[Minoh]

Ds has a moderate fever (39.4). He slept for a few hours at the beginning of the night but now can't seem to sleep any longer (up after 5-10min). He's pretty uncomfortable and is also congested.

Would you give tylenol for this (dh wants to but I've been avoiding it). Is there any reason we should avoid tylenol if at all possible, or is it ok in this instance?

Is there anything else to reduce the discomfort for ds so he can sleep?

 

[USAmma]

I would personally let it play out. It's only 2.5 degress above normal, right? So not a raging fever or anything. His body needs to "cook" the germs. I would only give meds for actual severe pain or if the fever gets too high for too long. My dd got very sick and I would only give meds when it got to about 102-103 and maybe even not then if it went down after an hour or two. Just take turns holding him in a chair or the couch if he's congested and use a cool mist humidifier if he's having trouble breathing through his nose.

Hope he feels better soon. ((HUGS))

 

[alegna]

Someone bumped the Tylenol thread earlier tonight, take a look at it.

I am comfortable with fever up to at least 104F (sorry NAK, can't convert right now)

I'd try a lukewarm bath if he's uncomfortable.

-Angela

 

[alegna]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boongirl where is it?

here's a link

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...hlight=tylenol

 

[HappyToBe]

I think it's over in Vax?

I'd hold out, too, as fevers can be beneficial to fighting the virus. If you're worried about signs to watch for, you could call the nurse on-call at your ped's office. My sons' have gone very high so that I've been worried but thankfully our ped isn't quick to medicate.

 

[BelgianSheepDog]

Being in pain and sleep deprived can make it harder for the immune system to work. I don't take a lot of OTC medicines myself and I haven't yet given anything to my daughter, and plan to be conservative about administering tylenol, but I do not understand why it's the latest target of fearmongering talk. It's not great to take too much of it, definitely. Does that make it evil incarnate? No.

 

[HappyToBe]

Well, I will admit that when my kids are sick w/fever or stomach bugs, we watch movies.

: I snuggle in bed w/them and we watch movies as a distraction. Too, I keep a water bottle next to the bed & offer sips frequently.

 

[Minoh]

Thanks for the replies, mamas. We did end up giving a half dose of tylenol because ds was not sleeping at all, but very upset and first tried Hylands. I'm not sure if it's just teething, though, and not an illness/virus developing. He keeps chewing his fingers and has bitten me a couple times tonight for the first time.

Could teething episodes differ in their level of discomfort? Ds already has 4 teeth and only had a few problems with those. Now he can't sleep and is crying a lot. It's going to be a long night (now it's almost 5am here). I hope the next few days aren't a blurl because we've all not slept.

 

[pandora665]

A fever of 39.4 C = 103 F is pretty unlikely to be caused solely by teething. Teething "fevers" are usually under 100 degrees F (37.7 C)

I know how uncomfortable I feel when I have fevers over around 101-102, so I would probably cave for a fever of 103 - Sorry, American mindset, can't wrap around celsius as easily.

Hope your littl'un feels better soon.