How do you decide how unwell small children are?

[Saltdoughmuncher]

DS has just turned 3. He started with a temperature yesterday morning, slept most of the day and then was sick twice in the evening. Temperature kept spiking overnight but was coming down with calpol.

Today he has been a lot better. Not 100% but playing with toys and eating again. However after being in bed for an hour he has woken up with a temperature of 39 and is crying and crying for me even though I’m right next to him. He can’t tell me what’s wrong and it’s heartbreaking to see.

Google tells you temperatures, sickness etc can be signs of meningitis but then are also signs of virus’ and ear infections. How do you know when to panic and get emergency help and when to let them ride it out?

At the minute he has gone back to sleep and since he was been better during the day I think I can rule out anything serious, but seeing him a half an hour ago so upset and unwell was awful.

I will try and get an emergency GP appointment tomorrow at the care centre near us to check his ears and am hoping he stays calm overnight.

We had a bad night with him and 111 made me a GP appointment for 8am this morning. DS woke at 5am a picture of health and has been fine all day! Doctor said it is likely just a virus and to keep up with the calpol to keep the temperature down.

There is an app called baby check which is quite good. Its an official one.

A temp is ALWAYS a sign of Infection , it's a good sign that it's coming down with cal poly but if it's spiking again then antibiotics are needed and to see a doctor sooner rather than later. Most importantly make sure they are taking electrolytes they get dehydrated so quickly even off a spoon if that's the only way to get it in little by little.

I go by these investigations:

Are they eating normally?
Are they sleeping normally?
Are they toileting normally?
Normal temperature?
Happy in themselves or wailing?

Yes a temperature is a sign of the body fighting an infection but antibiotics won't work on anything viral. Even when it's bacterial, sometimes antibiotics aren't needed and the body can fight it itself.

Glad he's on the up op. There's a lot about atm, all of us here have been through the mill in the past 4 weeks.

Ha! They do like to make us look like we over reacted don’t they?
Glad to hear he’s getting better

“but if it's spiking again then antibiotics are needed” utter nonsense! Most “bugs” are viral, antibiotics have ZERO effect on viruses and we need to be cautious re over use of antibiotics particularly in the young. Antibiotics aren’t even advised if the bug is mild.

I grew up when they handed the damn things out like sweeties! Yet I was rarely very ill, then in early adulthood I got a bad case of pneumonia, for the first few days none of the antibiotics they were giving me were working and I’m told (I don’t remember I was mostly out of it) I gave parents and medical staff quite a scare! Eventually 2 were tried together (1 they’d already tried but apparently could be augmented by another) and that was the trick and when I turned the corner. They’re not to be messed with!

A fever is the body making the body an inhospitable environment for the bug so actually you don’t always want to even bring a fever down, if it’s a mild one and child is otherwise healthy it can be ok to let it be.

And yes kids are great at making a liar of you! Dd had a bad time with chicken pox over a bloody bank holiday weekend, out of hours made me an appointment for first thing on the Tuesday by which point there was bugger all wrong with her except the spots!