6mth old dd with 38.4 fever

[samoa]

Goodmorning,

We just came back from a trip to Canada on Monday and today my 6mth and 3wk dd has woken up with a fever of 38.4. She is acting a bit irritated and wants to be attached to my breast since last night for comfort. Her ears are not red and there does not seem to be any tummy problem. Should I take her to the doctors?

I would give her a bit of baby paracetemol to calm her down but my husband is dead set against it. so any tips on bringing down the temperature and calming her down would be more then welcome.

Thanks

If you're worried then take her to the doctor. They should give you an appointment today because she's so young. As long as she is alert, feeding, responsive to you etc then I would just keep an eye on her. It's good that she's feeding. Mine always do Feed loads when they're sick. It's the best thing for them. As for reducing fever, Chamomile is a natural antipyretic (fever reducer) so you could try giving some chamomile tea to her or drink it yourself if you're bf. Also strip her down to a vest, cover her with a light cotton blanket so she doesn't shiver. You can try sponging her head with TEPID water and let it dry. Remember that fever is a good thing and is her body's defense against the illness so you don't want to get rid of it, just make her comfortable and let her body do it's thing.

this is a good website for reassurance.