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Original poster

A&E or wait for GP – 16mo poorly

110 replies

vitjab1988 · 03/03/2025 18:43

Hi all,

Looking for some quick advice – not sure if I should take DS (16mo) to A&E tonight or wait for the GP tomorrow. He’s had a high temp (39.5°C) since this afternoon, calpol brought it down a bit but it’s creeping back up. He’s also very clingy and not himself, whimpering a lot. No rash, breathing seems OK, but he’s refusing fluids and only had a couple of wet nappies today.

Would you wait it out or go in? I don’t want to overreact but also don’t want to leave it too long if he needs help.

TIA x

OP posts:
user1471538275 · 03/03/2025 18:54

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/fever-in-children/

Onelovelyone · 03/03/2025 18:53

The fact he isn’t taking in fluids and the high temperature would signal to me that getting in contact with your gp out of hours service, 111 or A&E - not peeing in such a little one is a worry and I would not leave that. Better to go and for them to say it’s nothing major than to leave it in my opinion. I hope your baby feels better soon.

user1471538275 · 03/03/2025 18:52

DO NOT try a tepid bath.

This is dangerously outdated information.

Call 111

What is your particular concern.

A fever is a generalised symptoms that comes with most illnesses. If he's refusing to feed give pain relief to see if this helps, if it's back teeth or a sore throat.

mindutopia · 03/03/2025 18:49

I personally wouldn’t take a child in just for a high temperature (I say this as someone who gets sent to A&E a lot for temperatures as a complication of treatment I’m on for another condition, it’s miserable). I would offer calpol and ibuprofen alternating and see how that controls the fever. A fever that can be controlled at home isn’t really an emergency. But I would take him in if there are other worrying signs - febrile seizure obviously, if he is hard to wake, worrying rash, clearly in pain, fever does not come down, etc. Re-assess in the morning and get an urgent GP if you think you need it then. GP was able to refer direct to paeds so we went straight to the ward for assessment rather than A&E.

whataballbag · 03/03/2025 18:49

I'd ring 111, you'll more than likely end up with GP OOH contact

toomuchfaff · 03/03/2025 18:48

Try a tepid bath to calm and bring that temp down, the majority of discomfort will be associated with high temp, give the calpol as advised on the bottle.

A walk in the pram, or a ride in the car might settle them,

You've said no breathing issues or rash, he's not lethargic. Try bringing the temp down and see how he is after the bath

BlueMum16 · 03/03/2025 18:47

Call 111. They should offer an out of hours doctor's appointment rather than sit in A&E .

Penguinmouse · 03/03/2025 18:45

I think if he’s refusing fluids and temperature is going back up, I would go.

Squeakpopcorn · 03/03/2025 18:44

Go. I have primary school kids and I have only taken them once each but in this situation I would go.

angelopal · 03/03/2025 18:44

Can you call 111 and get some advice from them.

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