save a lot of time.
• Make arrangements if you will be there for an extended period like several hours into the evening, such as finding a sitter to watch other children or finding neighbors to walk your dogs.
• Find one family member or friend to be your broadcaster, and just keep that person up to date on the status. You will likely have several people wondering what is happening with your child, and that will take much of the pressure off of you.
• Ask for as print-out of discharge instructions. In the excitement of everything, it is easy to get home and forget what you were told. Also ask nurses and medical assistants to call prescriptions into your pharmacy. That will save you having to wait at the local pharmacy with a sick or hurt child, or having to run out after returning home.