11 Month Old Has Had Fever for over a Week.

Fever, although scary to a first time parent, is not necessarirly dangerous. You did not mention how high the fever has been. My ped said that for a child under 2, it's really a fever unless it's 101.1 or greater. Children can take higher temperatures. Fever is also an indicator of the body trying to fight an infection. Both of my daughters, ironically when they were both 11 months old, came down with Roseola. They call it the first childhood illness, as everyone gets it. It is viral, so no medication is necessary but ibuprofen or acetaminophen for the fever. The fever is the tell tale sign of the illness, which lasts for about a week. With my experience with my 3 children who have all had Roseola, the fever comes on high and seemingly out of nowhere. Unless ibuprofen or acetaminophen is given, the fever will persist and will often "peak" to the highest temperature and then after a few days, the fever will come down until a lovely prickly heat looking red rash covers the baby's abdomen, back, legs, neck and/or arms. The baby could have foul smelling poop but I can't say I noticed anything about the breath. Some babies have breath issues but it could be unrelated to the illness. The fever with Roseola will last about a week with little to no other symptoms but the rash after the fever breaks will be the confirming symptom that it's Roseola. The rash often lasts 3-5 days. I wouldn't have your doctor initiate any more tests on your baby unless the fever has been present with other bothersome symptoms for well over a week. Fevers are not bad...just manage them properly to make your baby comfortable.

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She could be teething too. My little one usually got a fever before her tooth broke through. But get a second opinion about the fever, stool and bad breathe. I only use Tylenol. Unless she has an extremely high fever than us Motrin, but ask the doc first.

Find a different doctor? What are you considering a fever? Some doctors fail to mention that in small children anything under 101 is normal. Has her diet changed? Is she teething? Both of these things can result in smelly diapers and possably bad breath. This will sound crazy, but are you sure it's her breath that stinks? My daughter put something up her nose when she was about 14 months and it went into her sinus, the "bad breath" was actually coming from her nose. (It was stuffing from a stuffed animal). I would keep investigating until you figure it out. Good luck.

My recommendation is to see a different pediatrician. I have not seen this with my kids, but you need a second opinion anyway.

Good luck and God bless.
~T.

I would hold off on the Motrin and let the fever run its course. I would only treat if it goes above 103. Maybe by artificially lowering it with meds, you are not giving it a chance to "break." Keep her well hydrated and let the infection run its course unless any other worrisome symptoms develop, then see your doctor again.

Hi M.,
I had a similar problem when my son was 18 months old and ran a fever for 11 days. After about a week, of alternating Tylenol and Motrin, I got tired of going through so much medicine and putting it in his body. This is what I did, and it helped so much.
If you have a juicer, juice carrots and celery and an apple to sweeten it, then give her 2-3 tablespoons every hour. If she'll take more, give her more, (that's all my son would take, but he did like it)
The carrot is a natural fever reducer, and the celery when used with the carrot acts as a natural antibiotic, and the apple sweetens it making it more pleasant to drink especially for children. This will hydrate her and make her feel better. Natural remedies do take a little longer than traditional medicines but you will see a difference.
I learned this information from a medical missionary who worked in other countries helping with health problems to heal naturally without the use of medicines.
Hope this helps! If you need any more information, please feel free to write.
Take care!
V.

You would be wise to not give her Motrin or any other over-the-counter medication at all. If there's a fever the body has a reason for it and using medication to suppress it is dangerous unless it's an extremely high fever that poses a threat to the brain. You may want to make sure your child is properly hydrated and getting the immune support of natural mother's milk (if you are using medicines yourself that can taint your milk). Colostrum is a supplement that helps the immune system, so you could consider a colostrum supplement. Also, avoid subjecting your baby to any vaccinations while she's having this issue, and if this arose after immunization shots then I'd think twice before allowing her to receive any future vaccines.

Get another opinion. Bad breath can be a throat infection.

Hi M., My son (who is 2 now) had a terrible time with teething and his fever would go extremely high. Over a week is a really long time for a fever regardless of whether its an infection or teething, but if it is associated with teething remember that the medication soothes baby as teething is very painful and uncomfortable for them. You dont necessarily have to give them ibuprofen (motrin) however which is pretty strong, Acetaminophen will help with the pain and discomfort. Check out her gums and see if there is even the slightest change - some babies take a really long time for the teeth to break through. My son eventually started to get diarrhea whenever a tooth would come through, which apparently is in part from all of the saliva they produce and end up swallowing. this may have something to do with change in her stool as you mentioned. Remember again a week is a long time for a fever of any kind, so if there is no soreness or redness of the gums and no other apparent symptoms to accompany that fever (sniffles, cough, etc.) I would seek a second opinion, just to be safe. We may love our pediatricians but they can also be wrong. Babies are sometimes hard to diagnose because they cant tell you what is really ailing them. Good luck to you and baby! God bless

Hi there! I am glad to read that your baby's illness has passed and that it turned out to be teething. I wanted to offer one little home-made soother that I used with my son. I made a diluted concoction of chamomile tea and fruit juice, froze it, smushed it up, and put it in one of those mesh "popsicle" looking things that is sold to put fruit in. I can't remember the exact name for it. I found them at Target in the baby section. The chamomile is an anti-inflammatory and a tummy soother. The cold is a natural anti-inflammatory. And the fruit juice is just for sweetness and added Vitamin C. I also liked a supplement called Gripe Water when my son was teething and colicky. It also has chamomile as well as licorish and a lot of other good stuff. And it tastes yummy so there is no fight to get them to take it.

Oatmeal baths (Aveeno) really help with the prickly rash too.

Best of luck!

L.

I would also bet money on it being a teething issue?? Maybe just give her the Motrin at night and try Tylenol during the day...if need be...just watch it if it gets two high give her some...I know they say 103 or higher, but I personally feel more comfortable giving my son some before it gets to 103...

The foul smell in breath and bowel may mean she needs probiotics(acidophilus--yogurt) At 1 year she can be given yogurt to eat(plain sweetened with Stevia (health food store). If you are nursing you should be consuming probiotics also. Just yogurt probably won't be enough. Health food stores can supply you with capsules. The capsules can be empied into her milk also.
Good Luck and God Bless.

Check her gums maybe she is teeting. The teething process is very hard on them. My son used to get real bad diarreah.

Get a new pediatrician. A fever for more than two days is evident of toxicity. Have you checked your house for allergens? Wool, animals, carpeting a/c filters, etc all can cause distress. Is he on a vitamin/mineral supplement to boost the immune system?
Also, check if he's teething. Place a clean, damp washcloth in the freezer and let him gnaw on it. This will release the pain. Don't do the frozen bagel - babies end up chewing off pieces that create a choking hazard.
Again, a doctor who tells you he cannot find the cause is an idiot. Contact me if you want a medical intuitive to help you. I also have a great general practitioner in Boca/Delray to refer to you.
Blessings, S.

Have the baby chaecked for Mono, a friend of mine went through the same thing and took her baby to the er and asked for her to be tested and she was positive for mono..