Do you take your little one to doc for every fever?

[Still_Learning]

Dd has a fever and is feeling bad. Of course it came on Friday night

do you take your litte ones to the doc every te they have a fever or what do you use as criteria for a doctors visit?

[lemurik]

How old is your dd?
I don't take the kids to the doctor just for a fever. If the fever lasts for several days, or doesn't respond to meds, I would consult a doctor. I also consider other symptoms: cough, rash, pain, etc.
Hope your lo feels better

[JessieBird]

I've never taken DS to the doctor for a fever. They always pass. I'm pretty sure that all of his fevers have been due to teething and they come and go over 2-3 days. They respond well to tylenol or advil, or they go away on their own.

However, we've been lucky never to have had a serious illness or fever associated with any other concerning symptom (though teething causes such a range of symptoms, still my instincts told me he wasn't sick). I can't remember what the limit is and always have to check one of my baby books but there is a high point at which you should be concerned and go to the doctor. Also if the fever doesn't respond to acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

[ShyDaisi]

I haven't had to thus far. The length of time the fever was present would be taken into consideration along with the other symptoms present, but no, not for every fever.

[kai28]

not unless the fever is associated with something else. digestive issues (either end), ear grabbing (which always ends up being nothing - never had an ear infection), or other signs that DS is "off". But just a fever? no. not unless it was really high and not responding to medication (for anything under 102, I wont give him anything if he seems otherwise fine - a plan his Dr. fully agrees with). Fevers are the body's way of fighting off infection. When we interupt that process, I fear letting the infection win. But I wont let it go above 102. And if the fever makes him uncomfortable, then I'll give him some ibuprofen.

DS is 13 months now. When he was younger, I'd call the nurse to chat for reassurance that I wasn't somehow missing a big warning sign. More often than not they'll tell you to come in (to cover their butt's, I'm pretty sure), only to find that the Dr. agrees with you and tells you to keep and eye on it and come back if x,y, or z show up. As DS gets older, I get more confident in my ability to see the real issues from the things that time alone will heal, and to trust my instinct. Part of that is I can see DS's personality better so that I can more easily tell when something 'just isn't quite right'.

[mambera]

How do you know if your LO has a fever? Do you take rectal temps?

AFAIK DD has never had a fever but I've never felt worried enough to put her through a rectal temp. I'll do axillaries to placate my husband but they're always so low I'm not sure I'd pick it up if she really was febrile.

[springmum]

Only if I was worried about the cause - bladder infection, bacterial infection, ear infection etc. DS had random overnight low fever a couple of weeks ago that was followed by a mild congested cold, and did not get worse so it did not warrant a trip for us.
He had a higher fever for 3 days a year ago and I took him in on the second day to rule out the cause - turned out to be nothing serious, but eased my guessing/need to treat something I couldn't see.

[Polliwog]

Do people still do rectal temps? I haven't seen an old fashioned thermometer in years. We have an underarm thermometer and a temporal one. I use the underarm one most often.

And no, unless the fever shoots up really high (over 103,) or the child has other concerning symptoms, I wouldn't go to the doctor.

[broodymama]

The only time I've taken one of mine in for a fever was when DS was 18 months and had a fever and vomiting all day, then by the middle of the night was vomiting bile. I took him to the ER and they did a lot of tests (for UTI, chest X-ray for pneumonia since he was unvaxed, bloodwork, I drew the line when they wanted to do a lumbar puncture) and they never figured anything out. The next day the diarrhea started and I realized it was rotavirus.

I take it on a case-by-case basis. I usually let fevers run their course, unless they get really high and the child is really uncomfortable. The kids got extremely high fevers last fall when we all came down with the flu, but they stayed hydrated and the fevers did come down with meds (DS' fever was approaching 105). Other parents were stuck waiting for 6+ hours in the emergency room with kids with similar fevers, only to be sent home with Motrin (ahhh, love the local military hospital). If any of the kids had been lethargic, not keeping down fluids, showing signs of dehydration, or sensitivity to light or a sore neck then I would have taken them straight in. Like I said, it's really all done on a case by case basis.

[Peony]

The only time I have ever taken one of my 3 children in for a fever was when DD1 had a 107 temp. We have had many a bout of pneumonia with DD2 and fever isn't the sign that I go by when I know she needs to go in. With GI bugs, I just watch for signs of dehydration. We have had fevers and no other symptoms for a while multiple times, before Rotavirus like another person said, roseola, teething, colds, etc...

[lyra1977]

Last month DD woke up from a nap with a fever of 106 and we went to the doctor immediately, but that's the only time we've reacted like that to a fever, since most of them have been 100 or 101 and max 102 until this past time.

It was a nightmare at the doctor with the 106...they drew blood, took urine with a catheter, chest x-ray and antibiotic shots and in the end diagnosed her with a virus. Grrrr.... But in the end, if she ever has a fever that high again I would do the same thing, you can't mess around with 106.

