Temperature - how high is too high?

[YouLookLikeStevieNicks]

DD is 22 months old.

Nursery called today at 4pm and said she had a temperature of 38.5 so we picked her up early and gave her calpol. It went down to 37.6 so gave her Nurofen just before bed at 7pm.

She's just woke up crying, very unusual, and temperature is now 39.3. I dont think it's ever been that high before.

I've given her more calpol but at what point is a temperature worrying? She has no rash or anything, she's not herself but doesn't seem extremely unwell, just tired and clingier than normal.

Thank you

i wouldn’t be concerned about that - providing Calpol and / or ibuprofen bring the temperature back down.

I’d also be ok with this if no other worrying symptoms (eg symptoms of sepsis, measles etc) and if temperature is controlled with calpol/ibuprofen. Once a temp goes over 40 I worry a bit more.

Thank you so much for quick replies and for putting my mind at rest a bit!

DS used to run hot. Strip them off and take them out in the garden in their nappy and they will cool down a bit

ice lollies- I used to freeze watered down apple juice. Very soothing.

keep monitoring them but no other symptoms- going limp, difficulty breathing, fitting, etc then it’s probably the worst of it.

Treat the child not the number that’s what the doctors always say. A child with a temp of 38 could be more unwell than a child with 40 it all depends on the child. My kids get really high temperatures and used to worry me but It’s just how their bodies react to being ill.

As long as the meds bring it down try not to worry.

just don’t cool them down too quickly by stripping them off and standing outside. Alternate them 4 hourly. So 8pm calpol. Midnight nurofen. I see so many parents doing it 2 hours which means they’re giving way too much in a 24 hour period!

Do you can give meds like that but what some parents don’t realise is that that should be 6 hours apart for all brufen doses and 4 hours for calpol. In 24 hours paracetamol should not be given more than 4 doses of calpol in 24 hours, so first dose given at 7am, then Brufen given at 10 so when the calpol is beginning to wear off. Brufen lasts 6 hours so I’d give the calpol at 12, because you’ve got a bit of overlap. The next dose of Brufen at that point would be 6pm, however your calpol ran out at 4 so potentially you’ve got a hour little bit where you would have a warm child so personally I would give the last calpol at 4.30 and then Brufen with a small snack before bed because Brufen can make your stomach hurt.

if they woke up with a temp over night it’s hard because really next dose can’t be given til 7. So maybe I’d drop the bed time Brufen because the calpol will still be working then I’d use the Brufen for the 2 am
crying with a temp. Then ideally they’d sleep for 5 hours and the 24 hr clock starts again

I also don’t medicate the fever really, I medicate the child you can have a kid who is struggling with a fever at 38 and I would medicate for that and one who is playing with a temp of 40 and I wouldn’t medicate for that.

febrile convulsions are caused by the temp going up too fast and you can’t predict that

You don’t need to medicate a fever, medicate if they’re uncomfortable in pain or miserable. Generally having a temperature can make you feel pretty shit though, although my child can have a temp of 39 and still be up and playing.

Treat the child, not the number. Keep an eye on drinking, weeing and any other symptoms such as rashes, mottling, trouble breathing, lethargy etc. How high the number isn’t necessarily an indicator of how ill they are and we all have an individual response to infections, which is why some children have febrile seizures and many don’t. We all have a ceiling.

Sounds like tonsillitis (strep throat). My son’s temp was similar whether he had that. Calpol doesn’t really touch the temp and nurofen would work for a few hours and then straight back to 40. If it is then needs antibiotics

Unless the child is under 1 year old, particularly 6 months the height of a fever is fairly irrelevant. There are also some children with chronic conditions who cope badly with fevers.

Different children have different reactions to a virus/bacteria - some run hot easily, others run cold.

Thermometers are not always accurate - people do not always use the correct ones for the age group or use them correctly. Some thermometers are affected by environmental temperature quite significantly.

Things like viral tonsillitis and flu which are generally self limiting can have high fevers.

The height of a fever is not correlated to how sick the child is - a much better indication is how the child is themselves/their behaviour.

In addition to this fever is a symptom, not a disease - it is there to help the child fight off an illness - and to do this it encourages the child to sleep, not eat and stop being active - allowing the body to use it's energy to get better.

The fear over fever heights is related to heat illnesses - heat stroke mostly - this is not internal temperature, where the body's hypothalamus has deliberately raised the temperature to fight and illness - heat stroke is related to external temperature where the body can no longer use it's cooling mechanisms (sweating) to keep the body at a safe temperature - this is when external cooling is necessary.