Parents sometimes are torn between whether they should take their sick children in to see the doctor or treat them at home.

Do they really need to call the pediatrician or make a run to the emergency room? Is keeping the child at home and treating him or her with over-the-counter medicine or some chicken soup the right thing to do?
Viral infections can be very hard on children, and since the younger ones can't say exactly what's wrong with them, it's important for parents to recognize the signs of a serious illness.
Dr. Steve Muething, associate director of clinical services at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, said parents should look for signs of disorientation and dehydration, along with fever and flu symptoms, when trying to determine how serious their child's illness is. Children from 6 to 23 months old are in a high-risk group to develop complications from the flu.
Flu symptoms include fever, muscle aches, fatigue, headache and congestion. Children also may suffer nausea and vomiting.
Question: When is a baby's fever considered dangerously high?
Answer: Everyone wants to know the number. But the height of the fever doesn't tell you when to worry; how the child is acting does. Danger signs: very unusual actions, profuse vomiting and difficulty breathing in addition to fever. Those are the main alarms. If a baby is younger than 2 months and has a fever, call the doctor. Consider a fever to be a temperature above 100.4.
Q: What is the best way to take a baby's temperature?
A: The most accurate way is rectal. The underarm temperature is pretty good, but leave the thermometer in place two or three minutes.
Q: What's the best way to bring the fever down?
A: The standards are acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Giving children aspirin for fevers puts them at risk for Reye's syndrome, which can kill. If the child is feeling better, that's a good sign. Focus more on the symptoms than the number.
Q: Parents are warned that their children might suffer fever-induced seizures. What does a seizure look like?
A: The most common form is sudden shaking all over the body, including arms and legs and head. Usually children will grit their teeth and be totally unaware of surroundings.
Q: Dehydration is a big worry. How can you tell when your child is dehydrated?
A: They'll look dry to a parent: sunken eyes, dry mouth, a decrease or stopping in the number of wet diapers. And they become very lethargic. That's a definite time to call the doctor or go to the emergency room, and that's with or without fever.
(Source: Pacific Daily News)