Give me some suggestions on how to bring a fever down?

Question

My 5 year old has a fever, and is congested. the fever under the arm was 102.5. I put him in the tub for about 5min. and gave him motrin and now have been rubbing a cool rag on his feet.(he doesn't want it anywhere else) and head. Any other suggestions?

chrissy, your last answer caught my eye, i thought it would be his ears... usually is, but he wasn't complaining and now that i think about it the last time he had a high fever he had a double ear infection and he never said boo about it. I hope not but thanks for your help. Everybody!!!

Answer 1

at that temp. you should be alternating motrin and tylenol.
If you just gave motrin, wait 2hrs and give him tylenol.
Put him in a luke warm bath (just warm enough that you can't really feel the water) let him play or sit in there as long as it isn't getting too cold for him, then get him out and let him air dry. DO NOT TOWEL DRY HIM. This give his skin a chance to soak the moisture and help with hydration.
Also, give lots of fluids, pedialyte is of course best.But gatorade is good too. Let him run around in minimal clothing.
Do not cover him up, unless absolutely necessary, this traps the heat. At 5yrs old, temp usually isn't much to worry about, but if it gets up to about 104 you need to take him to the ER.
If his temp. under arm is 102.5, then rectally it would be 103.5, so you need to start the tylenol/motrin alternating IMMEDIATELY.
Do not give him milk products, it will sour on his belly and make him vomit.
Is he tugging on his ear? or acting like his ear could hurt. That is usually the reason for a child to have a fever that high. I would make an appt. first thing monday morning.

Also: DO NOT GIVE BABY ASPIRIN, OR PUT CHILD IN ICE WATER. Baby aspirin can cause Reyes Syndrome, and Ice will cause shock! They do NOT do this in hospitals any more for that reason.

Answer 2

Tylenol and/or Motrin work best on my kids. I have been advised to alternate them. If the fever does not come down call the doctor on call tonight. It should though with the fever reducers. Just make sure he is comfortable and not too hot..they say it is not good to "sweat it out" anymore. Don't force him to eat anything just offer small sips of something he likes to drink, especially water, diluted juice or ginger ale. You might want to give him one of the Triaminic remedies (they make these thin strips which are easy for the kids to take) for his other symptoms, especially the congestion which will help him sleep. And a humidifier or vaporizer in his room will help a lot. Good luck, hope he feels better soon.

Answer 3

102.5 is a common fever for that age when sick. Do not put child in ice or cold bath sudden body temperature changes can cause seizures. You can give children's Motrin and Tylenol at the same time it works very well for stubborn fevers. light clothing and cool rag on back of neck. If fever increases take to emergency room.
for congestion i suggest children's Mucinex, and lots of nose blowing.

Answer 4

Well my daughter which is now 21 months went through alot of fevers and the thing I did was keep in just a diaper. Plus Motrin or Tylenol. It came down it just takes a while. Now my cousin as a 22 month old boy and he can't take Tylenol because it does nothing for him. Worse case is just take him to the hospital. Good luck hope he feels better soon.

Answer 5

I would say to let the fever do its work. Don't overmedicate him. It will only mask the symptoms and drag out the illness. I learned the hard way by going through $40 of otc remedies in 1 week when 2 of my kids got sick once. Next time it happened, I did nothing and they were better in 3 days. The vaporub stuff is great for congestion. If he's not in any obvious pain, then let it go and he'll be better in no time.

Answer 6

You are a good mom, you have done almost everything you are supposed to do. Make sure to give him plenty of liquids in the form of ice pops, slurpees, ice water, Pedialyte. Sometimes you have to let the fever run it's course if you have done all the above. Remember that a fever is an indication of an infection in the body and we always freak out when our babies get one, but it's a good thing. It lets you know that not all is well. Keep him happy, close to you and rocking him gently. Even at my age, I still clearly remember my mom touching my fevered face with her cool, calm hands and a cool washcloth and holding me quietly. Thank God for moms...you are doing fine :o)

Answer 7

four hours into the motrin give tylenol (children's) keep piggybacking the two of them if fever stays really bad, if I remember right? under the arm temp is one to two degrees lower than "true" temperature...
ice chips to suck on
would be two more things you can do... but?
you are already making him comfortable so he can fight the infection/virus... and viruses have to work their way out... if he gets worse? bring him to the dr/er if he rests and stays same? call dr on monday and describe and ask if he should be seen.... keep doing what you are doing over and over...let him soak in a lukewarm tub for a longer period of time if he is up for it... even climb in with him(wear something if you are uncomfortable) let him lean on you while you wash him and his hair.... talk to him about things he wants to do... or how he is doing in school... just everyday stuff... or whatever he prefers....? longer you keep him in, the more likely it will help lower the temp.. and the suggestions? are really ti make him comfortable and relax to keep him in longer
sound like his feet must get really overheated when sick? my son likes only his belly to have a cool rag... not chest... lower belly only.... :) they all feel it in one place more.... if he wants cool rags on? sounds like it would work to...
lower the temperature in the room/house and snuggle up and don't forget to rest so you can keep being the best nurse/dr for him too....
hope he feels better real soon!

Answer 8

you should determine the source of the fever first. is there a viral or bacterial infection. a trip to the doctor is in order.

it may not be wise to reduce the fever is the child is not in distress. (tired, listless, compliaining, etc)

to reduce the fever make sure the child has enough to drink, cool water (not cold) can be given every fifteen minutes to avoid dehydration. as for the bath, begin in tepid water just past the waist line and allow the water to cool. obviously, you shouls stay with the chid and watch them.

motrin is very good

Answer 9

My youngest daughter consistently appeared to be ill in her first 2 years. In her first eighteen months she had six wellness midsection remains, and an outstanding sort of ER visits. The wellness midsection remains have been for her bronchial asthma. every time we went to the ER they could provide us the comparable advice: provide her Tylenol, then 3 hours later Motrin/Advil, then save repeating each 3 hours. My daughter's fever has long previous as much as as extreme as 104.6 before and he or she grew to become into ok... no seizures or any lasting harm. i could attempt the Motrin/Tylenol element and desire that facilitates. additionally provide her a luke heat tub, not chilly. gown her gently and verify she gets lots to drink. Pediatlyte is the final element for her now. What different indications does she have? If she starts pulling on her ears she might desire to have an ear an infection, if her voice sounds horse or she seems to have a sore throat it would desire to be strep, if she has difficulty respiration it is likewise on the spot reason for concern. If she gets any of the indications I only indexed it may be ultimate to get her regarded at by a doctor.

Answer 10

Sometimes baby aspirin helps break a fever and keep him drinking a lot of liquids. I learned from a retired nurse that when our kids have fevers, their bodies are fighting something. It is a good sign that their bodies are working on something, just try to avoid dehydration. And get a doc to check him if it hangs on more than 36 hours, just as a precaution. The cool rag helps some, too. For the congestion, you may be able to use a humidifier and rub him down with Vicks or something with eucalyptus or menthol. Good teas are peppermint or licorice.