Sometimes parents, especially new parents, aren't sure if the emergency room is necessary when their child is sick or hurt.

Dr. Joan Shook, chief of Emergency Medicine at Texas Children’s Hospital says a true emergency exists if a severe injury or illness is threatening your child's health or may cause permanent harm.

Such health emergencies include:

• Seizure
• Difficulty breathing
• Skin or lips that look blue, purple or gray
• Neck stiffness or rash with fever
• Fever over 106° in an infant under 3 months of age
• Increasing or severe constant pain
• A cut that is large, deep or involves the head, neck or abdomen
• Bleeding that does not stop after you have applied pressure for 5 minutes
• A burn that is large and/or involves the hands, feet, groin, chest or face
• A head injury that is followed by loss of consciousness, confusion, headache or vomiting
• Choking
• Near drowning
• Firearm wound
• Electric shock
• Poisoning

Source: Parent's Connection