Baby's temperature?

Question

Well recently my 11-1/2 month old baby is having temperature, her forhead is warm and i took her temperature and it shows 101.7 F -38.1 C . is that too high? i was thinking to take her to the ER or call her doctor but it's weekend nobody works in doctor visit now but ER they gonna take 4-5 hours of my time and they will say nothing and send me home...I am giving her Tylenol drops for infants and it helped her for wile and it comes back again...

she is fighting it she continues to play as usual but there is times when she will come to me and want to be picked up and cary... but most of the time she is actin normaly..

Answer 1

ok, it's Sunday night so you can take her in the morning. Yes, 101.7 is high (is this axillary, rectal, temporal, aural?) You should be piggybacking Tylenol & Motrin (alternating them). I find that Motrin is more effective at bringing temps down than Tylenol. Does the temp come down after you've given the medication?

If it were my baby I'd sleep with her (or near her tonight) and make sure she gets the Tylenol or Motrin every 4 hrs round the clock and watch her for any signs of seizures, confusion or acting differently than she normally does. You say she's acting ok, that's the important part. The way babies/children are acting is more important that the number on the thermometer (unless it's really really high), if they are droopy, lethargic, hard to rouse, etc that's must worse than if they are acting normal but just have a fever.

Piggyback the Tylenol & Motrin every 4 hrs, stay near her, observe her carefully, give her lots of fluids (or breastfeed her often), give her lukewarm spongebaths, dress her lightly in loose light nightclothes so she can cool off - and take her first thing in the morning.

Answer 2

The key question to ask here is if baby is acting ill. If she isn't then I wouldn't worry until she has a fever of 102 they even say for a baby they don't worry until 104. I would continue with the Tylenol and if that doesn't work try Motrin. Key thing to remember when baby cried or is very active her temperature will go up slightly. I would call the doctor on Monday and see what they say but I wont go to the ER unless she has other symptoms.

Answer 3

102 is not that bad but really keep a close eye on it 104 is convulsions 106 is brain damage. you are doing the right thing by giving her Tylenol if it does get up there give her a cooling bath and if you still cant control it take her to the ER. sounds like she has what my twins had. The youngest of the two was really bad I did have to take her to the ER they sent her home 5hrs later telling me it was Viral syndrome and they couldn't do much about it just give her Tylenol. Still if it gets bad take her better safe than sorry. Oh and give her pedialyte or water to keep her hydrated a fever can dehydrate a baby in no time

Answer 4

You would really need to judge yourself how bad she is. How is she acting does she seen to be really sick with the temp or just a bit irritable? It doesn't sound all that high at the moment you would not want it to go up more though. You need to try and keep it down best you can. There are lots of minor illnesses that can cause a temp it means the body is trying to fight off an infection. There are also serious illnesses that can cause a temp, you just need to monitor her carefully if you are concerned take her to ER and if its just a bug at least you will have peace of mind. You are the best judge of her health and i am not a doctor I'm a mother and have been through many fevers. You know how bad she seems to be you would not want her to be overly drowsy or very upset and you would not want the fever to go up more you also need to take notice of other symptoms she might have. Don't hesitate for a minute to see a doctor if you are worried.

Answer 5

Infants and children run higher temps than adults. 101 is not high. I know as Mom your baby probably feels like she is burning up to you but she is fine. If the Tylenol doesnt drop the temp and it gets up to 103 take her in. Also check on her at night to make sure it didnt get up too high. They tend to do that at night.
Make sure your house is warm but strip her down to a diaper. I PROMISE that is the best thing to do. It allows the heat to escape her and help keep her from getting too high of a temp.
Temperatures can also be good. It is the bodies natural way of fighting off an infection. If she runs one for longer than 2 days I would take her to the Dr.

Answer 6

My son had those before, and according to the baby books I read, that temp. is acceptable to not take to the ER until it reaches 104. In the meantime, continue the medication. Also, you'll want to give her a lukewarmish-slightly cool bath to bring that temp. down. As much as she might not like it, it will work wonders. Also, dress her lightly and keep her surroundings cool. Fevers come and go,...so don't worry. Trust me. My son last year could have won an award for having the most fevers! Oh, also give her liquids -- juice, water, etc., but stay away from milk!! It tends to curdle and she'll end up throwing it up! Not fun at all!

Good luck!

Jen

Answer 7

k, well how did you take her temp? the most accurate way to get a temp is in the ear. If you took a 101 under the tongue or armpit its probably a bit higher. 101 isn't bad enough to go to the ER. Try giving baby a bath in luke warm water. Keep tabs on this fever, if it gets to 103, that's when the baby needs to be seen.Also pay attention to how your baby is acting, are they lethargic, any loss of appetite? are they flushed? pale?any other symptoms like diarrhea? you should be fine to get through tonight and call the dr first thing in the morning..keep you baby hydrated and check her temp often.Also, if you have given a couple doses of Tylenol and it isnt helping much, switch to Motrin

Answer 8

although it is close to 102, it is still in the 101 range, which every doctor that ive brought my daughter to has said is a "good safe fever" it helps fight off infection. i would continue to give her tylenol, if her fever keeps spiking a few hours after you have given her tylenol AND she seems uncomfortable and miserable, you should alternate tylenol and advil every 4 hours. that way she is not being overdosed on either of the medicines. i have done this several times with my daughter and it really helped. also, just keep her in a diaper, nothing else. you can also try a luke warm bath. however, if she doesnt seem miserable, then just keep giving her only tylenol and monitor her fever.

Answer 9

How did you take her temperature? Ear, mouth, bum, forhead, armpit? However generally if your baby is acting normal it is not a concern, probably a mild infection that will go away without medication. If you are really concerned make a doctor's appointment in the morning.

http://www.webmd.com/hw/health_guide_atoz/hw198785.asp
What is normal body temperature?
Most people think of a "normal" body temperature as an oral temperature of 98.6 °F(37 °C). This is an average of normal body temperatures. Your temperature may actually be 1°F (0.6°C) or more above or below 98.6 °F(37 °C). Also, your normal body temperature changes by as much as 1°F (0.6°C) throughout the day, depending on how active you are and the time of day. Body temperature is very sensitive to hormone levels and may be higher or lower when a woman is ovulating or having her menstrual period.

A rectal or ear (tympanic membrane) temperature reading is 0.5 to 1°F (0.3 to 0.6 °C) higher than an oral temperature reading. A temperature taken in the armpit is 0.5 to 1°F (0.3 to 0.6 °C) lower than an oral temperature reading.

Answer 10

When my son had a high temp. I was instructed to give him infant motrin instead of tylenol, and it brought the temperature down ALOT faster. That's if you want to wait. If your instict says go, GO! Better safe that sorry. Also we went to the ER once when he had a high temp. and they also gave him motrin.