Dealing with a Child's Fever: Tips and Concerns

[ChefBeckyD]

My little guy (he's 4) has had a fever for 2 days. It was down today to just a lowgrade fever (99.8 F), but now it's back up to 101.9. He's had tylenol a few times, but while that seems to bring it down some, it doesn't eliminate it.

He woke up a few minutes ago, crying that all of his pink balloons floated away. I think the fever is giving him bad dreams. He sleeps in a loft bed, which makes it hard for me to get to him, so I had him climb down, and now we are both on the couch. He's snoring, and I'm just sitting here, worrying.

He's never really had a fever like this before, that lasted this long. Is this normal? Do kids have fevers that last for 2 or more days? He has a little head congestion - but mostly it's just this fever. Should I take him in to the DR?
I'm just not sure what to do, other than sit here and pray for him....

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

Aw ... I don't have any answers but I will say a prayer too ...My mom used to make us take baths in ice water when our fevers were too high ... YUCK ... that's a trauma I would not subject a child to!

 

[pckrissy]

I would call the Dr. My girlfriend's kids get high fevers a lot and her son has made strange comments also (the balloons) I can't remember what she said it was from...I would call, it's better to be safe than sorry...I hope he feels better soon and the fever goes down....(((hugs))) i hate when this happens...

 

[dianevill]

Becky,

I'd give the doctor a call tomorrow, but my kids have had fevers that have lasted a few days. My daugher had a virus two weeks ago that sounds like what Micah has; the school secretary said there were quite a few cases. For tonight I'd just keep him cool with washcloths. I've also heard you should alternate Motrin and Tylenol every four hours.

Try to get some rest yourself!

 

[tlag1986]

Alternating Motrin and Tylenol is the best thing for him and not having too many layers on as well.

It sounds as though he has a simple type cold, but do keep an eye on him. If his fever gets higher than 104.5 you need to go to the ER, otherwise they will only tell you to keep the medicine in him and keep him hydrated. Many times with fevers they can be broken by hydration.

You might make sure you give him something for the symptoms of head congestion. You might also ask him if his ear hurts any. Ear infections can be the culprit when kids get fevers.

I will pray for him to feel better.

P.S. by the way I am a nurse and have worked ICU mostly, ER, and Surgery.

 

[sklay723]

There's no harm in calling the pediatrician on call for your child's peds practice. I have done that quite a number of times and never had regrets...even just hearing the doc tell me everything would be ok made me feel better. One thing the doc always told me to help get the fever down was to strip the kids to their diapers (they're still toddlers...and were much younger then) and then lay damp washcloths on their chests and backs. The air helps cool the cloth, and while it's not directly going to lower their temp it will definitely help them feel cooler. Another thing I always noticed was that they didn't seem to have fevers as much in the daytime...mainly in the evenings and at night.
Good luck! I hope your baby feels better soon.

 

[Laura420]

Ive done the washcloth thing and the alternating meds as well...

I would call Dr in AM just to rule out something bacterial, but, most likely a virus... and they can linger a few days... DS had one a few weeks ago... and thats the adivce I got from the Dr... my DR usually waits a few days to a week before trying antibiotics. If hes not complaining of sore throat or pains ... its most likely a virus.

best of luck and I hope he feels better soon! Hugs!

 

[crystalscookingnow]

One thing that I've found with my two younger kids is that Tylenol does NOTHING for a fever for them. Motrin knocks it right out. Sara is prone to high fevers (104 is nothing for her!) and Motrin brings them right down. When Sam broke his collar bone, tylenol didn't touch the pain, but Motrin made him feel so good he was bouncing off the walls.

Doesn't hurt to try Motrin (I've found kids chewables) & call the doc in the morning. Hoping that he feels better soon!

Oh - and by the way - you're not worrying too much. That's what moms do!! We worry when our babies don't feel well! Try to get some rest.

 

[tabnat80]

If he's 4 and he hasn't had a fever for over 2 days before consider yourself lucky. If he's still got it tomorrow, I would call the dr. He may just have a viral infection. My DS has strep throat and that's going around here where we live. Just be sure to call them early because a lot of doctor's offices are closed by noon on Friday. I pray your little one gets to feeling better real soon. There are several viruses that tend to linger for a while. My son had one back in March that didn't test positive for the flu, but symptoms of the flu that lasted for days with 103 fever and it was bad. I wouldn't panic too much unless it's over 100. Keep us posted and try to get some sleep.

 

[Addie4TLC]

That happened to my daughter when she was about that age and we took her to ER she had 104. The male nurse that took our information before actually seeing the doctor told us to give her 1/2 tylenol and 1/2 motrin at the same time and sent us home. He said that was all they would do. We went back home did that and she was fine the next day. The fever helps fight whatever is wrong too.

 

[PamperedDor]

All of the above and one thing to add........... Follow your instincts, If you are concerned and think you should go to a doctor, then go. You will feel better and hopefully the little guy will also! Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[chefsteph07]

Becky, my four year old had a fever on Christmas morning of 104.1...I freaked out, called the dr, they said fevers that high are COMMON...for some reason, my daughter is prone to fever, they told me to pay more attention to how she is ACTING. Is he acting lucid? Producing tears/urine? My daughter acted pretty normal, aside from the fever. And she had this the entire WEEK after Christmas. She will also get a fever on Monday if we've had a busy weekend and she's overtired. It's just weird. All they have ever told me (and my dd has NEVER been treated for her fevers w/ antibiotics) is to keep fluids in them and pay attention if they start acting differently. Of course, keep the meds going, but the nurse actually told me NOT to switch on and off the motrin/Tylenol, but I do agree with another poster that Tylenol did nothing for fever, but motrin works great. I hope he gets over it soon, I know for me that nothing is scarier than fevers!

