Spiking Fevers How Long to Wait?

J., I've let a fever run (with Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen to control it) for a week. He probably has a "bug" running in his system and I have 3 children so I've experienced fevers with no other symtoms too. Fevers are a good thing. It means his little body is working to fight an infection. Just remember to control it when it gets over 101 with Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen. I've found that Ibuprofen works a bit faster but giving a dose of Acetaminphen with Ibuprofen together helps reduce the fever quicker. Don't worry about this. If his fever continues after a week, give the pediatrician a call. If you are concerned, call the ped anyway.

hi there. believe me i understand the worrying BUT as a mother of 3 kids i really try not to panic anymore unless i see there is a change in behavior such as being sluggish, not eating, etc. i found that with my kids and they are taller than normal...my 4 year old is the size of a 6 year old that when they get a fever with no other symptoms its usually growth spurt, and at his ageit could also mean a tooth coming in. i know many parents and even doctors dont agree BUT that is what Ihave found to be true with my kids. if you are truly worried, has changes in his behavior and its been over 4 days i would definetly take him to the dr just to be sure. good luck! :)

a fever is the body's natural medicine. he is expressing health, not sickness! as long as he is comfortable and normal keep up the good work. read: "how to raise a healthy child in spite of your doctor".

Good Morning! I hope you made an appt. for your son today, he may have an ear infection. My son had the fever off and on when he had an ear infection. I also wanted to say " God bless you-all" It is great to see a single mom advancing her future and there for the future of her son! Congrats to you!
TRULY,
Kathy N.

My daughter was also sick recently and had the same fever for about 3 days about 102. She however had a cold and vomiting, the works and not eating. What I did and worked cause I didn't take her to the dr. Give alot of fluids, if it is during the day and he has a fever a shower will bring it down within minutes,and force him to drink alot of cold fluids, and force him to eat. I know alot of parents don't like to force their kids but when it comes to their health,I force my daughter rather than having to take her to ER and they sticking needles in her to get fluids in her. Eating is what will get rid of the fever the calories will fight it, and also give him some motrin. I am no dr, but i know these things from experience.
Also a fever is usually the first sign of illness his body is trying to fight off a virus of some sort, and I have heard that there is a virus in the air.
Hope this helps you.
ABout myself
I am a young mom 25 work at home with an adorable 2 year old girl. I am here by myself right now as my boyfriend is overseas on business and won't be back for months.

When my son was small the only thing that broke his fever was liquid vitamin C. Now, I give my grandchildren Tahitian Noni in the bottle or juice cup. You can also make a cold compress and lay it on thier forehead. That has worked in breaking fevers. Fevers can spike and be very dangerous so I always take immediate action. Tahitian Noni is not available everywhere so contact me if you want to incorporate it in your child's healthy routine. It is listed the the Physican's Desk Referance, there are no interactions and is safe for anyone even pregnant women to consume. Hope this helps, take care and God Bless.

I wouldn't hesitate to call the doctor any time you're worried about your child's health. It's not like you have to file an insurance claim to just call and ask a question. :)

You might consider switching to a pediatrician office that has a doctor or nurse on call nights and weekends. There have been a couple of times when we were very glad to be able to page one of the doctors from the office on a weekend and get some advice over the phone because we weren't sure what to do.

Fevers are tough calls. Give him some over counter meds for the fever.Call your Dr. as soon as they open & ask them. If you need a Dr. who is open weekends and late nights I can recommend one. Good Luck with your baby & school.

Please listen to your doctor before you listen to any of us!!!! But, 102 is not so bad for his age. Tepid baths can help and it might be his little body fighting a problem. Call the doctor asap if you are worried.

It is definitely time to take him to the doctor. A fever generally means your body is fighting an infection whether viral or bacterial. They are so little at this age and an infection can really hurt them if not caught and dealt with quickly. A little cold can progress to a full blown ear infection in two days. The fever maybe his only symptom, but it is a big one. Low grade temperatures under 100 are generally associated with growth spurts and teething, once a fever gets to 102 you are definitely dealing with something that requires an antibiotic.

Hi, just thought it might be helpful for you to know that my 18 month old son had the exact same thing for 2 days straight. I gave him tylenol to bring down his temperature, and eventally I got scared because everybody kept telling me that either it was a virus or an infection. Took him to the doctor and she told me to do exactly what I'd been doing, tylenol and keeping him hydrated...it worked. He had no other symptoms except the fever, and after the 2nd day he was fever free! Good Luck!

They say not more than 3 days...my daughter just went through it for an entire week. It ran through her and finished.

Try to keep the fever down with Children's Tylenol. If you go natural, Humphry's makes a homeopathic fever reducer. I used cool damp wash cloths also.
Usually babies run fever when they are teething. They also run fever if they have a flu or virus and there is nothing you can do about it anyway. As long as he is drinking and resting it may be just a period of time to let it run through the system. If the fever goes to 103 + Definitely call the Dr. There are many Pediatricians that work on the weekend...mine does:)

Our Pedi has always told us once the fever has reached day 3 time to bring in the child. Even if the fever comes and goes once it hits 3 days it needs to be checked out by a dr.

Hi, J.. Well, a fever all by itself can be a sign of infection, so I would not wait to treat it even if he doesn't seem to have a cold. He can have some other kind of infection that doesn't show on the outside of his body. He can also be dehydrated, which will cause a fever, or he can GET dehydrated from being feverish, so I would pay close attention to fevers, especially in Florida. My old rule was anything over 100 degrees, I would take my son to the doctor. Sometimes, if a child is getting his molars, he can get really sick. The fever from teething can mimic other illnesses, but at the same time, other illnesses can mimic teething fevers too!

Defintely, 102 degrees is time to take the little one to the pedi. Watch his urination, hon, because you want to make sure he's not getting dehydrated. If he's urinating too little, he needs to drink more. If he's urinating a whole lot, he needs to keep drinking also so that his fluids won't get depleted. Also, if he is urinating a lot, he may have a kidney or bladder infection. You would be surprised how common this is in Florida, even for boys.

Peace,
Syl

I would take him to the doctor asap. I had a similar situation where my daughter had a high fever, but nothing else. She ended up getting a rash all over her body, which turned out to be roseola. This may not happen in your situation, but I wouldn't take any chances. Good luck!

Hi, with a fever that high you should take him in to see the doctor right away. If there are no other signs and symptoms this could be a viral infection, something he picked up from the air. The fevers assoicated with this are very stubborn, lots of rest and fluids along with the Doctors recommendation will make him better in a couple of days.

You should definately give your Dr. a call since he has a had fever for over 48 hours.

Dear J.,

I hope you are giving him some over the counter medicine to try and break his fever. It's obvious he has some type of virus. Make sure you call his peditrican this morning and take him in. He needs an antibiotic.

Keep me posted.

G.

If you have an infant sometimes fevers are associated with roseolla or 5th disaese. The child get fevers that are hard to break. A few days later you have a rash and then its done and over. If I know I have no other symptoms that is the first thing I think of,I four kids all of them have it-the 16 month old twins just got over it. The dr.s usually tell you to treat the fever. Good Luck I hope he feels better.