To have never taken my children's' temperature

[welliewarmer]

I have two DC, 12 and 8. They often had a temperature when young; it was always obvious and I gave them calpol til they felt better. Currently my eldest is ill with a temperature and cough - I've been giving him a paracetamol every four hours and lots of liquids. He's just gone to bed as was looking very grey and unwell, also shivering but said he didn't feel cold. The room was warm. He wasn't sweating. He still just feels hot to the touch, rather that boiling, But I don't think I've ever seen him look so ill.

Maybe silly question but when a child's temperature gets dangerously high, what are the symptoms? As I don't actually own a thermometer.

Mine and 18 and 21 and I've never owned a thermometer.

How ill they seem is much more relevant than how high their temperature is IMO. How long has he been ill? Is he taking liquids? I'd phone for advice if more than 24 hours or if he's stopped drinking.

Sounds like the poor kid needs a pcr

We all had covid a month ago

Shivering is a sign of a high temperature.
Can he have ibuprofen too, it lasts 8 hours and combined with the paracetamol it’s quite good at reducing those horrible uncomfortable symptoms of a high temperature.
Fluids fluids fluids too.

Please look on NHS choices website for signs and symptoms of sepsis so you know when to seek medical attention for him.
Looking grey really isn’t a good symptom.

Ps mine are 18 and 9 and I’ve never ever owned a thermometer either.

Make sure you don’t overdose the calpol- you can’t give more than 4 doses in 24 hours so 6 hourly is better than 4 hourly

Yes ok will give him ibuprofen too, thank you.

Does he have any other symptoms? Is he weeing? Things you need to look at for at that age include spesis (cold hands and feet and hot body is one warning sign) and meningitis.

@Duracellbunnywannabe

Does he have any other symptoms? Is he weeing? Things you need to look at for at that age include spesis (cold hands and feet and hot body is one warning sign) and meningitis.

Thank you - this is the kind of direction my mind was going in. Will check.

I'm not one for overreacting when it comes to kids and temps and shivering is normal with a high temp but the fact he is 'grey' is concerning so please ring 111 for professional advice.

FFS buy a thermometer. A child with a temp of 38.5 can be treated as you describe. A child with a temp of 40.5 would need medical attention, probably urgently, and no one can give you a description over the internet of how to tell the difference in any reliable way.

You are fortunate enough to to live in a first world country where such things are readily available - why on earth wouldn't you own one? It's a basic piece of first aid equipment. Do you not have plasters, disinfectant, an ice pack (or at least a bag of frozen peas!), calpol/ibuprofen? No one is going to give you a prize for getting through your child's whole childhood without taking their temp.

I don't know why I've never bought one, I suppose I've never been interested in the actual figure, just whether it's higher than it should be.

Anyway, he's had a short nap and the colour has returned to his cheeks. Just given him an ibuprofen. Thanks all.

Treat the child not the numbers, ibuprofen and paracetamol should be used for symptom relief rather than to reduce a fever. I own a thermometer for cooking but use common sense with humans. If you are concerned seek advice from a professional rather than social media x

Touch his chest. If it feels warm then call 111. As you don’t have a thermometer and aren’t a medical professional you shouldn’t be making any ‘educated’ guesses. Then, after you’ve done all of this, go to Amazon or Ebay and order yourself a thermometer.

We don’t own a thermometer either. It’s never occurred to me to get one. My DC are adult now. Neither DH or I had thermometers in our houses when we were children. It just seems like a bizarrely medical thing to have at home - a bit like having a stethoscope.

Yep, treat them child not the number.
Regardless of the number it’s the same treatment.
Other symptoms or gut feeling something isn’t right then yes, medical attention.
I still wouldn’t buy a thermometer.

'It just seems like a bizarrely medical thing to have at home - a bit like having a stethoscope'

It really isn't. You need medical training to interpret what you hear with a stethoscope.

A thermometer is handy because someone may well feel hot with a temp of say 37.8 which isn't that high but a persistent temp of 40⁰c would be very concerning and they'd probably feel similarly 'hot'.

I would say yabu.

Absolutely treat the child not the number, but that's not to say that there aren't circumstances where you need to know how high the temperature is. For example a fever that is above 38.5 for more than a few days and I'd be wanting a review with the gp at least. 39 and 40 don't feel that different to the touch and could be a sign of a serious infection.

Though a mothers (or fathers) touch is a great measurement of temperature, it can't tell you where or what is causing illness where, as above, numbers can provide a bit more direction.

But in answer to your question, look for (not necessarily together)

• drowsiness
• photophobia
• significant irritability
• dehydration (decreased urine, sunken eyes, dry mouth or tongue)
• cold hands and feet
• increased work of breathing
• shivering, as you've mentioned - I would seek a 111 discussion at least.

It isn't medical it's a way of telling when you need medical help or not. It's like a fire alarm for the human body. You don't have to be a firefighter or an expert in house fires to have a fire alarm, if you have one it will rarely get used or only go off when you burn toast (low temperature) but if you don't have one before you know it you could be in big trouble and not have enough time to get the emergency services before something dreadful happens.

2dc here I always find the shaking with temp usually only kicks in when it is quite high 39-40 a couple of times I've had togo to a&e and they have always needed some sort of antibiotic.

My parents never used a thermometer with us. However I do have one for DC. It takes the guess work out if it. When DC had a temp of 38 that went up to 41 I knew I had to seek medical attention. GP would also normally ask what the temp is.

Me neither. My DDs are in their 20s. DD commented on it recently. It seems to be an obsession now, even pre covid.

Hope he feels better soon.

Not an obsession for us but something we’ve used hundreds of times. My little boy had cancer as a baby and we needed to check temp regularly on our short breaks at home from the hospital. If he spiked a temp we would have to rush him back into hospital for IV antibiotics through his central line. He’s 6 years in remission and I still use it on both mine. I don’t like giving calpol unless they have a temperature and I am never ashamed about seeking medical advice for ongoing high temp that isn’t coming down. Once you’ve had a very sick child (who took ages to get diagnosed as no fucker would listen to me) the worry will always be there.

@welliewarmer

We all had covid a month ago

I know someone who had Covid 3 weeks after having Covid and someone else who had it 7 weeks after. So it's still worth testing, at least with a LFT, if only so that if you do need a Dr you have already ruled it out or they will want him tested before they see him.

And it’s how I spotted covid in both of mine.