Fever

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A FEVER means the body temperature is above normal.

Your child has a fever is his/her:

Rectal temperature is over 100.4° f
Oral temperature is over 99.5° f
Axillary (armpit) temperature over 99.0° f

FEVER is a symptom not a disease. It is the body's normal response to infections. In fact, fever is a positive sign that the body is fighting infection. The body's temperature normally fluctuates during the day and mildly increases oral temperature. (100.4° f to 101.3° f, can be caused by exercise, excessive clothing, a hot bath, or hot weather.

Most fevers are caused by viral illness and temperatures can range from 101° f to 104° f and last for 2 to 3 days. In general, the height of the fever does not relate to the severity of the illness. The child's appearance and level of activity are more important than the height of the fever. A fever only needs to be treated if the child is uncomfortable (treat the child not the fever).

TREATMENT OF FEVER

Encourage rest and increase fluid intake
Be sure not to bundle or overdress a child with fever
If the fever is causing the child to be uncomfortable you can consider the use of acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and sponging.
Do not use medication if your child is less than 2 months without speaking to your doctor first

ACETAMINOPHEN (Tylenol/Tempra)

Give 80mg (0.8ml dropper, ½ tsp, or 1 chewable tablet) per year of age every 4-6 hours

IBUPROFEN (Advil/Motrin)

6 months -1 year ½ tsp (50mg) every 6-8 hours
1-3 years 1 tsp (100mg) every 6-8 hours
3+ years 2 tsp (200mg) every 6-8 hours

SPONGING WITH WATER (never use alcohol)

Sponging is usually not necessary to reduce fever
Never sponge your child without trying acetaminophen or ibuprofen first
Should the temperature be greater than 104° f (40° c), in spite of medications, sponging might be helpful.
Place the child in the bathtub in about 2 inches of tepid water (85º to 95º f, or 29º to 32º c, neither hot nor cold water) and keep watering the skin surface by rubbing vigorously with a washcloth for 20 to 30 minutes.
NEVER use rubbing alcohol

CALL IMMEDIATELY IF ….

Your child is less than 3 months old
Your child's fever is over 105º f (40.6º c)
Your child looks and acts very sick

CALL WITHIN 24 HOURS IF ….

Your child is 3 to 6 months old
Your child has had a fever more than 24 hours without an obvious cause or location of infection
You have other concerns or questions

Fever

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