This requires surgery within 8 hours to save the testicle. Labored Breathing You should assess your child's breathing after you have cleaned out the nose and when he or she is not coughing. If your child has difficulty breathing, tight croup, or obvious wheezing, he or she needs to be seen immediately. Bluish Lips Bluish lips or cyanosis can indicate a reduced amount of oxygen in the bloodstream. Dehydration Dehydration means that your child's body fluids are low.
Dehydration requires immediate fluid replacement by mouth or intravenously.
Since the fontanel normally bulges with crying, assess it when your child is quiet and in an upright position. To test for a stiff neck, lay your child down, then lift his head until the chin touches the middle of the chest. A stiff neck can be an early sign of meningitis. Injured Neck Discuss any injury to the neck, regardless of symptoms, with your child's physician because of the risk of damage to the spinal cord. Purple Spots Purple or blood-red spots on the skin can be a sign of a serious bloodstream infection, with the exception of explained bruises, of course.