At the Pediatrician: Help Your Child Explain Symptoms in English

The hardest part of a pediatrician visit usually isn't the English itself — it's that you have to translate for someone who can't yet describe their own body. A toddler says "my tummy hurts," and you have to turn that into "he started complaining about stomach pain last night, hasn't been eating, has no fever, and was at daycare yesterday." That's a lot of information packed into a short visit. Preparing the phrases ahead of time makes everything flow more smoothly.

This article teaches English communication for healthcare situations. It is not medical diagnosis or treatment advice. If your child has urgent symptoms — trouble breathing, blue lips, seizures, loss of consciousness, a high fever that won't come down, or signs of dehydration — contact your local emergency services or go to the emergency room right away.

Core Vocabulary

Term	Meaning	Example
pediatrician	children's doctor	We're seeing the pediatrician at 10.
fever	raised body temperature	He's been running a fever since last night.
temperature	body temperature reading	Her temperature was 39 degrees Celsius this morning.
rash	red, irritated skin patches	She has a rash on her belly and back.
cough	coughing	He has a dry cough that gets worse at night.
runny nose	nasal discharge	She's had a runny nose for two days.
ear pain	pain in the ear	He keeps tugging at his ear and crying.
diarrhea	loose, frequent stools	She's had diarrhea three times today.
vomiting	throwing up	He vomited twice after breakfast.
appetite	desire to eat	His appetite has been low since yesterday.
immunizations / shots	vaccines	Are her immunizations up to date?
daycare / preschool	childcare setting	He goes to daycare five days a week.

Must-Know Phrases

These are the parent's all-purpose toolbox — useful for almost any pediatric visit.

"My son / daughter has been ___ since ___."
"She's been running a fever of around 38.5."
"He won't eat / he's not eating much."
"She's been more tired than usual."
"He keeps pulling at his ear."
"I gave him children's Tylenol about two hours ago."
"There's a stomach bug going around at daycare."
"His immunizations are up to date."
"He's allergic to ___."
"I'm worried because he's not drinking enough."
"How much should I give him, and how often?"
"When should I bring him back if he doesn't get better?"

Awkward vs Natural Phrasing

Awkward	Natural	Why
My son is sick fever.	My son has a fever. / My son is running a fever.	You don't say "sick fever." Use "have a fever" or "running a fever."
He no eat.	He won't eat. / He's not eating.	"Won't" means actively refusing; "not + V-ing" means not doing it right now.
She vomit two times.	She vomited twice.	Past tense + "twice" is more natural than "two times."
His ear is pain.	He has ear pain. / His ear hurts.	Pain takes "have + symptom" or "subject + hurt."
I give him medicine already.	I already gave him some medicine.	Past tense + correct position of "already."
He cry whole night.	He cried all night.	Past tense + "all night."
Daycare have many sick child.	A lot of kids at daycare are sick right now.	Natural subject and tense.

Situational Dialogue: A 4-Year-Old with an Earache

Receptionist: Hi, what's the patient's name and date of birth?

Parent: His name is Leo Lin, born March 5, 2022. We have a 10:15 appointment.

Nurse: What brings Leo in today?

Parent: He's been pulling at his right ear since last night, and he has a low fever — about 38.2. He's also been more cranky than usual and didn't eat much breakfast.

Nurse: Any cough, runny nose, or vomiting?

Parent: A little runny nose for the past three days, no vomiting. He goes to daycare and there's a cold going around.

Doctor: Any allergies, and are his shots up to date?

Parent: No known allergies. His immunizations are all up to date.

Doctor: Okay, I'm going to take a look in his ears and throat. Leo, can you open wide for me?

Parent: If you prescribe anything, could you write down the dose? I want to make sure I give him the right amount.

Replaceable Sentence Templates

Swap [BLANK] for your child's situation.

"My [son / daughter] has had [BLANK] for [BLANK]."
- My daughter has had a cough for four days.
- My son has had a rash on his arms for two days.
"He's been running a fever of around [BLANK]."
- around 38.5 Celsius
- around 101 Fahrenheit
"I last gave him [BLANK] at [BLANK]."
- children's Tylenol at 8 a.m.
- ibuprofen about three hours ago
"She's allergic to [BLANK]."
- peanuts
- amoxicillin
"I'm worried because [BLANK]."
- she hasn't had a wet diaper in six hours
- he won't drink any water
"Should I bring him back if [BLANK]?"
- the fever doesn't go down in 48 hours
- the rash spreads

Quick Practice

Say each of these in natural English.

Tell the doctor your daughter started running a fever around 38 degrees last night.
Explain that your child isn't eating much, but is still drinking.
Mention a peanut allergy.
Note that you gave fever medicine two hours ago.
Ask when you should bring her back if she doesn't improve.

Sample Answers

My daughter has had a fever since last night, around 38 degrees.
He's not eating much, but he's still drinking.
She's allergic to peanuts.
I gave him some fever medicine about two hours ago.
When should I bring her back if she doesn't get better?

Copy-Ready Summary Sheet

Fill this in on your phone before the visit. When asked, read straight off the list.

Pediatric visit summary
- Child's name: __________
- Date of birth: __________
- Weight (approx.): __________ kg / lb
- Main symptom: __________ (started ___ ago)
- Fever: highest ___, last measured at ___
- Other symptoms: cough / runny nose / rash / vomiting / diarrhea / ear pain
- Eating: normal / less than usual / not eating
- Drinking: normal / less than usual / refusing
- Last wet diaper / bathroom: __________
- Medications given today: __________ at ___
- Allergies: __________
- Immunizations up to date: yes / no
- Daycare / preschool exposure: __________
- My main concern today: __________

Reading this list out loud to the doctor is far faster than answering one question at a time.