Fever 103.1 waiting on pedi...

Wonder_Wall

You ladies answer faster than the dr does...what would you do, my son got up from his nap and felt super hot to touch and is very red. It didnt go away so its not from sleeping, he's cranky and i took his temp 4 times with an ear thermo.

it was 101.3...102.7....100.8 and then....103.1

I gave him the approved childrens tylenol dose and am waiting for a call back. Is this dangerous, would you go right to the hospital or wait to take temp again after medicine has a chance to kick in?

Wonder_Wall

He will be 2 next month. Meant to mention that.

sillypit

Ear thermometers are not accurate, take his temp rectally.

Smootchy

I'd wait a few (maybe like half hour) for the meds to kick in. By then hopefully dr will have called you back.

scoutkate

Ditto re taking his temp rectally.

103.1 is not crazy high for a toddler.  My pedi recommends an ER visit only if her temp is above 105 (although I'd probably take her in if it was after hours and her temp was above 104). 

You can put him in a lukewarm bath to cool him down. 

ASmallWonder

I know it's nerve wracking but 103 isn't a dangerous temp, especially if it comes down with Tylenol.  You can also give Motrin halfway through the time until you can give Tylenol again.  Hope he feels better!

winomom22

I would try it rectally. Ear thermometers are typically a degree less than what the actual fever is. I would dress him in light clothing and check his temp again to see if the tylenol brought it down. If not, then it's worth a trip in to see the pedi. How is he acting? Any other symptoms? Usually a high temp like that means there is more than just simple cold virus and it may be worth having him checked out. Recently DD had a rectal temp of 102.5, was crabby and had cold symptoms including a crusty eye and woke in the middle of the night prior. I took her in and she had a double ear infection and pink eye. I typically don't take my kids in unless it's a high temp combined with other symptoms like a week long cough or crabbiness (but that could be attributed to the fever).

Jillibean85

Also some pedia-pops! Those will give him a cool treat to make him feel a little better, too, while you wait..

ToastieSimons

next time give motrin.  It's a better fever reducer. I would wait for the pedi to call back.  If the fever comes down with medicine and your LO is acting fine and eating/drinking normal, it's not urgent.

Rach21

Wonder_Wall:

You ladies answer faster than the dr does...what would you do, my son got up from his nap and felt super hot to touch and is very red. It didnt go away so its not from sleeping, he's cranky and i took his temp 4 times with an ear thermo.

it was 101.3...102.7....100.8 and then....103.1

I gave him the approved childrens tylenol dose and am waiting for a call back. Is this dangerous, would you go right to the hospital or wait to take temp again after medicine has a chance to kick in?

*I* would give it awhile for the medicine to kick in and give him a lukewarm bath. If it doesn't go down below 103, I'd take him in. 

nealbl

My LO gets fevers kind of often so I don't usually call our Pedi unless it is coupled with a croup like cough or signs of an ear infection.

Fevers are actually not necessarily bad things. It means their body it fighting an infection. Our Pedi's rule of thumb is call if it is over 104 or fever for more than 48 hours that only goes away with meds and not on its own.

 

tabaskoa

mainerocks:

103 is not dangerous in and of itself, from what I understand. Nor is 104.  Did it go down with the Tylenol? If it doesn't budge at all, that's worrisome.

This. I like what Dr Sears has to say about fevers. https://www.askdrsears.com/topics/childhood-illnesses/fever My doc doesn't really want to see toddlers with 103 fevers unless they have had it for a couple days or doesn't go down with Tylenol. 

Wonder_Wall

Thank you i feel better now. I usually use our rectal thermometer but at the moment it has been misplaced. It has gone down a little now but we are still gonna go in for peace of mind because he is acting extremely uncomfortable. Thanks for helping calm m nerves and educating me a little more! This is the first real toddler fever we've experienced.

wolverine8

ToastieSimons:

next time give motrin.  It's a better fever reducer. I would wait for the pedi to call back.  If the fever comes down with medicine and your LO is acting fine and eating/drinking normal, it's not urgent.

This. But hopefully you can still talk to your pedi and follow their recommendations.