When do I take my newborn to the doctor?

Loss of appetite

This could be difficult to identify while your baby is young, but if your baby refuses several feedings in a row, it’s a sign that you should give your healthcare provider a call. If you’re not sure whether your child is eating enough at feedings, you can check their diapers to see if there’s a noticeable difference in how much they’re pooping.

Fever

Once your baby is a little older, only a high fever will warrant a visit to your healthcare provider, but for babies younger than 3 months old, you should contact your healthcare provider for any fever, meaning anything over 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C). Testy devices, squirmy babies, and not wanting to wake up your sick child all make it hard to get an accurate reading, but it’s important to take your child’s temperature when they’re sick so you know when to seek help.

With a smart thermometer like Thermo from Withings, you can be confident in getting an accurate reading when your child is sick. Thermo has 16 infrared sensors, so you can take 4,000 measurements from your little one’s forehead by just scanning their forehead. It gives you a precise reading every time, and because you don’t even have to touch your baby to get a reading, you never have to worry about waking them up.

Difficulty breathing

Another symptom that will require a call to your healthcare provider is breathing problems. If your child is having difficulty breathing, it’s cause for concern. It could come from an illness, allergy, or an obstruction interfering with their nasal passages or airway, and you should contact your healthcare provider. The same goes for severe coughing or wheezing.

Changes in behavior

Things like changes in mood, headaches, and ear trouble are serious symptoms, but they can be hard to identify in a newborn. This is where tracking your baby’s behavior can come in really handy. If you know what’s normal for your baby, you can better identify when something is wrong.

The best way to identify behavior changes is by keeping a health record, which will help you notice gradual changes or patterns. Another reason we like the Thermo smart thermometer is its companion app that allows you to easily track your baby’s health history. Thermo automatically syncs temperature readings to the app, and you can enter symptoms, medications, and photos that you can share with your healthcare provider at appointments.

Other symptoms

There are many symptoms indicating that it’s time to visit your healthcare provider, including dehydration, diarrhea, tenderness, vomiting, constipation, rash, and eye discharge. If you feel like it’s time to call, visit urgent care, or go to the emergency room, do it.

If you’re not sure whether it’s time to take action, you can check Thermia, Thermo’s system for fever advice. A feature in the Thermo app, Thermia is provided by Boston Children’s Hospital to communicate educational information on proper fever medications and dosages in the app. It’s really helpful in those moments when you’re not sure what steps to take.

With Thermo, you get a precise, no-touch reading, an app with a comprehensive health journal, and insights provided by a top-rated hospital. If you’re interested in Thermo, you can click the button below and save 20% on this FDA-approved thermometer by using the code OVIA20.