When Should I Worry About Fever?

If your child is under the age of 8 weeks and has a rectal temperature greater than 100.4 then he/she needs to be seen immediately.

Otherwise, here is some advice to follow pertaining to fever in children:

Fever is a symptom that some germ is attacking the body. So, one of the body’s defenses against this attack is…fever. Thus, it is a natural and healthy response of the body to a germ trying to cause an infection. Fever turns on the body’s entire immune system. The fevers children get are not harmful—even at 104 or 105. Fever causes no harm until it reaches 107. Fortunately, the brain’s thermostat will always help the fever stay below this level. Febrile seizures are not harmful and do not result in brain damage.

Either ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) or Acetaminophen (Tylenol) are effective in reducing fever. Which is better? NEITHER. The effectiveness of one versus the other depends on how the individual child absorbs and uses the medication. We suggest you try both to discover which one is better than the other for your child. We recommend using these medications only if your child is uncomfortable or has a temperature over 101. The dosages for these medications are printed on the packages but can be confusing, we are happy to review them with you.  Click here for a dosing chart. You can also use both acetaminophen and ibuprofen at the same time if needed, just be sure to remember correct dosing including that acetaminophen is every 4 hours and ibuprofen is every 6 hours.

Click for more dosing recommendations.