What Is Considered a Fever in an 8 Month Old Baby
All kids become a fever from time to fourth dimension. A fever itself usually causes no harm and can actually be a proficient thing — it's often a sign that the trunk is fighting an infection.
Only when your child wakes in the middle of the night flushed, hot, and sweaty, it'south piece of cake to be unsure of what to do side by side. Should you become out the thermometer? Phone call the doctor?
Hither's more than well-nigh fevers, including when to contact your doctor.
What Is a Fever?
Fever happens when the body's internal "thermostat" raises the trunk temperature above its normal level. This thermostat is found in a office of the brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus knows what temperature your trunk should exist (usually around 98.six°F/37°C) and will ship messages to your body to proceed it that manner.
Well-nigh people's body temperatures change a little bit during the class of the twenty-four hour period: Information technology's normally a little lower in the forenoon and a piddling higher in the evening and tin can vary as kids run around, play, and exercise.
Sometimes, though, the hypothalamus volition "reset" the body to a higher temperature in response to an infection, illness, or some other cause. Why? Researchers believe that turning upwards the oestrus is a way for the trunk to fight the germs that cause infections, making it a less comfortable place for them.
What Causes Fevers?
Information technology's important to remember that fever by itself is not an disease — information technology'due south usually a sign or symptom of another problem.
Fevers tin can be caused past a few things, including:
Infection: Most fevers are caused past infection or other illness. A fever helps the body fight infections past stimulating natural defense mechanisms.
Overdressing: Infants, peculiarly newborns, may become fevers if they're overbundled or in a hot environment because they don't regulate their torso temperature as well equally older kids. But considering fevers in newborns can indicate a serious infection, fifty-fifty infants who are overdressed must exist checked past a doctor if they have a fever.
Immunizations: Babies and kids sometimes get a depression-course fever later getting vaccinated.
Although teething may crusade a slight rise in torso temperature, information technology's probably not the cause if a child'south temperature is college than 100°F (37.eight°C).
When Is a Fever a Sign of Something Serious?
In healthy kids, not all fevers need to be treated. Loftier fever, though, tin make a child uncomfortable and make problems (such as dehydration) worse.
Doctors decide on whether to care for a fever by because both the temperature and a child's overall condition.
Kids whose temperatures are lower than 102°F (38.9°C) often don't need medicine unless they're uncomfortable. There's 1 important exception: If an baby 3 months or younger has a rectal temperature of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, telephone call your physician or get to the emergency department immediately. Even a slight fever can be a sign of a potentially serious infection in very young babies.
If your child is between 3 months and 3 years old and has a fever of 102.ii°F (39°C) or higher, call to meet if your dr. needs to see your child. For older kids, take behavior and activity level into account. Watching how your child behaves will give you a pretty good thought of whether a small illness is the cause or if your child should exist seen by a doctor.
The illness is probably not serious if your child:
- is still interested in playing
- is eating and drinking well
- is alert and smiling at you lot
- has a normal skin colour
- looks well when his or her temperature comes down
And don't worry too much well-nigh a child with a fever who doesn't want to eat. This is very common with infections that cause fever. For kids who still drink and urinate (pee) normally, non eating as much every bit usual is OK.
Is it a Fever?
A gentle kiss on the brow or a hand placed lightly on the skin is often enough to give you a hint that your child has a fever. Still, this method of taking a temperature (chosen tactile temperature) won't give an accurate measurement.
Use a reliable digital thermometer to ostend a fever. It'due south a fever when a child's temperature is at or above one of these levels:
- measured orally (in the mouth): 100°F (37.8°C)
- measured rectally (in the bottom): 100.4°F (38°C)
- measured in an axillary position (under the arm): 99°F (37.2°C)
Only how loftier a fever is doesn't tell you much about how sick your child is. A simple cold or other viral infection can sometimes cause a rather high fever (in the 102°–104°F/38.9°–forty°C range), but this doesn't normally mean there's a serious problem. In fact, a serious infection, especially in infants, might crusade no fever or even a depression torso temperature (beneath 97°F or 36.ane°C).
Considering fevers can rise and fall, a child might have chills as the torso's temperature begins to rise. The child may sweat to release extra oestrus as the temperature starts to driblet.
Sometimes kids with a fever exhale faster than usual and may accept a faster heart rate. Call the physician if your kid has trouble animate, is breathing faster than normal, or is still breathing fast after the fever comes downwards.
