The Sick Child Decision Tree & Non-Toxic Protocol

A 30-page laminated reference card for the 2am decision : treat at home, call tomorrow, call tonight, or go now. 22 illnesses · weight-based dosing · evidence graded A–F · Caribbean & Black tradition honored. Ages 0–13.

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It's 2am. Your child is sick. What do you actually do?

There's no manual for the moment you're holding a feverish kid at 2am, deciding between four very different actions. So we built one. Every recommendation specifies an age. Every "natural" remedy is graded honestly — including when the honest grade is "actively dangerous."

  1. 911 NOW

    Blue · breathing distress · seizure · under-3mo fever

  2. On-Call Tonight

    Can't wait until morning, but not an emergency

  3. Same-Day

    Pediatrician visit needed within hours

  4. Tomorrow

    Next business day is fine

  5. Home Care

    Hydrate, comfort, recheck in 4 hours

The 10-Second Scan. Memorize it.

Five checks. Each one means 911 or ER, right now, no matter what else is going on. This is the first thing on the card and the first thing every father should know by heart.

Not a symptom-checker. A decision system.

Most pediatric info online tells you what something might be. This card tells you what to DO — calibrated to your child's exact age and weight, and honest about what works and what doesn't.

The illnesses you'll actually face. All in one place.

From the everyday cold to the once-in-a-childhood emergency — each with recognition signs, home care that works, and the exact thresholds that mean "call" or "go."

Six grades. No wellness theater.

Every health claim on the card carries a grade — so you know the difference between a remedy with real evidence and one that's just tradition, marketing, or worse.

Caribbean & Black tradition, graded honestly.

Generations of remedies kept our families alive when doctors wouldn't see us. That wisdom deserves respect — and an honest grade. Some remedies still hold up. Some are neutral. Some, with what we now know, are dangerous, especially for the smallest children.

"Acetaminophen and tradition sit alongside each other, not against each other. The ritual is the medicine the science doesn't measure."
Keep These

Keep These

  • Ginger tea (older kids)
  • Lemongrass for comfort
  • Honey ≥ 1 year for cough
  • Coconut oil for skin
  • Gentle steam for croup
  • Skin-to-skin · soup · presence
Know The Risks

Know The Risks

  • Cerasee (G6PD · under 2)
  • Soursop leaf (daily use)
  • Susumba (cadmium)
  • Modern gripe water
  • Untested bush teas
  • Coining / cupping on kids
Stop These

Stop These

  • Alcohol rubs (any age)
  • Camphor near babies
  • Vicks under 2
  • "Sweating out" a fever
  • Whiskey on gums
  • Honey under 1 year

30 pages. In your back pocket.

Print and laminate. Keep it in the medicine cabinet, the diaper bag, the glovebox. Read it on a calm evening — so at 2am, you already know.

  1. 01Cover
  2. 16Eczema · Allergies · Anaphylaxis
  3. 02The 10-Second Scan + Framework
  4. 17Teething & UTI
  5. 03Red Flags · Call 911 Now
  6. 18Skin · Lice · Pinworms
  7. 04The Under-3-Months Fever Rule
  8. 19Asthma Flares & Wheeze
  9. 05Dehydration & ORS Protocol
  10. 20Meds · Safe · Limited · Banned
  11. 06When To Call · Tonight vs Tomorrow
  12. 21Non-Toxic Remedy Grades · Pt 1
  13. 07Fever Management
  14. 22Remedy Grades Pt 2 + EO Toxicity
  15. 08Acetaminophen Dosing Chart
  16. 23Cultural Context · Part 1
  17. 09Ibuprofen Dosing + Med Safety
  18. 24Cultural Context · Part 2
  19. 10Cold / URI & The 4 Coughs
  20. 25Prevention Frameworks by Age
  21. 11RSV / Bronchiolitis & Croup
  22. 26Vaccines · Vitamin D · Iron
  23. 12Influenza & COVID-19
  24. 27Non-Toxic Home Environment
  25. 13Strep & Ear Infections
  26. 28The DIY Sick Kit
  27. 14Pink Eye · HFMD · Stomach Bug
  28. 29Dangerous "Natural" Practices
  29. 15Constipation · Reflux · Diaper Rash
  30. 30Decision Tree · Library · FTC

Stock it once. Beat the 2am pharmacy run.

Everything on page 28 of the card, in one place. One Sunday-afternoon trip prevents 90% of midnight scrambles. These are the exact tools the guide recommends — graded for pediatric appropriateness, not commission.

🌡️ Measurement & Monitoring

💧 Hydration & Nasal Care

💊 Medications · Age-Limited

💛 Budget access: Cost should never be the barrier. WIC covers ORS, formula, and vitamin D drops. Medicaid/CHIP covers thermometers and pulse ox with a prescription. VFC offers free vaccines through age 18. Used is fine for humidifiers, pulse oximeters, and storage bins — never for medications, thermometers, dosing syringes, or NoseFrida internals.

📋 Honest picks: These are the tools the card recommends based on evidence and pediatric appropriateness — not commission. Affiliate links help keep the guide free.

You're not a doctor. You're the dad.

Those are different jobs — and yours is the harder one. The under-3-month fever rule is non-negotiable. The 10-second scan is the deal. Everything else is comfort, hydration, and time. Keep the card close.

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