Fever - Chatsworth,CA

Your poor baby... and you. As moms we want to take it all away. The fever is not the issue unless it is accompanied by limp behavior or true signs of discomfort or illness. My feeling is that a fever is natures way of fighting illness and if a child is acting fair without meds then the fever is doing the job and the low level of activity due to the fever is the body telling the little person what it needs to help fight and ultimately heal. Talk to you doctor always before starting new meds (even over the counter) and my feeling has always been my childs behavior first then the treatment. This is just my way and the way I have been told by my pediatrician...so you should talk to yours.

Oh and most importantly...when a fever is present always make sure your baby can put his/her chin to his/her chest. I usually put a toy by her their belly button while in a sitting position to check for this.

Hi Xommaria,
The nerves in the skin of your hand is not reliable for telling if someone is "hot" or not. Believe it or not, the nerves in your lips are actually far more reliable, especially when touched to the belly or the cheek. BUT, a good thermometer is the most reliable source! If the the thermometer reads 98.4, trust it -- your child doesn't have a fever.

If your baby is teething, the pain from cutting the teeth can make him very unhappy. Give him chilled teething rings to chew on. They'll not only help cut through the pain, but will cool him down a bit as well. Drinking cool liquids is also one of the best ways to bring down body temperature, but don't give him ice cold drinks, as that could make him too chilled. Another good trick for teething pain is to string celery very well and chill it in a bowl of ice water. Give him the celery to chew on, BUT ONLY if you will be able to watch him carefully to make sure he doesn't gnow off pieces he can choke on. Celery contains a natural anaesthetic that will help to numb is sore gums, and chilling it adds to the numbing effect.

I think if it's a temperature from teething it's not as high at 102 usually. He could have an ear infection or something like that but I would just keep an eye on him and be sure he's getting enough fluids. Don't give the Motrin any more often than it says and don't give the Tylenol with the Motrin. Sometimes a child can feel warm and not have a fever. Is it warm in the house and is he dressed too warm? Give the Motrin and if the temperature stays down then don't give more unless it comes up again later. If it's 98.4 then don't give him any medication at all and just keep an eye on him. You may want to check with your doctor if it comes back up again for very long just to be sure it's not an ear infection or other thing that might need checked out.

You have a point i shouldnt be giving him if he is at that temperature. i dont know what is wrong with him. He seems so depressed and very sad. i know its do to teething but idk what to do. im going to go visit his pediatrician tomorrow to see what he responds.

He does not have a fever so you do not need to give him Motrin or Tylenol unless he appears to be in pain.

Don't give him any meds if his temp is normal. Sometimes kids feel like they're running hot even though their temp is within normal range. Some clothes just trap more heat than others. Just keep an eye on him and check his temp every so often to reassure yourself.

ETA: Also, just want to make sure you're aware that if you're taking an axillary temp (under the arm) you do need to add approx 1 degree to the readout. If you're doing a rectal temp, then the readout is accurate.