Q&A: My child has a fever. What should I do?
-703529.gif){kind=icon}
Q: My two year old has a fever of 102.3 rectally. He also has a runny nose, slight cough and seems a bit tired and cranky. Should I call his pediatrician right away or wait and see how it goes?
A: Among the zillion responsibilities you have as a parent, knowing what to do when your child gets a fever is among the most important and, therefore, the scariest. Let me break down the issues for you and help you figure out how to approach this common concern:
- Be certain there is indeed a fever. That usually means a rectal temp (the most accurate) in a young child. Generally any temperature above 100.4 is considered a fever.
- Fever = infection. It is not due to teething. It is not due to allergies. It is not due to stress. Your child's fever is almost certainly due to an infection.
- Therefore, once a fever has been established, the real question is: what kind of infection is it? A virus? A bacterial infection? Look for clues: are there any symptoms, like a rash, cough, vomiting or diarrhea?
- Most important, how sick does your child look? If s/he is happy and playful and living large, then a serious infection is unlikely, no matter what the degree of fever. If, on the other hand, she looks lethargic, unhappy, not alert, not hungry, etc, then a significant infection is more likely, no matter the level of the fever.
- Don't be fever-phobic. The fever is unlikely to cause any harm, except to make your child uncomfortable (for more on this see my blog post here.)
- For comfort you can give ibuprofen or acetaminophen in the prescribed doses, every four hours or so.
- Give plenty of fluids. Be sure s/he remains well hydrated throughout the illness.
- Involve your pedi! Only s/he will be able to diagnose what is going on should your little one need to be seen. Let him/her know what is going on from the beginning, especially if you have concerns.
Tools to Try
Technorati Tags: fever, FAQ, pediatrics, ask the pediatrician
23 Comments:
This post has been removed by the author.
can Asthma show up slowly in a child even though they have had a cough ALL their lives??
my daughter was running a 104.5 fever on friday night and all i could do for her is give her motrin and put her in a luke warm bath is that the right thing to do also sat it went back up and she was throwing up and just looked like she was really sick all she did was sleep most of the day then sat night she started complaining that her teeth hurt i just recently found out that she has 4 cavities. then sun she was fine except she said it hurt. ive been brushing her teeth like they told me and i brushed them last night before bed then this morning she got up and it smelt like something had died in her mouth is that normal what sould i do? the dentist told me that she will have to have fillings but right now they havent done ne thing for it now shes gotten to where she doesnt want me brushing her teeth. Is is normal for kids to grind there teeth both my children do. my daughter is not even 4 yet and my son will be two soon.
To Tisha: When your child has a fever and is throwing up, call your doctor (if your child has one) or call the nurse line of your insurance company. They can give you some recommendations. If the mouth smell goes away after you brush her teeth, then it's probably normal (a dentist can be more specific about the causes). If it doesn't go away, that's the sign of a problem. My son is 20 months, and brushing teeth is one of those things that I make sure he does every night, even if it means I have to hold him down. Grinding teeth is bad - it wears out the enamel. Going to bed with juice or milk is also bad. Again, talk to a dentist or look for information under "children's teeth."
My daughter is 16 months old. She has had a rash on the backs of her legs for about a week now. We thought it was poison ivy so that is how I've been treating it. Now the rash is spreading to her arms the the froms of her legs. The backs are still very pinkish red and splochy, the other parts are just little bumps everywhere. Now she is getting a fever, it reached 103.1 today. We took her to the doctor and they said it was a virus and to give her tylonal. Whenever we give her tylonal now, she throws it back up. We can't get her to drink anything except milk and she won't eat. I'm really worried and I don't think the doctor is being any help. Everytime we take her in they say that there is nothing they can do and to give her tylonal (FOR EVERYTHING). Any suggestions?
My grandson has a urinary tract infection about every 3 weeks. A slight fever with crankiness and vomiting will usually appear and the culture always comes back positive for a UTI.
We are hoping there are some suggestions for avoiding a UTI. Could it be the baby wash? Disposable diapers? We are at our wit's end.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
To anonymous:
Your grandson could have urinary reflux (kidney reflux), a condition where the urine travels back up toward the kidneys each time he voids. If he has been getting them so frequently, his ped should be requesting futher tests such as a VCUG. I would inquire. Urinary reflux could do some damage to the kidneys if it's not monitored and/or treated. Both of my sons were diagnosed with this shortly after birth. They were given prophylactic doses of antibiotics to prevent any infections until they finally outgrew the reflux. Please consult with your grandson's doctor soon.
my son is complaining of a bellyache all day, he also says his chest hurts. am i able to give him any tums? i'm thinking it might be heartburn he is complaining of also. please give me any information that could be helpful. He is 5yo and weighs approx 50lbs. thank you
Kristen,
It sounds like your child may have GERD/Acid Reflux. I would get an appt with your pediatrician. For short term relief, mylanta is better for kids than tums, I have read.
cara
my daughter did the same thing with the tylenol thats why now sence i have gone to school for this i relized that u can go by the weight of the child and if she is at the weight to give her chewables than give her one tylenol chewable i ended up doing that with my daughter and giving her motrin both the tylenol and the motrin she can hold down now but if i give her liquid she will throw it up bc it has too much sweetener in it and it makes her tummy upset
kristin
my daughter was born with acid reflux u need to take your son to the ped and get a refferal to a gastrologist. bc my daughter ended up having to be put on previcid and reglen and that really helped her but she was throwing up too.
