What is a fever?

Fever is a body temperature higher than 100.4 degrees F or 38 degrees C as measured by a rectal thermometer for infants and young children or oral thermometer for older children.

Fever is a natural response to an infection.

Touching your child’s skin or forehead may not tell you whether your child has a fever because the skin can be cool to the touch even though the inside of the body is very warm.

Taking your child’s temperature with a thermometer is the best way to determine whether your child has a fever.

Accurately determining your child’s temperature is an important part in managing your child’s fever.

When you are anxious it can be easy to misread a thermometer, for example, reading 100.5 degrees F as 105.0 degrees F. Please refer to how to read a thermometer for a refresher.

What are the symptoms of fever?

Warm and sweaty or cool and clammy skin
Complaints of being very hot or cold
Shivering

Home care

You may be able to treat your child’s fever at home if none of the warning signs below apply. The following are common situations in which home therapy is generally effective:<

Your child appears well, seems comfortable and is responding to treatment.
Your child has minor symptoms in addition to a fever, such as cough or diarrhea.
Your child has had contacts with people with similar mild symptoms.

Remember – if you have any questions, or if you are not sure whether home therapy is advisable, please Call Our Office Now.

If your child has ear pain and does not have any of the warning signs, you may treat the fever at home and schedule an appointment with us today or tomorrow.

Dress your child in light clothing. Overbundling a child can cause your child to become too warm.

Continue to take your child’s temperature every 2-4 hours until the fever is controlled.

Monitor your child for any of the warning signs below or other worrisome symptoms as you treat your child at home.

If your child seems to have a mild illness and is not taking in as much by mouth, try increasing fluid intake by offering small amounts more often.

For children under one year of age, give 1-2 ounces of formula, breast milk, or rehydration therapy (e.g. Pedialyte®, Rehydrate®, Infalyte®) every 30 minutes to an hour.
Do not give children under 2 large amounts of water.
Older children who are more severely dehydrated (see warning signs) should be given only rehydration therapy.

Use acetaminophen (Tylenol®, Tempra®, or Panadol®) or ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®) for pain and discomfort.

Follow the package instructions to determine the appropriate dose by your child’s WEIGHT or age for acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

Avoid ibuprofen if your child is dehydrated or unable to take anything by mouth.

Do not use aspirin because of the increased risk of Reye’s syndrome with certain infections.

Never add alcohol to bath water. It could trigger a hypoglycemic seizure.

For fevers above 104.0 degrees F that do not respond to treatment with acetaminophen and ibuprofen, you may try giving your child a lukewarm or tepid bath. Do not give your child a bath in cold water because this may cause him to shiver which increases his body temperature.

Warning signs – Call our office for advice if:

Your child has a stiff neck, or complains of an excessive headache, or eye pain, Call Our Office Now.

Your child is crying inconsolably, Call Our Office Now.

Your child is having difficulty breathing or swallowing, Call Our Office Now.

Your child has a petechial rash, a red or purple rash that doesn’t turn pale briefly after pressing on it, Call Our Office Now.

Your child has any signs of dehydration such as no tears while crying, dry lips and mouth, fewer wet diapers (around 6 per day is normal) or urination, or sunken eyes, Call Our Office Now.

Your child is less than 6 months old and has a temperature greater than 100.4 degrees F, Call Our Office Now.

Your child is older than 6 months and has a temperature greater than 102.5 degrees F, Call Our Office Now.

Your child appears very ill, irritable, or lethargic, Call Our Office Now.

You have any questions or concerns, or are unsure whether your child’s symptoms are worrisome, Call Our Office Now.