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How Can I Help My Child Feel Better?
Again, not all fevers need to be treated. In well-nigh cases, a fever should be treated only if information technology's causing a child discomfort.
Here are ways to ease symptoms that oft back-trail a fever:
Medicines
If your child is fussy or uncomfortable, y'all can give acetaminophen or ibuprofen based on the package recommendations for age or weight. (Unless instructed by a doc, never requite aspirin to a child due to its clan with Reye syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disease.) If yous don't know the recommended dose or your child is younger than 2 years one-time, phone call the doctor to find out how much to requite.
Infants younger than 2 months former should not be given any medicine for fever without being checked by a doctor. If your child has any medical bug, bank check with the md to meet which medicine is all-time to utilize. Recollect that fever medicine tin can temporarily bring a temperature down, only usually won't render it to normal — and it won't treat the underlying reason for the fever.
Habitation Comfort Measures
Dress your child in lightweight clothing and encompass with a lite canvas or coating. Overdressing and overbundling can foreclose body estrus from escaping and tin can crusade the temperature to rise.
Make sure your kid'south bedroom is a comfortable temperature — not likewise hot or too cold.
While some parents utilise lukewarm sponge baths to lower fever, this method only helps temporarily, if at all. In fact, sponge baths tin can make kids uncomfortable. Never utilize rubbing booze (it can cause poisoning when absorbed through the skin) or ice packs/cold baths (they can cause chills that tin can raise body temperature).
Food and Drinks
Offer plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration because fevers make kids lose fluids more apace than usual. Water, soup, ice pops, and flavored gelatin are all good choices. Avoid drinks with caffeine, including colas and tea, because they tin can brand aridity worse by increasing urination (peeing).
If your kid besides is vomiting and/or has diarrhea, ask the doctor if you should give an electrolyte (rehydration) solution made peculiarly for kids. You can observe these at drugstores and supermarkets. Don't offering sports drinks — they're non made for younger children and the added sugars can brand diarrhea worse. Also, limit your kid's intake of fruits and apple juice.
In general, allow kids swallow what they want (in reasonable amounts), merely don't force information technology if they don't experience similar it.
Taking it Piece of cake
Brand sure your child gets plenty of residue. Staying in bed all day isn't necessary, but a sick child should take information technology easy.
It'southward best to keep a child with a fever home from school or childcare. Near doctors feel that it'due south safe to return when the temperature has been normal for 24 hours.
When Should I Call the Doctor?
The exact temperature that should trigger a call to the doctor depends on a child'south age, the illness, and whether there are other symptoms with the fever.
Call your doctor if you have an:
- baby younger than 3 months old with a rectal temperature of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher
- older child with a temperature of higher than 102.2°F (39°C)
Also call if an older kid has a fever of lower than 102.2°F (39°C) but likewise:
- refuses fluids or seems besides ill to drink adequately
- has lasting diarrhea or repeated vomiting
- has whatsoever signs of dehydration (peeing less than usual, not having tears when crying, less alert and less active than usual)
- has a specific complaint (like a sore pharynx or earache)
- withal has a fever later 24 hours (in kids younger than 2 years former) or 72 hours (in kids 2 years or older)
- is getting fevers a lot, even if they merely concluding a few hours each night
- has a chronic medical problem, such every bit eye disease, cancer, lupus, or sickle cell affliction
- has a rash
- has pain while peeing
Get emergency care if your child shows any of these signs:
- crying that won't finish
- extreme irritability or fussiness
- sluggishness and problem waking up
- a rash or royal spots that look like bruises on the skin (that were not at that place earlier your child got sick)
- blue lips, tongue, or nails
- infant'south soft spot on the head seems to exist bulging out or sunken in
- stiff neck
- astringent headache
- limpness or refusal to move
- trouble breathing that doesn't get ameliorate when the olfactory organ is cleared
- leaning forward and drooling
- seizure
- moderate to astringent belly pain
Also, ask if your doctor has specific guidelines on when to call virtually a fever.
What Else Should I Know?
All kids get fevers, and in most cases they're completely back to normal within a few days. For older babies and kids, the fashion they human action tin be more than important than the reading on your thermometer. Everyone gets a lilliputian cranky when they have a fever. This is normal and should be expected.
But if you're ever in uncertainty almost what to practice or what a fever might mean, or if your kid is acting ill in a way that concerns you lot even if there'south no fever, always telephone call your doctor for advice.
Source: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/fever.html