What constitutes an emergency may depend on what you feel comfortable with, whether the problem has occurred before and even what day of the week or time of night it is (if your pediatrician's office is closed).

The most important consideration, however, is how your child looks. Is she behaving normally? How is her energy level? How well is she eating? Has she been urinating regularly? How is she sleeping? Is she fussy? Does she stop crying when you console her? How does she look to you right now? As an emergency physician, I ask parents who bring their children in for evaluation these questions. I rely on the parent's intuition to help understand their child's illness – so be honest.