If your baby or child is unwell

If your baby or child is seriously ill

Trust your instincts. You know what's different or worrying behaviour in your child.

Call 999 for an ambulance if your child:

• stops breathing
• will not wake up
• has a purple/red rash anywhere on their body that does not fade when you press a glass against it
• is under 8 weeks old and you're very worried about them
• has a fit
• has a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis)
• may have been seriously injured by you or someone else

Go to the NHS website for more on emergencies in babies and children.

Should I learn first aid skills?

When you call 999 for an ambulance, you should be given basic life-saving instructions over the phone, including advice about CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).

You can also learn some basic first aid – this can be life-saving.

The videos below show how to do CPR in babies and children. It is highly recommended that every parent or carer goes on a first aid course.

• How to do CPR on a baby (under one year old) - St John Ambulance
• How to do CPR on a child - St John Ambulance

If you think your baby or child needs a doctor

If you think you need medical help for your baby or child but you're not sure what to do, call 111 or go to 111 online and a trained advisor will tell you what to do next.

If you child is under 5 you will need to call 111, if they are 5 or over you can also use 111 online.

Go to the NHS website for advice on common accidents in children.

Is my child too ill to go to school?

If your child has an infectious disease, they may need some time off school to reduce the risk of transmission during the infectious stage. You can use the exclusion table on the gov.uk website for guidance on the time period your child should not attend school.

Many conditions do not need school exclusion, for example:

• Athlete’s foot
• cold sores
• conjunctivitis
• hand foot and mouth
• head lice
• slapped cheek/fifth disease
• threadworms
• tonsillitis
• warts and verrucae.

For respiratory infections including COVID-19, children and adults should not attend school if they have a high temperature and are unwell. They can return to school as soon as they are feeling better.

Although testing is not mandatory anymore, individuals who have a positive test result for COVID-19 should not attend the setting for 3 days after the day of the test.

Individuals with mild symptoms such as runny nose, and headache who are otherwise well can continue to attend school.

Looking after a sick child

Here are useful tips on how to look after your child at home

• Listen to them – they will know how they will feel more comfortable, for example in bed or on the sofa with a blanket.
• Keep the room airy. If is too warm, they'll probably feel worse.
• Give your child plenty to drink. This will help them to heal and reduce a high temperature.
• Don’t force them to eat - for the first day or so only bother about food if they want it. Then gradually introduce what they like in small bits.
• Offer quiet games, stories, company and comfort.
• Sick children get very tired and need plenty of rest. Encourage your child to doze off when they need to.
• Never fall asleep with a sick baby on the sofa with you, even if you're both exhausted. This increases the chances of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

The Healthier Together website gives consistent, accurate and trustworthy advice to parents, carers and professionals. You can find advice on seeking help for your sick baby or child, and practical guidance such as ‘should my child go to school’.