wife worried toddler has had high temp whilst under duvet

[Sonya007]

my son has had a high temp of 38+ for a few days, the doctor has given him some penicillin today. whats worrying my wife and making her cry, is that at some point last night this morning she felt him and he was cool, so she replaced the blanket with his 4.5 tog duvet. then when she checked him this morning after maybe 5 hours he was roasting hot. now shes worried she might have caused him some brain damage. is this possible?

how old is he?you are supposed to keep them cool with a fever ,even it it means taking off their clothes.are you giving liquids and calpol?

I don't think she could have caused him brain damage but maybe the duvet is a bit warm - if he's a toddler he only needs a 2.5 tog duvet and a blanket - or it's just that his temperature is spiking again.

If you give him calpol and it doesn't go down within the hour then take him to the doctor.

I highly doubt he has brain damage. You are supposed to keep minimal layers on when they have a fever.
My ds1 used to get an awful lot of high temps (40+) so I'd leave him in a nappy and vest under a sheet.
Hope he's feeling better soon

FWIW, I've always found ibuprofen is better at bring down temps.
It is safe to give alongside calpol too.

Fever caused the temp, not the duvet. It is better to keep him cool, but when my children have high fever, they usually shiver and feel cold and beg me for blankets. Young children may reach very high temp, over 40, and be absolutely fine. It is important to bring it down, alternating calpol and ibuprofen. Just be sure to give the right dose. How old is your son? If in doubt about dosage call NHS, a nurse may tell you to give a 1 o 2 ml higher dose than written on the package in case of very high fever.
Keep him hydrated with water or whatever liquid he will accept. If he isn't thirsty just offer a spoon every 5 min.

hes almost 2.5 years old and his room is usually 15-18c.

also hes up now and seems fine.

4.5tog is fine for a toddler - I dont even think you can get 2.5tog duvets. 15-18 degrees is not that warm and 4.5tog is not a heavy tog so I wouldnt worry.

18 degrees is fine for a room but 15 degrees is too cold IMO. Also, in future when he has fever you may want to replace the duvet with a sheet and a cotton blanket or even two cotton blanket. Check his temperature regularly (when my dd is ill I let her sleep with me under a sheet, I check her temperature every 3 hours (set alarm during the night) and if high (39 degrees) give her calprofen and calpol alternated every 3 hours (she is 4.5 so can have 4 times a day calpol and same for calprofen, probably slightly different for 2.5 year old). Personally I would be reluctant to let a small child sleep on their own when they are so ill as I want to keep a close eye on her. After a high fever they can get chills, as I am next to her I tend to notice straight away and then cover her with a blanket. Anyway, it is good that he feels better now. Also, the danger zone for high temperature is between 41 and 42 degrees (need to be in hospital by then), 42 degrees is brain damage.

our rooms regularly get down to 14 degrees in the night in winter but it doesnt bother us as we are under our covers. I wouldnt have the kids in bed with me either but different things suit different people.