I once told the dr that I worried about her organs burning up w/ something that high and they said not to worry unless it gets up to like 106 or something! With kids it's different. Good luck, I know what you are going through, it's no fun! He'll get over it soon! Kids are tough!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Thanks everyone for the advice and support through the night!

I did have some children's Motrin, so gave him some of that, and it worked better than the Tylenol. I guess I was worried because we've had little colds and stuff, but he's never had a fever that stayed over 100 for that long (and he's never had an ear infection either) - he hadn't eaten in 2 days, and he was listless, cranky, and just not himself. It is NOT him to just sit on the couch all day and ask if he can watch videos. The little neighbor boys came over to play with him last night, and he didn't even care! (he loves them, and watches out the window for them to come home from school)

His fever finally broke around 5:30 this morning, and he has been sleeping peacefully since then - hugging Boo Bear, and breathing deep and steady. We slept on the couch last night, so I could be close to him. He was in and out of sleep all night, and very fussy, with bad dreams - moaning in his sleep, and crying out. I did wipe him down with cool cloths, and also tried to get him to drink when he would wake up.

I'm tired, but relieved. DH slept through some of it, but he was up checking on both of us a couple times too. He got up at 6:00, and the first thing he did was come out to feel Micah and see if he felt cooler. It was a long night for all of us. I feel a nap coming on today!:indif:

He is going to be disappointed, but he can't go to school today. The policy at his school is that students have to be fever-free for 24 hours before they can return.

So thanks everyone! It was nice to have a place to come to for support when I was worried!

 

[lacychef]

Glad he's starting to feel better; it's so hard when little ones are sick!

 

[pckrissy]

Glad to hear he is getting some sleep, I hope you can rest too!
My dr. told me that Motrin is best for fevers over 101...and Tylenol for anything under...

 

[KellyTheChef]

Becky~

Glad he is sleeping well now and the fever has gone down. It sucks how overnights are the worst with fevers. I remember spending many nights in Sean's bed with him (our 14 year old now...) when he was 3-6 and sick...and now have already had to do that with Evan a few times.

Hope he gets lots of rest for you today (does he still nap? If not...I would still tell him this morning that he's gonna nap today to help his body feel better) and then YOU lay down too! No housework. No CS. No phone. Go lay down when he does! Depending on how he acts today (eating, playing, etc.) you still may want to call the dr. if he's not back to his "normal" self!

Evan has had a snotty nose and a cough now for a week! Nothing else...no fever, still acts and eats normal. It's driving me batty!

Hope both of our little guys kick this stuff!

 

[tlag1986]

I'm glad he is feeling better I will continue to pray for him and you. As stated before get some rest today both of you will feel better.

 

[heather223]

Becky, glad he is feeling better. I went through this a few weeks ago with my son... one minute he would be bouncing off the walls and the next, listless and doing nothing. He had a fever for 3 days, but no runny nose, no stomach ache, nothing. All he said was his head hurt and he was hot. It was weird. I finally made my husband take him to the ER and then told us to do what we were already doing. By the next day it was gone... weird.

 

[janetupnorth]

Sorry Becky I missed this before. The best way to combat the fever is to alternate the ibuprofen and acetaminophen every other dosing period. Follow instructions for size/weight of your child. You can shorten the times slightly. If it say every 4 hours, you are o.k. every 3-3 1/2 when alternating.One thing that worked well when we were young was to put our feet in as hot water as we could stand and put a washcloth with ice cubes on our head. For small children, I wouldn't advise this more than about a minute because it shocks the body. It worked wonders for me as a child and I still do it when I'm really ill to get temporary relief from the fever.Always trust your gut though and if unsure, just take them to the doctor or walk-in.I hope he starts feeling better!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Sorry Becky I missed this before. The best way to combat the fever is to alternate the ibuprofen and acetaminophen every other dosing period. Follow instructions for size/weight of your child. You can shorten the times slightly. If it say every 4 hours, you are o.k. every 3-3 1/2 when alternating.

One thing that worked well when we were young was to put our feet in as hot water as we could stand and put a washcloth with ice cubes on our head. For small children, I wouldn't advise this more than about a minute because it shocks the body. It worked wonders for me as a child and I still do it when I'm really ill to get temporary relief from the fever.

Always trust your gut though and if unsure, just take them to the doctor or walk-in.

I hope he starts feeling better!

See, I just don't know this stuff, because he hasn't been really sick before!

He is definitely feeling better now. He woke up at 9am, and was hungry! He had some Cheerios, and a couple drinks of a smoothie. He hasn't been really active, mostly cuddled up next to me - but he just asked if he could have some OJ, and some fish sticks w/ tartar sauce for breakfast! I have fish sticks in the oven right now!














(and for those who think that sounds disgusting - it's not that unusual around here - we eat a lot of un-breakfast type foods for breakfast! The only thing I'm concerned with is balance. So, he's had a whole grain, a dairy, a protein, and a fruit this morning. That's GOOD!)