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Urgent Care and Emergency Services

When to Choose Urgent Care vs. the Emergency Room for Your Child

We’re here to help in the heat of the moment. Find care tips and guidance, as well as in-person urgent and emergency care, from our team of pediatric experts.

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When your child is sick or injured, it can be difficult to tell how serious it is or what type of care they need. Children’s Hospital Colorado is here to help. Our pediatric experts provide guidance on when to choose urgent care vs. the emergency room, the differences between these options, and how to make an informed decision that can save you time and money.

If you believe your child needs immediate attention and you have concerns for a life-threatening emergency, call 911. 

My child is sick or injured. What should I do first?

If you are not concerned for a life-threating emergency and unsure where to go, call your child's primary care provider or pediatrician first. They can advise you on the best course of action.

If you don’t have a primary care provider or they’re unavailable, you can call our ParentSmart Healthline at 720-777-0123 to speak with a registered nurse 24/7. Children's Colorado also has a free mobile app with helpful resources on assessing your child's illness.

What’s the difference between urgent care and emergency room?

Generally, urgent care treats everyday injuries and illnesses that need medical attention when your primary care provider is not available. Children’s Colorado offers four urgent care locations to ensure that your child receives expert pediatric care quickly and conveniently.

Emergency departments are equipped to handle the most serious injuries and illnesses and offer a broader range of services than you can receive through urgent care. Emergency departments are located in hospitals, which means they accept ambulances, may have a helipad and can admit your child to an inpatient bed if necessary. In general, it is more expensive to go to the emergency department than to urgent care.

Seeking urgent care services in a non-emergency situation can help ensure that our emergency departments aren't overwhelmed with patients who do not need emergency resources. This helps all kids receive the level of care they need faster.

Where to seek care for your child

To help you decide if your child needs to go to urgent care or the emergency room, look at the chart below. You can also download our printable guide of when to seek urgent vs. emergency care:

Condition, illness or injury* Urgent care Emergency
No No
Allergic reaction (mild) Yes No
Allergic reaction, trouble breathing No Yes
Asthma attack (mild) Yes No
Asthma attack, trouble breathing after treatment No Yes
Breathing trouble or blue lips/fingers No Yes
Broken bone or sprain Yes No
Broken bone (bone deformed or coming out of skin) No Yes
Burns (minor) Yes No
Burns (serious, electrical, acid or involving the face) No Yes
Concern for abuse or neglect No Yes
Cold or flu symptoms: cough, congestion, croup, sore throat Yes No
Cuts that may require stitches Yes No
Cuts that won’t stop bleeding No Yes
Dehydration No Yes
Ear pain or tugging Yes No
Fainting but acting normal Yes No
Fever in children younger than 2 months No Yes
Fever in children older than 2 months Yes No
Headaches (mild) Yes No
Headache (severe or with neck pain) No Yes
Head injury in kids older than 6 months, behaving normally Yes No
Head injury with persistent vomiting or behavior change, or in kids less than 6 months No Yes
Hives, rash or skin irritation Yes No
Ingestions (call poison control first: 800-222-1222) No Yes
Insect bite or sting (no trouble breathing) Yes No
Insect bite or sting with trouble breathing No Yes
Lethargic, difficulty responding or waking up No Yes
Numbness, paralysis, weakness or vision loss No Yes
Object stuck in nose or ear Yes No
Object stuck in skin or eye (don’t pull it out) No Yes
Pain when peeing Yes No
Pink eye Yes No
Seizure that has stopped Yes No
Seizures that won’t stop No Yes
Slurred speech or trouble speaking No Yes
Stomach pain Yes No
Suicide attempt or threat to self or others No Yes
Swallowed objects (excluding button battery), with no trouble breathing Yes No
Swallowed button battery or other object with trouble breathing No Yes
Vomiting, diarrhea or constipation Yes No

* This list is not comprehensive. If at any point you believe your child needs immediate emergency care, take them to the closest emergency department or call 911.

What to expect when you visit a Children’s Colorado urgent care or emergency room

Whether you visit one of our urgent care locations or an emergency room, your child will be seen and treated by doctors and nurses who are specially trained to care for kids. All our locations also have specialized equipment designed to fit children and teens, such as child-sized needles and blood pressure cuffs.  And unlike other hospitals and urgent care locations, we will contact your child's primary healthcare provider about your visit.

Before your visit, review our policies and procedures for up-to-date information on visitor policies, security and health screenings and more.

What to expect from your visit:

  • When you arrive at Children's Colorado, a triage nurse will assess your child's illness. You’ll then go to the waiting room until the care team is ready to see your child.
  • Our doctors always see the sickest patients first. If the triage nurse believes that your child may have a life-threatening condition, the care team will see them immediately. If another child arrives after you, but sees a care team before you, it means their illness is more serious. However, Children's Colorado will always try to accommodate all patients in a timely fashion.
  • Patients who come to a Children's Colorado emergency department or urgent care may not always receive a prescription for medication. The doctor or healthcare provider will provide a care plan to treat your child, which may or may not include medication.
  • Children's Colorado has many kid-friendly medications used for sedation and pain. Our doctors or healthcare providers may try different ways to deliver these medications to make your child comfortable (such as by the mouth, through the nose, in the vein or with numbing creams).
  • If your child takes a prescription medication, bring the bottle(s) with you to help the team better understand the type and dose.
  • If you are concerned that your child has a broken bone or may have appendicitis, do not give him or her anything to eat or drink before seeking care.
  • Children's Colorado's urgent care facilities are staffed with pediatric healthcare providers who can determine if your child is too ill for urgent care, in which case they will stabilize them and send them to a Children's Colorado emergency department.

Get care now

We’re here to help in the heat of the moment. Our pediatric emergency rooms are open 24/7 to provide expert care for your child when they’re facing a serious illness or injury. We also offer urgent care services at locations throughout the Denver area.