Does my child really need to go to out of hours?

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Posting here for traffic. DD came out of school and the teacher said she seemed tired all day. Brought her home and she’s boiling hot despite saying she feels cold. Checked her temp which was very high at 39.5. Immediately gave her calpol and it started decreasing pretty soon. By 5pm it was 38, still high but down. Keeping an eye on her, plenty of fluids etc watching films. Neither children want to eat tonight but thankfully drinking.

I must add DS has had a fever and a sickness bug at the weekend so the likelihood is that she’s brewing that.

OH is at work and he must have texted his mum to say we are poorly. She’s rang me up in a panic saying I should get DD to out of hours. Seems a b it ott. Yes she has a fever but she knows DS was also poorly so like caught that and her fever is coming down and she’s drinking so thought out of hours wasn’t needed.

Now mil has got me in a panic. Neither of mine really get poorly that often but have obviously had temperatures etc and I’ve always managed it at home with calpol etc etc.

Aibu that she doesn’t need to go??! She’s clearly caught what Ds had. I’m not 100 percent.

My
Mums the same. Every sniffle she would rush them off to the doctors.

Is it an older generation thing? When I was kid my
Mum took Me to the doctors for absolutely everything. Even things she could have treated at home.

If Calpol has brought the temp down, as you said, and she's tired and a bit poorly, then no I wouldn't. DS aged 2, had a temp of 40 at 2am a few weeks ago. I'm on my own with another child, and was dreading taking them both out at that time. Thankfully Calpol worked it's wonders.

I wouldn't. Mine often get like that

People are terrified of temperatures because there’s been so much stuff in the news about sepsis, and with good reason, but if a temperature is coming down with paracetamol and the child doesn’t seem too unwell otherwise I’d be inclined to keep them at home and monitor them. I’d only take them to see someone medical if the temperature suddenly went up dramatically or wasn’t coming down with calpol etc - or they were hard to wake or obviously very unwell.

I wouldn’t take mine for temp alone as long as they’re alert, drinking, weeing and not covered in a meningococcal rash. I assume since you mention school they’re at least 5.
As PP said, I think culture was just different with our parents. My mum frequently asks me if I’m taking my kids to the GP, despite my being an A&E doctor 🙄

Call NHS 111 and check for any rashes, do the glass test.

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

No I wouldn't. Bring dragged put to sit in a waiting room full of germs is only going to make her feel worse.

I wouldn’t. I have friends that rush their children to the GP at the drop of a hat and insist that I should do the same and they need antibiotics for the slightest illness. Whereas I would always treat at home for something like a temperature unless I felt I couldn’t control it. Then it would be 111 for a bit of advice.

Dd2 gets temps of 39.5+ and while unwell it just seems that her temperature seems to spike that. The first few times we were very concerned she was around one as well, we soon realised it was her 'normal'. Dd1 will look the same have similar symptoms with a temp of 38.5ish. The one time she did have a temp over 39 she very obviously needed to be seen by someone, as her other symptoms showed.

You know your child best. Don't feel you need to rush to out of hours.

Keep treating her as you have been. Set your alarm to check her temperature a couple of times overnight too.

Have you stripped her off and given an ice lolly? Because that’s the first thing they’d do in OOH. I’m always amazed how many people bring their children to A&E with high temps while wrapped in 5 layers and blankets!

If you find you cant hold it on calpol and childrens neurophen, and it starts to rise before the timings are up, then yes take her.
if at any point she starts shivering or teeth chattering take her immediately
if she becomes listless or wont drink / wee then take her.
let her sleep but keep checking her temp
keep the fluids up
dont let her get cold

NettleTea why do you say about teeth chattering and shivering? Only asking -to feed my health anxiety- as my 3 year old chatters her teeth and shivers with a fever

No, I wouldn't, partially because I got rid of the thermometer sometime after toddlerhood, after my children both learnt to talk, and so would have no idea exactly how high the temperature was.

