Your child has a fever,
lots of illnesses that cause fevers are contagious,
so it's important to take some simple steps to keep others from getting sick.
Keep your ill child separated from others in and outside of your home.
Cover their mouth during coughs and sneezes.
Wash hands regularly and avoid sharing things like bottles, cups, straws and toys.
Your care team will talk with you about what caused the fever,
but we wanted to talk about how to manage it at home.
Normally, the body's temperature is around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
This temperature can vary with activity or if infants and children are overdressed.
Any temperature above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit is considered a fever.
Fever is one of the body's natural and normal ways
for fighting infection such as viruses.
High fevers, sometimes up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit
fevers that don't seem to go away completely with medicine,
or come back shortly after taking medicine don't necessarily mean your child is sicker.
To determine if your child has a fever,
it is best to use a thermometer.
There are several ways to take a temperature,
a rectal temperature a temperature
a temperate taken in your child's bottom, is most accurate.
Unless instructed differently by your doctor,
children three months and younger should always have their temperature taken rectally.
this is preferred in older children as well,
but you can consider an ear or armpit temperature
in children older than three months.
For children older than four or five years,
you can also check their temperature by mouth using an oral thermometer.
How to take a rectal temperature.
Choose a quiet place so that the baby won't be distracted
or move around too much.
Put a lubricant jelly or petroleum jelly on the tip of the thermometer.
This will help you to insert it easily.
You can place your baby on their back or on their or belly.
Place your baby on their back with their legs bent towards their chest.
Place your hand on the back of the thighs
or holding their feet as if you were changing a diaper
Or, place your baby on their belly on
your lap or on a flat padded surface such as a bed.
Spread the baby's buttocks apart with one hand,
gently insert the tip end of the rectal thermometer about half to one inch into the rectum.
Don't force it.
Hold the thermometer in place with two fingers close to the rectum
not near the end of the thermometer.
Leave the thermometer in place for the required amount of time.
Some digital thermometers give a series of short beeps
when the reading is done.
Or you can time yourself with a watch or clock.
When finished clean the thermometer with cool soapy water
and rinse it off before putting it away.
After a thermometer has been used to take a rectal temperature,
do not use it to take an oral temperature.
How to take an ear temperature.
Check that the air probe is clean.
If it is dirty, wipe it gently with a clean cloth.
Do not put the thermometer in water.
To keep the probe clean, use a disposable probe cover.
Use a new probe cover each time you take an ear temperature.
Turn the thermometer on and pull the ear lob back.
This will help place the probe in the ear canal.
Center the probe tip in the ear and push gently inward toward the eardrum.
Press the ON button to display the temperature reading.
When finished throw away the use probe cover.
How to take an armpit or axillary temperature.
Place a thermometer under the arm with the tip in the center of your child's armpit.
Press your child's arm against his or her body.
Leave the thermometer there for as long as the instructions say then read it.
When finished, clean the thermometer with cool soapy water
rinse it off before you put it away.
How to take a temperature by mouth.
Place the thermometer under the tongue just to one side of the center.
Have your child close his or her lips tightly around it.
Leave the thermometer in place for the required amount of time and then read it.
When finished, clean the thermometer with cool soapy water
and rinse it off before you put it away.
If your baby was born premature or is less than three months of age,
you should always call your child's doctor for
instructions for fevers of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit
or higher taken rectally.
In older children, the reason to treat fevers is to keep them as comfortable as possible
rather than getting their temperature back to normal
If your child's temperature is 100.4 degrees or higher,
you may use fever medicines such as acetaminophen.
If they're six months of age or older,
you can also use ibuprofen to treat their fever.
You should not use ibuprofen in children less than six months of age.
You can safely give both at the same time
or consider alternating between the two every three hours.
Give acetaminophen, wait three hours,
give ibuprofen wait three hours, give acetaminophen etc.
Carefully read the directions on the label
of the fever medicine you choose so that you know how much
to give your child and be sure to measure the dose correctly.
If you are unsure, call your doctor or talk to your pharmacist.
Only use the dropper, the measuring spoon or cup that comes with the fever medicine.
Do not use household spoons to measure.
Do not use adult versions of medicine for children.
Do not give aspirin to your child as it is linked with a rare disorder
called Reye's syndrome which can be fatal. All medicines
All medicines can be poisonous if too much is taken.
Be sure to all medicines out of the reach of children. Keep your
Keep your child comfortable at home.
Do not overdress him or her and do not give cool baths or cool sponge baths,
as this can be uncomfortable for a child with a fever.
If your child is asleep, you do not need to wake them up
to give them medication or to take their temperature.
Sleep is more important.
Give your child more to drink when he or she has a fever.
This will help to prevent dehydration.
In older children, notify your doctor for a fever that lasts longer than two days.
If your child develops new specific symptoms since your visit
such as a sore throat, ear pain or urinary pain,
your doctor should also be notified.
If you have any other concerns your doctor can help direct your child's care.
You should seek care if you're not comfortable
with how your child is acting.
If he or she does not respond to you,
has trouble waking up or his limp.
If your child has a stiff neck that he or she cannot move
or a severe headache, you should also return for a repeat assessment.
If your child refuses to drink
or is too sick to drink enough, is not urinating regularly,
has severe belly pain, difficulty breathing,
is crying or whimpering and cannot be consoled,
or has purple bruise like spots on their skin,
he or she may also need to be reevaluated.
If you need help deciding whether your child needs to go to the hospital
you can have a video chat with a pediatric provider
24 hours a day seven days a week.