Parent's Guide to Crying and Colic Slideshow Pictures Parenting and Healthy Eating Slideshow Pictures Parenting - Fitness and Exercise Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

David Perlstein, MD, MBA, FAAP

David Perlstein, MD, MBA, FAAP

Dr. Perlstein received his Medical Degree from the University of Cincinnati and then completed his internship and residency in pediatrics at The New York Hospital, Cornell medical Center in New York City. After serving an additional year as Chief Pediatric Resident, he worked as a private practitioner and then was appointed Director of Ambulatory Pediatrics at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx.

View Full Profile

Medical Editor:

Mary Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP

Mary Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP

Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP is the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Indiana University.

View Full Profile

When to Seek Medical Care

Call your doctor if the following conditions develop:

• Your child has a high fever.
• The child is breathing faster than normal or has noisy breathing.
• The child has signs of dehydration, including increased sleepiness, dry mouth, or decreased urination.
• The child starts having loud, high-pitched wheezing while breathing.
• The child begins to struggle to breathe or speaks in short sentences because of lack of breath.
• The child has difficulty swallowing.
• The child is having signs of restlessness or sluggishness either from respiratory distress or dehydration.
• The child has signs of respiratory distress, including retractions of skin around the ribs from deep breathing, nostril flaring, or rapid breathing.

Cyanosis, which is a bluish color to the skin, lips, or nail bed, indicates severe lack of oxygen in the body and should be considered an emergency.