Your Childrens Health

If your child has a fever, then the first thing to do is to reach for your trusty thermometer and see how bad that fever is.  According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, these are the vital temperatures to be looking out for:

 
A baby under two months – needs to see the doctor, if his or her rectal temperature is 100.4 or greater.
A child of six months or older – needs to see the doctor if his or her temperature is over 101 fahrenheit.

 
But what should an anxious parent do if there is a fever – but it’s not bad enough to see a doctor?  A good idea is to keep the room cool (but not too cool!) and dress your child in loose, comfortable clothes.  Make sure your child drinks plenty of water or diluted juice.  If your child is over six months, a mild painkiller may help – but not aspirin.

 
When should you visit the doctor if the fever doesn’t break?  It’s suggested that a fever lasting more than 24 hours for an under two warrants a doctor’s visit, or 72 hours if your child is over two.

Related:

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 18th, 2006 at 11:10 am and is filed under High Fever, Infections. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.