Urgent Question - Sick Baby

[aggieamy]

My nephew had a high fever this afternoon and sis took him to the doctor. He has toncillitis and the doctor told her to give him motrin to get the fever down and the throat unswollen. She gave him motrin at 3 o'clock and it's supposed to last for 8 hours. About an hour ago she gave him a bath and his temp was 101.8 degrees and now she just checked it and it's 103.9. Should she go to ER? Any suggestions? She and I are really worried. Nephew is 9 months old and weighs 25 pounds.

[Cathy in IL]

If it makes her feel better she could call the doctor for advice. In a typically healthy child fevers are not usually a cause for alarm. If he is lethargic, unable to drink, or acting very atypical those could be causes for concern. Some children spike higher fevers more typically than other children.

 

Hopefully the Motrin will help him feel better soon!

[silliness7]

I vote for the ER. I don't like to take chances.

[Pink Fairy]

I would give him some Tylenol, and ask for a call-back from the on-call doc. Based on what you described I wouldn't take him to the ER, especially considering all the REALLY nasty bugs that are hanging out there.

[Guest ToGMom]

I would call the doc...

 

In my past experience, our doc has recommended alternating Motrin and Tylenol...given every 3 hours for high fevers. (So if he had Motrin at 3, I would have given Tylenol at 6, then Motrin at 9...and so on.)

[Kimber]

If you opt of the ER, which isn't necessarily a bad idea, I'd at least call the doctor and ask about alternating motrin and tylenol. They are different medicines and can be given at the same time but on alternating schedules.

 

So motrin works for 8 hours, but at the 4 hour mark give Tylenol. This is what the ER told us to do for our daughter which she had an illness with an extremely high fever. As you can see, we did do the ER.

 

Always call the doctor first.

[elfinbaby]

How is the baby acting in general? Is he exhibiting other concerning signs?

Can he breathe okay? Is he taking liquids? Is he completely lethargic (be careful w/that word - it really freaks drs. out)?

 

I have 4 kids and each of them is different w/fevers. This year has been a rough year for a couple of them and we've certainly had a number of fevers that couldn't be kept at bay w/motrin and/or tylenol. If my baby is doing okay but the fever is persisting, we take a tepid bath, have a popsicle or something else cold/soothing. I also use double the amt. on the first dose, then alternate between tylenol/motrin. We've even had fevers that respond to one or the other medications. We also feel comfortable overlapping a little.

 

You should know I'm pretty laid back about these things. I always try to look at the big picture - how is the child doing overall? If breathing is a problem or the child is not responding to mom or refusing liquids to the point that dehydration is a concern, then I get to the dr. Otherwise, I do baths, cool compresses, cool treats, lots of cuddles and monitor closely.

 

My gut is also a huge factor. If I had little one who's appearance was concerning, fever or not, and my gut told me something was going on, I'd go to the dr.

[babysparkler]

I would call the doc...

 

In my past experience, our doc has recommended alternating Motrin and Tylenol...given every 3 hours for high fevers. (So if he had Motrin at 3, I would have given Tylenol at 6, then Motrin at 9...and so on.)

 

:iagree: Alternate Motrin & Tylenol... and do a sponge bath/wet (room temp) rags to help gently bring the fever down.

[LBS]

in your practice whom you like to talk to, or have trust with, try calling the nursery at the hospital where your baby was born. Till my kids were about 12 months, I always felt like they were the nicest middle-of-the-night helpers...sometimes you just need someone to ask some questions, helping you know what is the best to do.....but they are experts, too.

 

And they are awake all night long!

 

Best wishes, to getting thru this,

LBS

[aggieamy]

Nephew seems to be doing pretty well other than the high fever. He was splashing and playing in the tub. He doesn't want to eat but that might be because his throat is sore.

 

I told sis about the alternating medicine and she's going to try that. She's also going to put him back in the tub for a bit. Otherwise he'll be in my sister's arms all night. I don't think that baby is ever put down.