I took my 14 month old daughter to the doctor on Friday. She was running a fever and would not let me go. They checked it at the office and it was 104.7. They sent us to the ER. While at the ER they checked it again, did a chest x-ray, checked her blood (which her palet count was low), checked her urine, and did a strep test because her limphnodes were inlarged. Everything except the blood came back normal. They sent us home and told us it was a viral infection and to just treat it like a fever.
It is now Sunday and she is still running a high fever. We are giving her motrin every 6 hours. Today she seemed a little better and finally started playing with toys again, but by bedtime she was over 103 again.
Do you think there is something else going on? I am planning on going back to her regular doctor tomorrow to get her blood count rechecked. Should I ask them to re-check things?? I am just concerned about having the high fever for so long.
She doesn't really have any other symptoms. I just don't know what to do to help her.
Thanks, Jessica
to cara: instead giving her a tylonal give her the acetaminophen suppositories this will be better for your daughter..it reduces fever..u can buy it in walgreens..
My daughter started running a fever on Friday night of 101.3 by the time I got her to the hospital on saturday (because it kept going up) it was 104.9! They've checked urine and blood and everything is normal. It is now Monday and her fever still reaches 103.5. Tylenol isn't helping but motrin will for as long as it last and then the fever comes back. When should I be concerned the fever is too long? She's not eating and she'll barely drink anything.
Melissa,
Ironically I just went thru this with my 3 year old son today and took him to the er. Ends up he has a urinary tract infection and his fever still hasnt gone below 101.7 even with motrin and tylonol. However the importance of a child dehydrating is very critical and will happen very, very fast. If she isnt drinking much or urinating very much it would probably be wise to seek medical attention right away. Good luck! P.S, Dont let them blow you off, nobody knows your child like you do!
My child has sporadic fevers, she wakes up fine, eats well, however at night she had 104.5 fever... took her to the emergency and a they tested her urine and check for ear and throat infections they didn't find anything... again this morning she woke up with 101.5 fever... What can she possibly have?
My 3 1/2 year old son has had a fever since Friday afternoon. It got as high as 104.5 so my husband and I put him in a cool bath and have been alternating Tylenol and Motrin every 4 hours. The fever will come down till the medication wears off. His left eye is red, puffy and secreting a tiny bit of clear tear like fluid. He also has diarrhea. He IS eating and drinking loads of fluid but I'm concerned that I've been giving him medication too much and his fever is lasting too long...should I be concerned and what else can I do??? I took my son to the doctor on Thursday because that's when his eye stared with the puffyness and redness and I thought it was pink eye. He told me no that it was a viral eye infection and to use "eye wash" to get rid of it...3 days later, no change and his sympotoms are worse.
Tisha, give her a cool bath instead of lukewarm and be careful about giving her motrin all the time . Tylenol is much safer and if that does not take her fever away ,then try motrin. Do you brush her teeth 2x a day religiously? Bad teeth can poison the blood and cause heart disease! Make sure both drink water before bed time and certain fruit, such as apples and strawberries, can cut down plaque on the teeth. It could be just genetic , but usually cavities are the result of poor conditions or poor dietary choices. The "dead smell" could be she needs you to floss her teeth. Ever floss your teeth and smell it ? It smells HORRIBLE !! So try that and take her to a different dentist if the other one does not fix it. Grinding could be the result of stress and they have these things at Wal-Mart called Night Guards but may have to have one specially made for kids by your dentist.
Urinary tract infection is caused by bacteria getting into the urethra ,thus causing infection. Encourage your grandson to drink PLENTY OF WATER or cranberry juice. Soda and tea will just irratate his bladder more. Also encourage frequent urination and CUT DOWN ON BATHS , especially baths with scented bubbles etc. Try Aveeno head to toe lightly scented or unscented baby wash and try changing his diapers more often and even maybe the brand.
I know most parents will think I am crazy or be very skeptical, but my 11 month old little girl just spiked a fever of 104.5 and I called my CHIROPRACTOR who has been treating children for years and he adjusted her atlas (which he said by feel it was out of place). It has been 35 minutes since the adjustment and her temperature is at 100.1 with no Tylenol/Advil/Motrin! I used to think Chiropratic care was quackish, but he took care of her fever by a simple adjustment and she is sleeping soundly for the first time in 3 days! MAKE SURE YOU SEE SOMEONE WHO HAS ADJUSTED CHILDREN BEFORE THOUGH!
My 2 1/2 year old daughter has had a high fever of 104.2 now for the past 4 day. We have taken her to the her pediatrician now 2 times now and still no answer on what causing the high fever. They have taken blood work and other test. Do you have any idea on what can cause something like this. PLEASE HELP
my son has been running a low grade fever for three days now. It was around 102-103 over the weekend and on Monday we took him to the Dr.They said it must be viral because he didn't have strep. His fever went down to normal for a day and now is hovering around 100. doesn't a week seem a long time to have a fever w/out having something wrong besides a viral infection? His eyes are also red and glossy and he is very tired. those are the only symptoms he is showing... by the way he is 5yrs. old. Anyone know what I should do? Would you take him back to the Dr.?
My Daughter is 18 months, she's had a fever for a week now. It spiked up to 105 yesterday morning! She's seen 3 different doctors this week. I'm at my wits end. They are telling me that it's a viral infection and to keep giving her motrin/tylenol. I'm reading all of these other mothers' comments and they all sound the same. Is there no name for this strand of viral infection?? She's had blood work done and a was checked for urinary tract infection. All came out negative. Now I have what looks like ringworm on my skin, little itchy rashes. I don't know if it's related or what?
Post a Comment