Life with kids is never boring! Hopefully the situations you’ll experience will fall under the category of “not great, but could be worse” and you’ll be able to laugh about it afterwards. But it’s still important to know what to do in emergencies.
Below are Dr. Claude’s top tips for parents, according to the motto: Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
Dr. Claude Grenzbach is a pediatrician with a private practice in Berlin-Mitte. She provides personalized medical care with the focus on preventive medicine, pediatric pneumology and allergology. She offers her consultations in German, English and French.
Here’s what I tell all new and expectant parents:
Prepare a dedicated drawer or box with the following items in case of an emergency:
€50 in cash, just in case the taxi driver does not accept credit cards
List of emergency numbers
Ambulance: 112
Police: 110
Poison emergency center: (030) 192 40
An emergency bag with the following items
Your child’s health insurance card
The child’s yellow booklet
Your child’s immunization records
Spare clothes for the child and yourself (in case the child throws up on you or similar)
It’s also important to note that only hospitals with a pediatric accident and emergency unit will accept children, so make sure you go to a hospital with a “Kinderrettungsstelle.” (Adult-only A&E units are not allowed to accept children.)
I also like to recommend having an affirmation card ready for tough times (emergencies, tantrums, tough days…). This can be your affirmation of choice and could be along the lines of:
“I am enough.”
“Everything will be ok.”
“Everything is going to be fine in the end. If it's not fine it's not the end.” (Attributed to Oscar Wilde)
Here’s Dr. Claude’s full list of emergency numbers and hospitals with a pediatric accident and emergency units.