So, I'd be treating the visible symptoms of yet another horrible virus by snuggling them up on the settee with soothing children's tv, and plenty of drinks.

NettleTea having had the flu myself recently with temp spikes, I was told not to 'feel' cold / shiver etc because it's the body's mechanism to warm it up further - so if you have a high temp and you shiver you're only going to be raising it further.

You know your child.some children get high fevers with a cold. Some don't tend to get very high fevers unless very ill . After the toddler years ( when high temperatures are more common) My DS rarely got much of temperature when he had colds etc. So whem.he was 10.years old and suddenly developed a temperature of 40deg,.I knew he was very ill. In fact he ended up having a seizure less than 10 hours after developing the high temperature so I was right to be worried. Turned out he had viral meningitis and was in hospital for several days with it ,.followed by 2 weeks of being really ill and about a month in total before he was completely over it. My friend's son Inthe other hand gets temperatures of 39deg regularly with a cold so she worried less if his temperature was very high.

One of mine used to get really high temps like that before her had tonsils out. His base temp was 37.5 so didn't need to be too poorly for it to get really high. I think you are fine to watch at home, don't knowingly take a child who you think is starting with a sickness bug to ooh where there are already poorly people.

I certainly wouldn’t take her. If you phone them and tell them your other child was poorly over the weekend they’ll likely give you some advice and ask you to call back if anything changes.

39.5 is a high temp yes, but it’s coming down with anti pyretics and you’re happy she’s unwell but drinking and not displaying any worrying symptoms. Obviously read about sepis and the symptoms in your child’s age group and keep an eye as you would anyway.

I’m a paeds nurse so I get a bit twitchy when mine are poorly because I do see worst case scenario so I’m extra vigilant but I also need to put on my sensible head and watch them and reassess if things change. And I’ve 4 kids so spent many a night at home with my kids being poorly and a few with my youngest in children’s ward with his asthma. I think being informed is important, knowing the warning signs of sepsis/ illnesses in children (not adults) but I always say if you’re worried phone gp/ooh/go to hospital.

My mum can be similar to your mil too, weirdly as I’ve been a nurse for 16 years and am quite experienced so happy to care for my kids at home and know when I need more help especially with youngest and asthma. She’s just concerned I guess and it comes from a place of love and care I hope.

Hope your wee one is feeling better soon and you all get some rest

Totally depends on the overall picture.
Eating drinking happy then no.
Pale, floppy, no drinking then yes, but probably in morning if no major concern.

I'd see how she is in the morning and not panic.

What @annualleavepurchase said.

No. Look at the child not the temperature. I wouldn’t take mine to out of hours unless I had other concerns or their temperature wasn’t coming down.

yes, when you are feeling cold it means your temperature is rising, the chattering and shaking is the body's response to the fever. But you dont want to over heat them with loads of blankets, similarly when the body temp is falling you can sweat and feel hot, but you dont want to throw them in a cold bath. tepid water wiped on forehead and pulse points will evaporate and cool them.
If you have a thermometer then you can always check at what point it kicks in for your child, but the younger they are the more difficult it is for them to control their body temperature themselves especially at the upper or lower limits of the range.
my child has had 2 emergency fever/ sepsis/shock episodes (she has a disease which kind of predisposes to nasty chest infections, its much more likely for her) and both times Ive known she was in trouble because she had rigors and her temp was going v high v quickly.

No not for a school age child that seemed ok - my GPs advice is to treat the child not the temperature - so a lethargic child with a temp of 38 generally more worrying than a bouncing around toddler with a cold and a temp of 39.5

I’d give calpol and ibrofen at the recommended doses.

Keep a close eye on them, main thing is they are drinking, and peeing.

You know your child better than her grandparents. If she's just a bit under the weather, and the temperature is reducing with medication, I certainly wouldn't panic and go to out of hours. If she seems more unwell/temperature climbs quickly again/doesn't reduce with medication, then I would re-evaluate.