The decision to see your doctor about a particular problem is not always easy. You may worry about the expense or that you're simply wasting the doctor's time with a minor issue and the decision can be that much more difficult when it is your child that is in pain!
There are no hard and fast rules about what can be ignored. When a minor, explainable pain occurs, an over-the-counter remedy can prevent a trip to the doctor but if your child's pain persists then make an appointment!
It's a good idea to rank pain intensity against one of the scales below for children – this will help you to keep an objective view of your child's experience of the pain and better communicate this to your doctor or pharmacist if necessary.
It is very difficult to detect pain in babies and also hard to evaluate pain in young children who are unable or unwilling to report pain too!
The FLACC Scale, (an acronym for Face, Legs, Activity, Cry and Consolability), is a valuable in tool in helping to assess the level of pain in an infant or small child.
Download the FLACC Scale tool now!
Prevent Falls - Keep Stairs Safe
Make sure stairs have handrails on both sides that go from the top step to the bottom step. Keep stairs clear of clutter and well lit.
The Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale is helpful in assessing pain in children aged 3 years and older.
The advantage of this tool is that it offers a visual description for those that don't have the verbal skills to describe how their symptoms make them feel.
Download the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale tool now!