It's a tough call any parent dreads having to make. Calling your baby's doctor is sometimes necessary - fortunately, most of the time it's not. Here's how to tell the difference.

Fevers

 Probably nothing sends parents into crisis-response mode like an overheated forehead or cheek. However, the fever itself is only the sign of an illness, not an illness itself. Low-grade fevers (in which the baby feels only a little warm) are sometimes caused by serious illness, while a baby can be only moderately sick and have a high fever. It's a tricky area to diagnose.

 Fever thresholds vary according to the baby's age. For a child younger than three months old, a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher is reason to seek immediate medical advice. For babies three to six months old, the threshold shifts to 101 degrees Fahrenheit.

Diarrhea & Vomiting

 Babies with excessive (three or more instances) bowel movements or vomiting run the risk of dehydration. Small children dehydrate very easily, so it's important to keep them well-stocked on fluids. Signs of blood in the stool, the vomit or in phlegm all constitute an emergency.

Other Emergency Symptoms

 These can include a difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, seizures, and signs of poisoning or severe allergic reactions such as bluish lips or fingernails. Profuse bleeding or unresponsiveness, and pronounced difficulty waking the child also require immediate medical help.

Calling 911

 911 calls are legally reserved for only the direst emergencies, and should be used to get help for the worst of the symptoms listed above: bleeding, unresponsiveness, loss of consciousness, and signs of poisoning or allergic reaction. When you make the call, be sure to speak calmly and accurately list all symptoms, and give the baby's age straight away.

When to Wait for Normal Office Hours

 The waiting can be the hardest part of sitting through your child's sickness. Nonetheless, "waiting and seeing" is also an important means of determining if your child is dangerously ill or simply battling an everyday illness.

 Ordinary cold symptoms such as a runny nose are troublesome for parents but not truly considered emergencies. Persistent rashes, discolored nasal drainage, a sudden change in bowel movements, a foul smelling vaginal discharge, and unusual "stinky" breath are all troubling to parents but can wait for an office visit.

 Perhaps the most important method to determining the child's condition lies in monitoring its disposition. Babies behave according to their moods: a child who feels sick usually won't seem to be in a good mood, and vice versa.

Rising/Falling Appetite

 A healthy baby's appetite will vary from day to day, but you should notice that the baby's nursing remains more or less consistent. If the child becomes ill, a marked indifference to eating is usually a red flag.

Crying & The Misleading Nature of Colic

 Colic affects the majority of newborn babies during their first year. Long, almost-hysterical crying fits can seem exactly like a serious sickness, and it's virtually impossible for parents to tell the difference in the heat of the moment. But colic by itself is not cause for emergency. The bottom line is, look at crying jags to appear in conjunction with other symptoms before making a decision.

Making the Call

 Parents should also trust their own judgment. When in doubt, make the call. The operator at your doctor's answering service will want to know the following information:

Your name and phone number

Your baby's age and name

The symptoms that prompted the call

Any existing medical conditions

The baby's last visit to the doctor's office

The location of the closest hospital