Paediatrics · Fevers
Fever in children: a parent's calm checklist
What to do in the first hour, how to dose correctly, and exactly when to head to the ER.
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Written for anxious parents first: what is happening, what to do, and when to worry. Plus my own views, in their own section.
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Paediatrics & child health
The parent emergency library: "what should I do right now?" guides for the scariest moments, written to be used at 2 a.m. See the full library →
Paediatrics · Newborn
Your newborn's first month: what is normal, and what is not
Feeding, sleep, weight, jaundice and crying - the normal, the not normal, and the three rules that outrank everything.
Emergency guide
Is this an emergency? 12 signs in a child that mean get help now
The one page to bookmark: twelve signs that mean urgent help, and what to do while you wait.
Emergency guide
My child has a fever - when is it an emergency?
The number matters less than how your child looks - plus the under-3-months rule every parent must know.
Emergency guide
My child is struggling to breathe - how do I know it is serious?
The same checklist doctors use: breathing rate, retractions, sounds and colour.
Emergency guide
My child is choking - what do I do right now?
When to let them cough, when to act, and the exact steps for babies and children.
Emergency guide
My child swallowed something - what now?
Three swallowed things are always an emergency - and which ones can safely pass.
Emergency guide
My child may have swallowed a medicine, chemical or poison
Do not wait for symptoms, do not make them vomit - call the poison centre: 1800-116-117.
Emergency guide
My child had a seizure - what should I do in the first five minutes?
Protect, position, time it - and exactly when a seizure means call 108.
My child fell and hit their head - should I go to the ER?
Most bumps are minor - the exact danger signs to watch for over the next 24-48 hours.
My child is vomiting - when is it dangerous?
Small sips of ORS at home - and the short list of surgical emergencies.
My child has diarrhoea - how do I know if they are dehydrated?
ORS after every loose stool, keep feeding, and the dehydration red flags.
My child has severe abdominal pain - when should I worry?
Harmless tummy aches come and go; dangerous ones steadily get worse. The patterns to know.
My child suddenly developed an allergic reaction - is it anaphylaxis?
Skin-only versus breathing or circulation danger - and why epinephrine comes first.
My child was bitten or scratched by a dog, cat or monkey - what do I do immediately?
The 15-minute soap-and-water wash, then same-day vaccine - rabies is preventable, never wait.
A snake bit my child - what should I do right now?
Stillness, a splint, and the fastest safe ride to anti-snake venom - and what never to do.
My child has a burn or scald - the first five minutes matter
Cool running water first - never ice or toothpaste; the burns that always need the ER.
My child got an electric shock from a socket or wire - what now?
Switch off the power before you touch them; every real shock needs a same-day check.
My child was pulled from the water - drowning and near-drowning first aid
Start CPR with rescue breaths immediately - and why every rescue needs a hospital check.
My child's nose is bleeding - how do I stop it?
Lean forward, pinch the soft part for a full 10 minutes - and when to call.
My child has a cut that is bleeding a lot - pressure first, everything else second
Firm pressure without peeking; when a cut needs stitches; when to call 108.
Something went into my child's eye - dust, an eyelash, or worse
Rinse, never rub - and the chemical and high-speed injuries that mean go now.
My child put something in their nose or ear - bead, pea, or worse
Never poke; the one gentle blow to try; why a battery or magnet means the ER now.
My child won't walk or won't use an arm - injury or something serious?
A child who refuses to walk or use an arm is telling you it hurts - what to check first.
My child is suddenly very drowsy or confused - is this an emergency?
A child you cannot fully wake is an emergency - the signs and what to do.
My child has a rash with fever - which rashes are dangerous?
The purple-spot glass test: which rashes with fever are life-threatening.
My child's lips or face look blue - what do I do right now?
Blue lips or face means call 108 now - what to do while help comes.
My newborn is refusing feeds - when is poor feeding an emergency?
Feeding is a newborn’s vital sign - when poor feeding is an emergency.
My newborn looks yellow - when is jaundice dangerous?
What is normal, the first-24-hours rule, and the sleepy-feeder warning.
My baby under 3 months has a fever - why this one can't wait
38°C or more means see a doctor today - and no fever medicine first.
My baby chokes, coughs or gags during feeds - when is it dangerous?
The normal sputter vs the blue-or-limp emergency - what to do in the moment.
My baby fell off the bed - do I need to panic?
Most bed falls are fright, not injury - the exact danger signs to watch 48 hours.
My child has a severe headache - when is a headache dangerous?
Stiff neck, worst-ever pain, repeated vomiting - the headaches that mean the ER.
My child fainted - when is fainting a heart warning?
The common harmless faint vs the exercise and heart red flags.
My child has chest pain or a racing heart - is it their heart?
Rarely the heart in children - and the specific patterns that need urgent checks.
My child is overheated in the summer - heat exhaustion vs heatstroke
Cool first, fast - the 39.5°C confusion-and-hot-dry-skin emergency.
My child is shaky, sweaty and confused - low blood sugar, and the sick child with diabetes
Give sugar first, recheck in 15 - plus the diabetic emergency signs every parent should know.
My child's immunity is low (chemotherapy, cancer treatment) - which signs are emergencies?
On chemotherapy, any fever is a call-the-team emergency - day or night.
Paediatric hemato-oncology
For families
When a child needs a bone marrow transplant: the questions parents ask first
The questions every family asks first - answered honestly, step by step.
Explained
Understanding childhood leukemia, in plain language
What the diagnosis means, what treatment looks like, and what survival looks like today.
Public health & healthcare
Vaccines
Why do some people fear vaccines - and why refusing them is the wrong choice?
Why caring parents get pulled toward anti-vaccine content, why refusing vaccination is the riskier choice, and how to judge a vaccine claim online.
Healthcare
What a doctor's appointment should feel like
Why a good appointment feels rare, and what to reasonably expect from yours.
Vaccines
Why vaccination schedules are designed the way they are
Why shots come when they do - and the questions worth asking at each visit.
AI & your child's health
AI tools can help parents - or send them into a spiral. The difference is context. These guides show you how to use AI for health questions without the panic.
Using AI well
Asking AI about your child's symptoms: how to get useful answers, not panic
Why the same question gets wild answers without context - and the five details to include every time you ask.
Reliability
When AI health answers go wrong - and how to check them
Confident tone does not mean correct medicine. How to sanity-check what AI tells you before it ruins your evening.
Hard limits
Three things to never ask AI: doses, diagnoses, and emergencies
The bright lines: what AI is genuinely useful for as a parent, and the moments to close the app and call a doctor instead.
Personal viewpoints
Essay
Why I chose paediatrics
The moment I knew, the realities nobody mentions, and why I still love it.
Essay
On screens, attention, and childhood
What the research says, what I see in clinic, and the rules that work in real homes.