When do you take your child with fever to the doctor?

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Forum -> Children's Health

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animeme

Wed, Jan 14 2015, 6:59 pm

If you have a child with a fever, a non-baby/ child who can express themselves, when do you take the child to the doctor? I'm assuming the fever is controllable by Tylenol or motrin. What level of fever means "go now" to you? If the fever is below that, how long do you wait before you go?

I usually wait until about 48 hours unless I have reason to believe the doctor can do something, like a throat complaint when strep is going around, or if I have trouble keeping the fever down. But that article on the girl who died quickly from the flu freaked me out.

What do you do?

PAMOM

Wed, Jan 14 2015, 7:32 pm

Fever over 101 for 2 days with young children unless there are other symptoms or the child seems especially lethargic. Then I go after 24.

miami85

Wed, Jan 14 2015, 7:35 pm

B"H I haven't had this too many times bli ayin hara, but I would have to say that it would depend on the symptoms. If there's a visibie rash, or child is inidcating of a pain (I.e. sore throat or itchy or rubbing ear), or if child is overly lethargic. Unless it's an unusually high fever, I would wait it out a day or two.

rosebunch

Wed, Jan 14 2015, 7:36 pm

I honestly never take children's temp. If I feel they are hot, I give Tylenol. Usually, it is clearly visible when a child needs a Dr. Complaints in older kids and congestion/ pulling ears or fever plus bad cough or wheeze.

animeme

Wed, Jan 14 2015, 8:53 pm

I envy people whose instincts are usually right. Recently, dd had fever, lethargy and was complaining about her throat. I took her in day 1, no strep; nebulous virus. Ds a week later had fever and headache and throwing up and zero throat pain. I waited the extra day and it turns out he had strep. Not a tragedy, but I feel like sometimes we don't see on the outside what's really happening.

I had the doctor visits backwards but had no way of knowing it. But I feel like if everyone took their kids in on a first day of fever just in case, the doctors would be inundated.

Lady Bug

Wed, Jan 14 2015, 9:54 pm

Fever + throwing up means a trip to the doctor right away. Fever + anything is a trip right away. Fever on its own can wait.

mandr

Wed, Jan 14 2015, 10:53 pm

My baby never gets fever alone. It's always followed by some other symptom. I wait until the fever lasts 24 hours and by then he usually has the other symptoms and I take him to the doctor.

bnm

Wed, Jan 14 2015, 11:43 pm

depends on the kid, the temperature and the kid's mood and other symptoms.

mommy3b2c

Wed, Jan 14 2015, 11:49 pm

I pretty much can always tell what my kids have. So, if I know it's bacterial, I take them in ASAP so they can get antibiotics. If it's viral, I will usually wait a few says, unless I suspect he flu. If it's over 103, I would take them in immediately no matter what. Between 102 and 103, I would have to weigh other factors.

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