3 year old suddenly unwell- what do I watch for?

[ellangirl]

As title says, 3 year old been fine, ate lunch etc no problems. About 11/2 hours ago he suddenly complained of being cold, but looked flushed and felt slightly warm, and promptly want to sleep after a dose of calpol. this is unheard of behaviour for him so he's obviously sick. What do I need to watch for? Could it be ear infection? Stomach bug? He has had a cold for a week or so but not been unwell with it.

Keep an eye on his temperature and ensure it responds to Calpol and/or ibuprofen. If he is sleepy but not easily roused then he should be checked. Also things to watch for are increased effort breathing, lips staying pink not blue. Non fading rash would be an emergency.

Overall he is likely to have an infection that is making him feel unwell and this will wear him out. Small children can get sick quickly and can bounce back quickly too. Trust your mummy sense and if you are worried then call the out of hours doctors to see him.

Meningitis is the most scary thing to watch out for as it can do irreversible damage very quickly. List of symptoms here.

Anything else can wait to see how it develops.

He's gone to bed , didn't want food. Still hot and keeps holding his ear, so I'm thinking ear infection. Will keep an eye on the poor mite. He's normally in rude health so I'm just having a worry.
Thanks for your help everyone...

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Sure u know this but just in case- you can stagger doses of paracetamol and ibruprofen. But don't do this fir more than24 hours without seeking help.

Hope your dc gets better soon :(

I have, thanks tho!

Oh poor little thing, sometimes a cold creates another illness like ear ache. Can you get his ears checked out tomorrow?

If he's still not right tomorrow I'll phone out of hours and see what they suggest, thank you.

Update- he got worse over weekend and it turns out he has a chest infection. Hopefully on mend now. Thanks again for your help everyone.

Hope he is now on the mend. And hope you aren't too knackered.