persistant fever in 12 week old-- HELP

[LadyCatherine185]

my 12 week old has had a fever for 2 weeks now, between 99.8-100.4... no other symptoms except fussy/inconsolable crying. taken him to the doc twice and they can't find anything wrong with him. they say it is teething, but i cant feel any teeth. MAYBE one way under the gums. i am getting really worried. :(  

[nycmom18]

i dont know, but i'd say if you're really worried, i would trust your gut and go back to doc and express your concern.  what did the doc check when you were there before?  otherwise, the low fever seems like teething to me, but i dont know about the 2 weeks part? i hope you find an answer soon.

[LadyCatherine185]

the did a blood test to check his white blood count, tested for RSV, looked at his ears/throat, etc.... he has no other symptoms. my friend just told me that her DS had a fever for a full month before cutting his first tooth.. I guess that is probably what it is but it is so hard to see him so miserable already.. :(

[Mosaic]

Actually, if those are rectal temps, those are actually within the range of "normal" for infant temperature. I would be more concerned because he's acting like he feels icky. I wouldn't hesitate to bring him back in to the doctor if it has been a few days or you're worried. An ear infection or other bug can hit pretty quickly. Most doctors I know of nowadays say that teething does NOT cause a fever.

[Laurski]

Fevers can be so scary in a little one!  My DD had a fever of 103.3 about a month and a half ago, when she was 4 months old, so I can absolutely empathize with your concerns.

Are the temperatures rectal temps?  According to the AAP, "a rectal reading of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) or less, or an oral reading of 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37.2 degrees Celsius) or less, is considered normal, while higher readings indicate fever."  (Full article on fever here.)  I know that knowing that helped me immensely when I started taking her temperature obsessively after she had a few days of temps of about 101 (which then peaked at 103 and was followed by a nasty, nasty cold), and was so upset every time her temp was above 100!

We found with DD that sometimes her temp seemed to creep up if she was dressed too warmly, so we'd put her in just a short sleeved onesie or leave her in her diaper for an hour or so, and that seemed to help her temp come down a little...do you think something similar would help your LO?

Obviously, if you feel that something's wrong, you're the mama and would know best, so then definitely keep working with your doctor to figure out what's bothering your LO.  I'll cross my fingers that it's just normal temperature fluctuations and maybe some teething!

[Knitting Mama]

Originally Posted by Laurski 

We found with DD that sometimes her temp seemed to creep up if she was dressed too warmly, so we'd put her in just a short sleeved onesie or leave her in her diaper for an hour or so, and that seemed to help her temp come down a little...do you think something similar would help your LO?

Obviously, if you feel that something's wrong, you're the mama and would know best, so then definitely keep working with your doctor to figure out what's bothering your LO.  I'll cross my fingers that it's just normal temperature fluctuations and maybe some teething!

This happened just this past weekend with my 10 month old. She was acting sick at my in-laws, and was very lethargic. And then she felt to me like she was burning up! So we took her home, and in the car ride home and then at our house (which we keep much cooler than my in-laws' house) she was not at all feverish. She was still under the weather but immensely better. So it's pretty clear to me that she, like her mama, poor thing, is very sensitive to too warm temps.

[LadyCatherine185]

I know if it is under 100.4 it is technically just an "elevated temperature"....but DS1 and I never run high fevers.. if my temp is 99, I feel absolutely horrible.. my regular temp is in the 97's, and Ian's is in the 98's. So I know it is elevated. I am pretty sure it is just from teething now.... I took him in yesterday afternoon and his ears were fine. He is drooling, chewing on fingers, etc so he does have all the signs of teething. Oh, and we keep it pretty cool in the house (I am usually cold! around 69 degrees) and he is in a longsleeved onesie and pants....  

[SGVaughn]

a low fever in a little one isn't abnormal....I wouldn't be VERY concerned aside for the baby's comfort because the white blood cell count is normal..

it could very well be viral that isn't setting off babes immune system.

if you're ok with it and your pedi approves..you can alternate tylenol and motrin in very small doses on an overlapping schedule ..This works better than one or the other by themselves.

as a parent that doesn't like to give my kids any meds..I would only do this in the evening if they seemed very uncomfortable..and honestly reserve it for very high temps in my kids.

a very easy route to bring down a fever and often overlooked is a tepid bath, or tepid washcloths in the armpits (not the neck or forehead!) Tepid though, not cold!!!!!! Cold can send in adult into a very bad spiral nevermind a baby. When my older kids were babies for low temps where they just felt icky usually all that was needed was a room temp bath....for a high temp I usually put hem in the tub while waiting for motrin to kick in.

I'd be really surprised if it had to do with teeth at 12 weeks and I don't care what a DR says...all of my kids ran low grade temps when they were actually cutting teeth (at about 20 weeks). Babies do chew on everything and drool a lot well before teeth enter the equation..its part of how they learn!

either way...I hope the baby feels better soon