Poll: how old are your kids and how many times have they been to the ER in their life?

[Anonymous]

14 and (knock on wood) we haven't had to go to the ER in years. But early on we had several visits, including for a febrile seizure, an unrelenting virus complete with projectile vomiting, head wound from a fall requiring staples, and a burn. And multiple urgent care visits for ear infections.

[Anonymous]

16: 2 (anaphylaxis @ 5 mos in an ambulance, broken nose)
14: 1 (severe but not anaphylactic reaction after oral meds didn't work and a trip to urgent care)...and, yes, we have epi-pens but the reaction was more of a slow burn that we really didn't see coming

But the 14yo has broken her arm twice. Ortho Urgent Care for both.

After reading through all of these, I feel grateful that we've been lucky and that we have a medical system, expensive as it is, capable of dealing with any/all of these issues at just about any time, day or night. Every time we've been, it's been heartbreaking to hear the cries of an infant or child in pain. I don't see how the staff can do it.

[Anonymous]

13-3
15-3

Both boys and these are just ER visits unsure of how many urgent care

[Anonymous]

7/5/3

3YO - never
5YO - once because we thought he swallowed something and needed a chest xray
7YO - once I think, I feel like there was a second time but I think it was just urgent care, it was because she fell off of a high chair

[Anonymous]

15 - 0
10 - 1 (was 5 and had a laceration that required stitches)
10 - 0

[Anonymous]

17 year old boy: 18 months old for a limp (turned out to be a fracture), 3 years old for a cracked open chin, 4 years old for pneumonia, and 14 years old for "wheezing/shortness of breath" at sleep away camp- got an ambulance ride and everything for that one.

15 year old: Urgent care for gluing a bagel cutting knife vs. finger

[Anonymous]

Some of these are crazy. “I thought he had a broken toe but it was fine”??? The EMERGENCY room?

[Anonymous]

7 y/o girl: once as a young infant for some nothing burger that we were sent to the ER for out of an abundance of caution. Blood in the stool (turned out to be a dairy allergy)? Weird skin thing (eczema related to the allergy)? Don’t remember at this point.

[Anonymous]

8: 3x (pneumonia, high fever with rash, abdominal pain)
6: 1x (abdominal pain)
1: 0 times

[Anonymous]

Boys - 11 and 14, never. I have a friend with kids the same age and her son has been to the ER multiple times. Some of this is the level of risk taking the kid has, a little is parent carelessness (we all get careless at some junction=no one is perfect), and a lot is dumb luck.

[Anonymous]

I responded none and then we had to go to the ER yesterday. This thread is cursed.

[Anonymous]

DDs 5 and 10: once each for ER. Older DD had severe doubled-over stomach cramps and younger DD had a burn. I would have taken that one to urgent care, but they told me ER because of infection risk.

Multiple urgent care visits including ear infections, wheezing, nursemaid’s elbow, a bone bruise from a monkey bar fall that I thought would be a break (but wasn’t) and a jump-rope injury turned out to be a fractured ankle.

[Anonymous]

DS 14 - 4 x (very high fevers/viruses or needing stitches)
DD 14 - 3 x (suicidal)

[Anonymous]

27 and 25. never.

[Anonymous]

9 and 6, never.