Need suggestions to get child's fever down

[jamestown girl]

I have gave him medicine to bring his temp down but it wasn't working fast enough so i put him in a lukewarm bath.It helped a little but it is still running a little high.I need some suggestions on how to get it down a little more.

[Nancy]

Call the doctor's office and don't take chances with your child's life by asking the people on Topix.

(But if it's under 100.6 degrees, it isn't medically considered a fever.)

[Gray_Writer]

If it is very high, try laying cool rags on the forehead and under the arms. Otherwise, give the medicine time to work.

[Cautious]

How old is your child?
If this is an infant, I agree that if the fever is high enough to make you seek our advice, you need MEDICAL advice. Call the office of any of the family practice doctors in town and ask to speak to a nurse, at least.

[watsmyname70]

A cool bath usually helps, if the fever isnt too high. I also used to give my children there meds. every 2 hours instead of every 4.

Call the doctors office for more advice!

[Tara]

No, do not double-dose, ESPECIALLY with an infant.

This is not the place to get medical advice, jamestown girl.

[jamestown girl]

Nancy wrote:

Call the doctor's office and don't take chances with your child's life by asking the people on Topix.
(But if it's under 100.6 degrees, it isn't medically considered a fever.)

I don"t feel like I am taking a chance on my child's life by asking for suggestions on how to get his fever down.It had gotten up to 102.7 but i got it down to 100.4.I was just wanting to know some ways to try to keep it down until the dr.office opened.

[jamestown girl]

Tara wrote:

No, do not double-dose, ESPECIALLY with an infant.
This is not the place to get medical advice, jamestown girl.

He's not an infant.

[Grandma]

In healthy children, fevers usually don't indicate anything serious. Although it can be frightening for the parents, fever itself causes no harm and can actually be a good thing, because it is often the body's way of fighting off infections. Not all fevers need to be treated, but a high fever can make a child uncomfortable and cause problems such as dehydration.
A fever occurs when the body's internal "thermostat" raises the body temperature above its normal level. This thermostat is found in the part of the brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus knows what temperature your body should be (around 98.6° F) and it ,will send messages to your body to keep it that way.

It's important to remember that fever by itself is not an illness — it's usually a SYMPTOM of a problem problem. Fever has several potential causes:

Infection: Most fevers are caused by infection or other illness. Fever helps the body fight infections by stimulating natural defense mechanisms.

Overdressing: Infants, especially newborns, may get fevers if they're overdressed or in a hot environment. Babies don't regulate their body temperature as well as older children. However, because fevers in newborns can indicate a serious infection, any infant with a fever must be evaluated by a medical professional.

Immunizations: Babies and children sometimes get a low-grade fever after getting vaccinated.

Although teething may cause a slight rise in body temperature, it's probably not the cause if a child's temperature is higher than 100° F.

[constable]

Tara wrote:

No, do not double-dose, ESPECIALLY with an infant.
This is not the place to get medical advice, jamestown girl.

I have 2 kids and when they get fevers their Doctor says to alternate tylenol and motrin every 2hrs give tylenol then in 2hrs if it is still high give motrin. it usually only takes 2 doses of the medincine then it goes down.

[watsmyname70]

Tara wrote:

No, do not double-dose, ESPECIALLY with an infant.
This is not the place to get medical advice, jamestown girl.

Didnt mean double dose, meant to say give half doses every 2 hours instead of whole dose every 4 hours.

[watsmyname70]

constable wrote:

<quoted text>
I have 2 kids and when they get fevers their Doctor says to alternate tylenol and motrin every 2hrs give tylenol then in 2hrs if it is still high give motrin. it usually only takes 2 doses of the medincine then it goes down.

I didnt make myself very plain on this.....so sorry! this is more on the lines of what I was talking about, I would NEVER tell someone to double dose the meds!!!

[Gray_Writer]

constable wrote:

<quoted text>
I have 2 kids and when they get fevers their Doctor says to alternate tylenol and motrin every 2hrs give tylenol then in 2hrs if it is still high give motrin. it usually only takes 2 doses of the medincine then it goes down.

That's what we do with my baby sister. It seems to work very well.

[jamestown girl]

Thank you all for the suggestions.I will deffinitly try switching the tylenol and motrin next time.I had never been told to do that.

[I watch and listen]

jamestown girl wrote:

Thank you all for the suggestions.I will deffinitly try switching the tylenol and motrin next time.I had never been told to do that.

I have had several doctors tell me this as well. And it really does work, even when my husband broke his foot the orthopedic specialist told him to alternate the two as well.

Good luck and I hope your son get's to feeling better soon.

[I watch and listen]

And I have to say...Grandma...wonderful information there. I am pleased you took the time to relay all that info.

[Alaska]

Well, I found that almost any child ages 1 and older will eat popsicles and my doctor recommended this if the dr's office is closed and before considering the ER. They think it's a treat plus almost always brings the fever down, that's if you can get them to eat it.