Given your protective nature, especially where your children are concerned, it's easy to want to rush your child to an urgent care center whenever he or she faces a health-related issue. On the other hand, you likely know that a variety of issues can be effectively treated by your family doctor, making it unnecessary to visit an urgent care center and clog up the waiting room. It's important, however, that you still feel confident taking your child for urgent care, rather than waiting to make a doctor's appointment, if the child is dealing with a time-sensitive issue. Here are some examples of issues that should warrant you to seek urgent care.

A Cut On The Face

While it's true that many cuts will heal on their own, you should be concerned about a cut on your child's face — even if it seems small. Whether the child has fallen off a bike or out of a tree, a cut to a child's delicate skin may need stitches in order to heal with minimal scarring. Left to heal on its own, a facial cut could leave a noticeable scar that the child carries for the rest of his or her life. An urgent care physician will be able to use a couple stitches to tidy the wound for optimal healing.

Allergic Reaction

Not every parent knows the degree of his or her child's allergies, and an allergic reaction isn't something you want to wait to see the family doctor about. If your child is exhibiting concerning symptoms related to an insect sting, food consumption, or something else, such as a high degree of swelling, you want to visit an urgent care center right away. If the child's breathing is labored, you may also wish to call an ambulance to take you directly to a hospital emergency room rather than an urgent care center.

Potential Broken Bone

A child who has fallen and is complaining of aches and pains may simply have muscle bruising, but there's also a chance that he or she has broken a bone. You should visit the urgent care center as soon as possible, giving a physician an opportunity to assess the injury and put the child through tests, such as an X-ray, to determine the problem. If the bone is indeed broken, the child can then have a cast applied to aid in the healing process rather than continue to use the limb without it being protected.

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