Important disclaimer: The information on our site is for educational purposes only and should not be considered to be medical advice. It is not meant to replace the advice of the physician who cares for your child. All medical advice and information should be considered to be incomplete without a physical exam, which is not possible without a visit to your Pediatrician.
If your baby is less than 8 weeks and has temperature of 100.4 F or more, call the office immediately. We will recommend your baby be evaluated at our office or at the emergency room to rule out a bacterial infection. For all other ages, fever alone is rarely a reason to go to the ER. An older child or toddler with fever can almost always be managed at home. A good indicator of how sick is the child is, wait and see how the child looks when the fever goes down. All children look listless and miserable when the fever is high, but if you can bring the temperature down with medication, sponging and fluids, and your child perks up and looks better, you should be able to continue fever management and see the pediatrician in the morning at the office. Reasons to go to the ER are symptoms associated with the fever, but not the temperature alone.
When your child has a fever and is uncomfortable, we recommend cooling measures such as cool compresses and an appropriate dose of acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
Fever and pain medication doses:
You can find dosing by clicking on the following links:
And remember: fever helps your child fight the infection.