How to keep a symptom diary for your child's doctor

Why a diary changes the appointment

Many childhood problems come and go: fevers, rashes, tummy aches, headaches, coughs that are worse at night. By the time you're sitting in front of the doctor, your child may be completely well, and the doctor has only your description to go on.

A diary turns that description into something concrete. "She's had five fevers since March, each three to four days long, roughly four weeks apart, peaking around 39.5°C" gives a doctor a lot more to work with than "she keeps getting ill".

What to record day to day

• The symptom, in plain words. Be specific: "pain around the belly button" rather than "tummy ache".
• When it started and how long it lasted.
• How bad it was — a simple mild / moderate / severe scale is fine, as long as you use it consistently.
• Temperatures, with times. See our fever log guide for a printable chart.
• Medicines given, doses and times, and whether they helped. Our medicine log guide covers this in more detail.
• Anything that might be connected — food, sleep, nursery, a new soap, illness in the family.
• Photos of anything visible, dated.

Keep it short. A line or two per entry, logged at the time, is far more useful than a long entry written from memory a few days later.

Before the appointment: make a one-page summary

A doctor can't read six weeks of notes in a ten-minute slot. Spend a few minutes the night before turning your diary into one page:

1. The main problem, in one sentence. "Recurring high fevers with mouth ulcers since March."
2. The timeline. When it started, how often it happens, how long each episode lasts. A short table works well.
3. The numbers. Highest temperatures, number of episodes, gaps between them.
4. What you've tried and whether it helped.
5. How your child is in between.
6. Your questions — two or three, written down, most important first.

On the day

• Hand over the summary at the start, rather than saving it for the end.
• Have the detail ready — on paper or on your phone — for when the doctor asks about a particular episode.
• Bring the medicines, or photos of their labels, if there's any doubt about names or strengths.
• Write down what the doctor says, including anything you should watch for and when to come back. Add it to the diary when you get home.

After the appointment

Keep going. If the doctor suggests trying something, the diary is how you'll both know whether it worked. If they suggest waiting and watching, the diary is what you'll bring next time. And if you're tracking fevers that keep coming back, read our guide to spotting a pattern in recurring fevers.

A symptom diary helps you describe what you've seen. It isn't a diagnosis, and it isn't a reason to wait if you're worried — if your child seems very unwell, contact a doctor or your local emergency number.