Should I take my 14 month old to the ER??

Question

my daughter is running a temp of 101 and has been really tired all day. She has no other symptoms.. not teething, no cold, eating fine and normal stools and wet diapers. I'm getting worried about her temp. though. Is it worth taking her to the ER??? or should I just wait it out to call the doc tommorrow??

I am treating her for the fever with Ibuprofin and cool baths. And FYI I asked the question for some friendly advice not an expert doctors opinion so thanks for being a dick about it. But hey you get 2 extra points for being a jack*ss!

Answer 1

101 is a high temperature, but HOW the child is acting is almost more important in most cases. It sounds like she is acting pretty normal.

If she was listless or "out of it", I'd worry. (Being listless can be a serious symptom, so get medical help asap is she is listless.)

If she is just tired, for now, do as much as you can to keep her cool: give her a cold bath, give her lots of cold liquids, maybe some meds (children’s Tylenol or children's Advil are good) to take her temp down. (NO asprin!!!)

After trying to get her fever down, make sure she gets lots of liquids to avoid getting dehydrated.

I'd give your doctor a call as soon as you can in the morning, unless her fever gets much higher or her condition changes.

Please check out more information on these links!! I can only tell you what I know, and these sites have soo much info. Good luck, and trust your instincts--a mother knows best!!

Fever in children, overview:
http://firstaid.webmd.com/fever_in_children_treatment_firstaid.htm

When to seek medical advice:
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/fever_in_children/page4_em.htm

Self-care at home:
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/fever_in_children/page6_em.htm

Answer 2

Ok first of all, have you tried giving her anything for the temperature? If so, what and did it have any effect on the temperature? Second, how long has she been running the fever? Any doctor that you call will ask you all of these questions. Does your doctor have an advice nurse? Most pediatricians do. I would call the advice nurse and see what they say. Chances are it's just a virus. You mentioned that she has been very tired all day. Does she seem limp and completely lacking energy? Most 14 month old babies are very active. If your daughter is one of these kids, and has been just lying around completely not interested in toys, etc. do take her straight to the ER. This could mean something more serious is the cause.

Answer 3

You should always go with your motherly instincts. Being a mom you know when something just insn't right with your child. We have a call-a-nurse here and I have called them many times in the middle of the night when I just wasn't sure about something. They usually advise you to go into the ER, but sometimes they can give you some over the phone advice. It is really hard to know what is wrong, but if she doesn't have any other symptoms I would say that she has some kind of infection. Most of the time a fever is caused by an infection. It is never good to let an infection go untreated.
Best of luck!
I hope this helps and your little one gets to feeling better quickly!

Answer 4

If your child has been acting very unusual, very lethargic, hard to rouse, comatose, seizures, falling down or had a recent fall or other injury I would say yes.

If the child has had a fever for several days and is growing increasingly weaker I would say yes.

If it's just been today and she is able to keep fluids down, it's probably just a virus. Lots of kids run temps with no other symptoms then it resolves. Let her sleep with you tonight to keep an eye on her, piggyback (alternate between) giving children's motrin and tylenol. Tomorrow is Monday, if she's still feeling poorly take her in for a regular appt. Waiting in an ER on Sunday night is no fun and your insurance may refuse to cover it for a non-emergency anyway.

My 3 y/o had a temp of 103 and was hallucinating so I took her in. After a chest x-ray and labs they sent her home - only a virus. But I was stuck paying for my "non-emergency" ER visit which really sucked.

Answer 5

As long as the fever doesn't persist for more than 3 days you have nothing to worry about. Keeping giving her IB profen or Tylenol. Make sure you keep her well hydrated as the fever tends to take the fluid out. Also watch her, if you notice her grabbing, pulling, or scratching her ears chances are she has an earache. If the fever doesn't go away then take her to the doctor. Otherwise you don't have to worry sometimes children just run a little fever it won't hurt her. Good luck!

Answer 6

Try and communicate this with your doctor. Although this temp. is high it is nothing to be too concerned about. Try Tylenol or Ibuprofen. A cool bath helps to bring the temp. down. The doctor Will most likely to tell you to treat the temp. with antipyretics and to call if the condition worsens. Keep a good eye on her temp. in the overnight hours, as kids' temperatures generally rise at night.

Answer 7

Does your pediatrician have a 24 hour hotline that you can call? If so, that would be my first suggestion (that's what I did every time I was worried about my daughter). Usually 101 is okay, especially if she is not having any other symptoms. However, if you are really concerned, just take her to the ER - better to be safe than sorry, and you wouldn't be the first overly concerned mama to do so. Good luck!

Answer 8

Hi there oh great worried one!! (and isn't it wonderful how this always happens on the weekends or at night!!)

14 months at 101 can be a lot of things. You named most of them, but...... The tired could be due to a lot of things too....especially if you've been outside in the heat, or the a.c. is shot, or.....if she is just 14 months old.....
Breath in...breath out.....and hold on for a bit before the mad dash to the ER.

If you/she haven't been out of the country, had visitors that have been, or been somplace that she could have been exposed to a vicious virus...well...easier said than done, but don't panic!! (sorry...I know it's rough!!)

I learned not to worry until it went up to 103.

Couple of things here.....if you haven't given her Tylenol or Motrin...try that....make sure it's children's strength, and I found that alternating between the two.... not doubling up, but alternating .....worked best. The motrin worked best on the fever, but the tylenol made mine "feel" better due to the aches and grumpies. Then, try giving her a warm bath...not hot, not chill (don't want her getting really chilled), and keep her in it until it does chill just a little bit cooler than her body temp....not until she's shivering, but cooler.... it will help her feel better, and help her body not get too hot. Bodies have internal thermostats too!!
Then, when she's out, make sure that she's well dried and then not too bundled up. Too many clothes/covers with the old concept of "sweat it out of her" is actually more dangerous than being a little on the chill side.

Now....if she's fresh out of the bath and you notice spots....it's a good chance that it might be the chicken pox....nothing major but take her to the doc tomorrow any way... If not:
If her nose is or isn't running, or even if she's stuffed up: is she pulling on her ears?
Possible inner ear infection.... very hard to diagonose without a trip to the doc...
If she's not eating/drinking, make sure she's getting liquids somehow (PEdiaSure...my son HATED this stuff...but it works)....and have the doctor check her for stomach virus.... (do you see a recurring theme here??)
Now......this one is one that used to drive me crazy....
Is it possible she's simply going through a growth spurt? Took me about 4 times of "panic" appointments where he was grumpy, tired, not interesting in eating, running 100-101...... just to find out he was growing about an inch over the weekend...... Just an "out there" limb of hope for you as you will still undoubtedly stay up most of the night monitoring her any way, no matter how many reassuring answers you get!! (Like any good Mom would!!)....and you still should probably make an appointment tomorrow any way.....
Unless she starts to vomit, breath funny, or get hotter....don't panic. Just keep her head and the back of her neck cool with a cool washcloth, make sure she's not bundled up too warm, and that she is taking liquids..... then see what the doctor says tomorrow!!

Answer 9

Is that oral, rectal or underarm temp?
Have you done anything for the fever?
If she has no other symptoms, I would not take her to the ER. That's not a very high fever for a young child. Her body is working to fight something and that's why she has a fever and is tired. Let her sleep and try to make sure she is getting fluids in her. Other than that, leave her be and see how she is in the morning.

Answer 10

Call the doctor at the least, make sure to keep monitoring that temp as well. For sense of relief, I would take the child to the ER RIGHT now. With an infant, never really want to take a gamble, especially when they can't come complaining.