[mamadelbosque]

I've never taken ds1 to the doctor for a fever - he didn't see a doc from the time he was 9 months old till just a couple months ago when I took him in for a 3 yr 'well check' to touch base

DS2 had a uti with a high fever at 2wks and we took him for that (but didn't know thats what it was tille ran a high fever that night and we went to the er... that was miserable!!), and then we took him in for croup a month or so ago (out of which I got a free humidifier, but no definetly not for every little fever. I take'm if theres something they can do - and for most stuff, they really can't (nothing to do about a virus, which is what causes the vast majority of fevers). If it got above, oh, say 104 or 105, then yeah, I'd probably take them in. But for standard run-of-the-mill 100-103 fevers? Not worth it, IMO

[crunchy_mommy]

Depends on the other symptoms... I've never taken DS to the doc for anything but WBV. He gets normal fevers, viruses, etc. on occasion but they don't last more than a few days. I did email the doc once just to touch base since it was a Friday, and he basically just said 'yeah that's going around' but I felt better having just touched base (so I'm saying, call or email the doc if it will give you a little peace of mind). Unless the temp got to 104, 105 something like that, or there were more severe symptoms than the usual (like seizures or lethargy), I probably wouldn't ever take him in. But I'm also not the type to go to the doc myself for everyday ailments.

ETA: I also don't really take his temp when he has fevers... I can tell with just a hug whether he's burning up or not. We do have an ear thermometer that I've used a few times though, like if it's hard to evaluate other symptoms because he's sleeping a lot, but I find my hand on his head is more reliable...

[Just1More]

I don't take mine either. Unless there is something really unusual going on, too (like meningitis symptoms), I'd wait 72 hours to take them in. After that point, the issue is likely to be bacterial instead of viral. If you take them in, the standard of care is a catheter to check for a uti, an x-ray to check for bacterial pneumonia, and a blood draw to check the wbc count. After that, they may push for a lumbar puncture.

So, if they have no symptoms of a uti, their lips aren't blue and they aren't having trouble breathing...then why do all that to them?

FWIW-I did take dd1 when she was about 14 months old because around day 2.5 of her fever, she woke up with it nearly 105 in the middle of the night. And she was rather lethargic (of course) and wouldn't nurse. That was a little much for me. They did their thing, but agreed with me that we could wait to do the xray until the blood results came back since it wouldn't change prognosis or treatment. If there ever is a next time, we won't be doing a catheter until after the blood work either. Anyway, they did all their tests, and then sent us on our way (with a lethargic baby with a high fever) and said "she'll be fine, all the tests came back clear." Ooookay. And then, right at the 72 hour mark, her fever broke and she was fine. Go figure. That was the only sick baby appointment we've ever done.

I've never had reason to take another one in.

[~cassie]

I don't for just a fever, no.

We go to the Dr when 1. They are inconsolable or 2. Drainage from the ears.

[Drummer's Wife]

In 9 years, and with 4 kids, I have never gone to the doc for a fever. And actually, I can only think of one "sick child" visit, which was straight to urgent care b/c he was wheezing. We have been to the ER for stitches several times, though, but fever alone has never been a big worry of mine. It was like that growing up, too, with a RN/midwife for a mom. She believed fevers meant the body was doing it's job - and rarely gave meds for them.

Hope your LO feels better soon.

[CherryBomb]

Like most of the others have said, I wouldn't consider taking a child in just for a fever unless it was high (over 103F) or lasted more than 3 days.

[laughymama]

Just a fever? No.

If there are additional symptoms (wheezing, ear pulling/drainage, severe congestion..etc) and they don't seem to be clearing up after a couple of days then we typically go to the Urgent Care. It's typically quicker. Somehow he always ends up getting to that point on a weekend so the Dr.'s office is closed anyway.

[SallyN]

This is my favorite reference for fevers... helps me stay calm and know that I have a plan and consistent set of parameters.

http://www.childrenshospitalofil.org/body.cfm?id=575

[AllyRae]

Oh goodness no, or we'd never leave. One of my kids spikes fevers for *everything*, even allergies. She spikes *high* fevers too--105-106. There was a time where she spiked a fever every week for several months (she had frequent ear infections and would always spike a fever with them). We took her in the time she had febrile seizures, and if it's unusually high for her or doesn't go down in 24 hours (her pattern always has her fever breaking after 24 hours).

The baby has an immune deficiency and gets sick a ton too, so we can't take her in every time she has a fever. We'd have to pay rent there.... :

Basically, I treat at home unless it's a) an unusual fever that isn't normal for them and the illness accompanying it is very acute and/or severe (for example, my son had a 106 fever in October, and it turned out it was from h1n1. We had a very young baby at home at the time plus his school required a note, so we took him in for that fever). B) Accompanied by seizures. C) Doesn't go down right away if medicated or within 24-48 hours if unmedicated. D) The child is dehydrated or getting close to dehydrated.

So basically, a typical fever with a mild illness, I let run it's course. If it's severe or looks like it is getting dangerous to the child, I take him/her in ASAP. Oh, and if there is a fever and the child is complaining of a sore neck or the child looks like they have a stiff neck, I personally would go straight to the ER. That's one of those that I won't wait and see longer than a couple hours.