A newborn who has a temperature of 38C or higher, who is breathing fast or working hard to breathe, who looks blue, grey, pale or mottled, who is floppy or hard to wake, or who refuses feeds needs emergency care now. Babies get ill quickly and show it in fewer ways than older children, so the list below is short and blunt on purpose. This page is health information for learning and it is not medical advice about your baby. If something seems wrong and it is not on any list, seek urgent care anyway.

Do not wait for a routine appointment, a callback, or an online reply.

Get emergency help now for these

Contact your local emergency services or go to your nearest emergency department if a baby:

• Has a temperature of 38C or higher and is under three months old.
• Has a temperature under 36C, or feels cold to touch and looks unwell.
• Is breathing very fast, is working hard to breathe, is pausing while breathing, or is grunting.
• Has blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue. On black and brown skin this can be easier to see on the palms, soles, lips or inside the mouth.
• Is floppy, is difficult to wake, will not wake, or does not respond as usual.
• Has a fit, also called a seizure or convulsion.
• Has a rash that does not fade when you press it.
• Has a bulging or sunken soft spot on the head.
• Is not feeding at all.
• Has had no wet nappy for 12 hours.
• Has a weak, high-pitched or continuous cry that is not their usual cry.

NHS guidance lists these signs together for babies and young children, and notes that a baby does not need to have all of them to be seriously unwell.

Why fever is different in a baby under three months

In a newborn, a raised temperature is a reason for assessment on its own. NICE guidance on fever in the under-5s classes a temperature of 38C or higher in a baby younger than three months as a high-risk feature that needs urgent assessment, because young babies cannot show infection the way older children do.

A baby this age does not need to look dramatically unwell to be unwell. Say the baby's age first when you seek help, because age changes what is considered next.

A low temperature matters too. NHS guidance says a temperature under 36C can be a sign of serious illness in babies.

Breathing

Newborn breathing is uneven and noisy by nature. What is different is effort and speed.

Seek emergency care for breathing that is very fast, for grunting with each breath, for a baby sucking in under the ribs or at the neck, for nostrils flaring, for head bobbing, or for pauses in breathing.

Colour and skin

Blue, grey, pale or mottled skin needs emergency care. So does a rash that stays visible when you press a clear glass or a finger against it.

Yellow skin or eyes, called jaundice, has its own route. NHS guidance is to ask urgently for a midwife or GP appointment if a baby over 24 hours old looks yellow, if jaundice is getting worse, or if pee is dark or poo is pale and creamy. A baby under 24 hours old with jaundice, or a jaundiced baby who is sleepy, floppy, feverish or feeding poorly, needs emergency care.

Feeding, nappies and dehydration

Refusing feeds is a warning sign in a newborn. So is a baby who has to be woken for every feed and then does not really feed.

Far fewer wet nappies than usual, or none in the past 12 hours, needs urgent care. Feeding your newborn describes what clinicians look at when feeding is reviewed.

Repeated forceful vomiting, green vomit, or blood in vomit or stools also needs urgent assessment.

Behaviour

Floppiness, stiffness, jerking movements, and being difficult to wake all need emergency care. So does a baby who shows no interest in anything around them.

A cry that is weak, high-pitched or constant, and different from their usual cry, belongs on the same list. Newborn crying covers ordinary crying and what helps.

The cord, the eyes and the skin folds

Redness spreading around the cord stump, a bad smell, or discharge needs same-day advice, and needs emergency care if the baby also has a fever or seems unwell. There is more in nappies, skin and the cord stump.

Sticky eyes are common, but red, swollen eyelids with discharge in the first weeks need to be seen quickly.

What to say when you seek help

Say the baby's age in days or weeks first, then whether the baby was born early, then the sign that worries you and when it started.

Say plainly if the baby is not feeding, is hard to wake, or has changed in the last few hours. Ask to be seen if you are worried and are offered a wait.

When to see a doctor

Seek urgent care for any sign in the box below. Seek same-day advice for jaundice, a cord stump that looks red or smells, poor feeding, or a baby who is not themselves.

Your own warning signs are separate and just as urgent. See postpartum warning signs for yours, and your newborn in the first two weeks for what is usual.

Seek care now: Contact your local emergency services or go to your nearest emergency department if a baby under three months old has a temperature of 38C or higher, is breathing fast, working hard to breathe or grunting, has blue, grey, pale or mottled skin, is floppy, is difficult to wake, is refusing feeds, has far fewer wet nappies or none in the past 12 hours, has a bulging or sunken soft spot on the head, has a rash that does not fade when you press it, or has a fit. Femio cannot assess a baby.

Frequently asked questions

My baby has a temperature but seems settled. Do I still go?

Yes, if the baby is under three months old and the temperature is 38C or higher. Guidance counts that as urgent regardless of how settled a baby looks.

How do I know if breathing is too fast?

You do not have to count. Effort is the thing to act on: grunting, sucking in under the ribs, flaring nostrils, or pauses all need emergency care.

What if I go and it turns out to be nothing?

Emergency services expect newborn visits and would rather see a well baby than miss an unwell one. Being wrong costs one visit.

Nobody will listen to me. What do I say?

Say the baby's age, say what has changed, and say clearly that you want the baby examined. Ask for the reason for any wait to be written down.