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Safety

When to Seek Help

A clear, parent-friendly guide to knowing when your baby needs medical help — from everyday worries to true emergencies.

Last reviewed

Emergency: call 000 straight away

For anything that feels life-threatening, do not drive yourself: call 000 and an ambulance will come. Paramedics can start treatment immediately on the way to hospital.

Traffic-light guide to common symptoms

Use this quick check to decide how urgent something is, when in doubt, call for advice.

Watch closely — call for advice

Normal: usually nothing to worry about

  • Crying for up to 2–3 hours spread through the day (especially 6–8 weeks)
  • Small spills or “possets” of milk after feeds
  • Hiccups, sneezing, or occasional coughs
  • Sleeping 14–17 hours per day (newborns), in short stretches
  • Soft, unformed breastfed poos (can be yellow, green, or seedy)
  • Brief irregular breathing with pauses under 20 seconds while asleep, with no colour change and normal settling afterwards (periodic breathing)
  • Cool hands and feet when the chest and tummy feel warm to touch (normal, babies regulate temperature from the core outward)

Watch closely: ring for advice today

  • Temperature 37.5–38°C in a baby over 3 months
  • Temperature 37.5–37.9°C in a baby under 3 months: remove a layer, recheck in 30 minutes, and ring for same-day advice if it persists (38°C or higher: go to emergency)
  • Feeding less than usual for more than 2 feeds in a row
  • Sleepier than normal but still rouseable
  • Unusual fussiness lasting several hours
  • Fewer than 6 wet nappies in 24 hours (after day 5)
  • New jaundice below the belly button, or jaundice worsening after day 5
  • Persistent spitting up with poor weight gain
  • A new rash without fever
  • Persistent eye discharge or red eyes
  • Swelling, redness, or discharge from the umbilical cord
  • Any new behaviour that doesn’t feel right

Seek help now: call 000 or go to emergency

  • Difficulty breathing, grunting, or blue lips
  • Unresponsive, very floppy, or cannot be woken
  • Seizure or jerking movements
  • Fever of 38°C or above in a baby under 3 months
  • Non-blanching rash (stays visible when pressed with a glass)
  • Severe dehydration or sunken fontanelle
  • Persistent green (bilious) vomiting or blood in vomit/poo
  • Sudden change to high-pitched, painful-sounding cry
  • Any suspicion of a head injury or shaking

During your hospital stay at Frances Perry

Specialist cover while you are an inpatient

Frances Perry House runs a paediatric on-call roster, so a paediatrician can be contacted about your baby throughout your stay.

  • Your midwife or nurse will assess your baby and contact the paediatric team if needed
  • The on-call roster covers nights, weekends and public holidays
  • You do not need to call us directly: your care team will coordinate everything

Never hesitate to tell your midwife if you are worried. They are your first point of contact.

After discharge: see your GP the same day (or an emergency department if they seem unwell) if your baby has:

Feeding concerns

  • Not fed well for more than two feeds in a row
  • Refusing feeds or taking less than half the usual amount
  • Persistent vomiting (true vomiting, not small spills): especially if green or bilious
  • Blood in vomit or poo
  • Fewer than 6 wet nappies in 24 hours (after day 5)
  • No poo for more than 3 days (formula-fed) or a sudden change in stool pattern

Behaviour changes

  • Unusually irritable, or crying that sounds different from normal
  • Very sleepy and difficult to wake for feeds
  • Floppy or less active than usual
  • Not responding to you the way they normally would
  • A new high-pitched or painful-sounding cry

Physical signs

  • Temperature above 38°C (or any fever in a baby under 3 months: go straight to emergency)
  • Temperature below 36.5°C that stays low after adding a layer and a cuddle — a baby who won’t warm up needs review the same day, urgently if also feeding poorly or sleepy
  • Pale, white or chalky stools, or dark urine — same-day review whatever your baby’s age (urgent evaluation, don’t wait)
  • Unusual rash, especially if spreading quickly
  • Persistent diarrhoea or blood in stool
  • Yellow skin or eyes getting worse, or new jaundice after day 5
  • Jaundice not clearing by 2 weeks (term) or 3 weeks (premature)
  • Swelling, redness, or discharge from the umbilical cord
  • Sudden increase in muscle stiffness or floppiness

Breathing concerns

  • Breathing faster than 60 breaths per minute at rest
  • Grunting, flaring nostrils, or the chest drawing in with each breath
  • Noisy breathing, wheezing, or a persistent cough that interferes with feeding
  • Pauses in breathing lasting 20 seconds or more, or any pause of any length with colour change, floppiness, or the baby not recovering normal breathing on their own

Who to call: Victorian contacts

Primary numbers

  • Emergency: 000 (life-threatening situations)
  • Maternal & Child Health Line: 13 22 29 (24/7, free, registered nurses)
  • Nurse-On-Call Victoria: 1300 60 60 24 (24/7, free general nurse advice)
  • healthdirect: 1800 022 222 (24/7, free, registered nurses)
  • NeoPaeds Melbourne (business hours): (03) 9007 2099

Other important numbers

After-hours paediatric care in Melbourne

Major paediatric emergency departments

The Royal Children’s Hospital

  • 50 Flemington Road, Parkville
  • Phone: (03) 9345 5522
  • Open 24 hours, 7 days

Monash Children’s Hospital

  • 246 Clayton Road, Clayton
  • Phone: (03) 9594 6666
  • Open 24 hours, 7 days

Many other Melbourne hospitals have paediatric emergency departments. In a true emergency, go to the nearest hospital, do not delay to travel further.

GP after-hours options

  • National Home Doctor Service, 13 SICK (13 74 25), after-hours home visits for urgent but non-emergency care
  • Many GP clinics have extended hours or affiliated after-hours services, check with your regular GP for their arrangements

Parental mental health

Confidential support

  • PANDA National Helpline: 1300 726 306 (perinatal anxiety and depression, mothers and fathers)
  • Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support)
  • Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
  • Gidget Foundation: counselling for new parents
  • Your GP can arrange counselling under a Mental Health Care Plan

If you ever feel you might harm yourself or your baby

Call 000 immediately, or put your baby down somewhere safe, leave the room, and phone someone. MCH Line 13 22 29, a partner, a friend, or 000. Never shake a baby.

Quick contacts

  • Emergency: 000
  • MCH Line (24/7): 13 22 29
  • NeoPaeds (Mon–Fri 9–5): (03) 9007 2099
  • If you’re unsure, ring early, that’s what these lines are for.

Quick-reference version

Want a printable copy for the fridge? Use your browser’s Print on this page, it’s laid out to fit the key numbers and traffic-light triggers on a single A4 sheet.

More information for parents

References