 

Thanks for the replies. She called me because I'm the big sister and am expected to know the answers to all question. With your help I might just be able to keep this "big sister knows all" charade going for awhile. :001_smile:

[Tree House Academy]

If it were *my* baby, I would give him another dose of motrin. It can be given every 6 hours and sometimes it is needed that often. If he is still eating/drinking, etc. then that is that best sign. If the bath was anything more than barely warm, it will raise his temp (if he already had one). Temps also raise at night. I honestly would give the doc a call, give him more motrin, use damp cloths on his forehead, and dress him loosely for bed. I would also sleep near him tonight to make sure I catch any fever that is rising and give more motrin.

 

That is not my "medical opinion" though...just what I would do after having kiddos to take care of for the last 11 years.

[DarlaS]

It's unclear how long after the dose of Motrin his fever went back up again. If the time stamp on your post is correct for your time zone, it would be 6 hrs.

 

I believe Motrin lasts up to 8 hrs. That does not mean it always lasts that long and can't be given sooner. According to my bottle, you can give another dose after 6 hrs. You're not to exceed 4 doses a day. We are talking about the liquid right? She should double check the bottle.

 

When my kids fevers were really high, it never worked longer than 6 hrs--and they would always be pretty hot by then.

[Caitilin]

Also, remember that a small child (though not a newborn) can withstand high fevers better than an adult, counterintuitively. Our ped says not to bring in a child who is running a high fever but has no other symptoms, and to treat the child for comfort. Hope your nevvy is feeling better very soon!:grouphug::grouphug:

[wapiti]

FWIW, per our ped's instructions, I give motrin every SIX hours as needed.

[TengoFive]

The quickest way I've found to bring a fever down is to use a cool washcloth under the kids arms. That spot is the most effective for reducing fevers, much better than the forehead. I'd be cautious about overdosing on the ibuprofen, but would alternate with tylenol. One is hard on the liver, the other on the kidneys. That way you don't damage one or the other, but give it time to process and purge the medication before adding more.

[seibert4kids]

My drs have always recommended alternating Tylenol and Motrin for these types of scenarios. Appearantly they work in different ways, so as long as you wait 4-6 hours between Tylenol doses and 6-8 hours between Motrin doses, you can use them concurrently.

[DianeW88]

I may have missed this, but how old is the baby? If he is less than 8 weeks, I would call the doc to check first. You can piggyback Tylenol and Motrin, but honestly....103 isn't that high for a young child, and some docs don't recommend that anymore....too many bad drug reactions. You can give Motrin every 6 hours.

 

More important than how high the fever goes is how the child is acting. If a child with a fever plays, smiles and is happy...then don't worry. Honestly, I would be more worried about a child with a temp of 99.5 that was listless and unresponsive. Fever is the body's natural response to fighting infection. It is not evil in and of itself. It is a signal that the body is doing exactly what it should be doing. If you blunt the fever, you will blunt the body's infection fighting power. So, if the baby is acting fine....tell your sister not to be fever phobic.

 

Diane W. (pediatric nurse)

[dansamy]

More important than how high the fever goes is how the child is acting. If a child with a fever plays, smiles and is happy...then don't worry. Honestly, I would be more worried about a child with a temp of 99.5 that was listless and unresponsive. Fever is the body's natural response to fighting infection. It is not evil in and of itself. It is a signal that the body is doing exactly what it should be doing. If you blunt the fever, you will blunt the body's infection fighting power. So, if the baby is acting fine....tell your sister not to be fever phobic.

 

Diane W. (pediatric nurse)

:iagree: from another peds nurse. I wouldn't be overly stressed about the fever until the child starts acting listless and ill and refusing fluids. I don't even fret about a short spell of anorexia as long as the kidlet is staying hydrated. When mine have all had tummy bugs, they've gone for as long as 3-4 days with no real solid food intake. That's not long enough to starve by any means. Electrolytes and fluids are foremost on my mind.

[Carol in Cal.]

I would keep an eye on it but not call the doc unless it goes up to around 105. Fevers are supposed to kill germs, and bringing them down actually delays recovery. This fever is not high enough to cause brain damage or anything like that. As others have said, trouble breathing, extreme lethargy, or pain would be additional reasons to call--this could indicate pneumonia or something that can get very serious very quickly. I would not go to the ER and risk picking up another infection unless those anciallary symptoms were present.