HELP before I go to bed. Ill 7mo DS has temp of 34.8C which seems low, Should I be worrying?

[HolidaysQueen]

7mo DS has a stuffed up nose and at several points throughout the day has been really clammy. He was really grumpy and then really upset between about 2pm and 6pm which is very unusual as he is such a happy boy, but then happy for the hour before bed.

He has had less solids than normal but milk feeds have been fine.

However, his temp at about 5pm was 35.5C which seemed low and I've just taken it now and it is 34.8C which seems really low, and now I'm getting worried.

It seems lower than normal (thought that was around 37C) and you never hear about low temperatures, just fevers, so I'm not sure if it is a problem or not. Can I just leave him for the night or do I need to see a doctor?

Sorry having a panic as it's the first time he's been ill and DH is out at a work thing so I'm on my own at the moment

It's OK. There will be many of these to come. It's part and parcel of being a parent. They need to catch bugs to boost their immune system. You can't avoid it. Have a peak at his hands and feet for spots too next time you check his temp.

Do phone them back if you are concerned or if anything changes. You know your child better than anyone else. Trust your instincts.

thank you phantom, blinks and lurker

Let us know how he is.

what's the temp doing? it is normal to go to 36 at night while sleeping but under that should be investigated...

definitely hovering around 35 - just had 34.7 then 35.0

dh just come in. will let you all get to bed and let you know how he is later.

thank you so much

how far away from hospital are you?

Hello - just wanted to give you an update. I spoke with a nurse from NHS Direct after I left you. She went through a long list of symptoms, got me to check him again etc. She said that the ear thermometers can be a bit dodgy for under ones (ear canal too small for probe) so a low temp on its own without other major symptoms was nothing to worry about immediately. Having said that, temp was lower than she would expect even accounting for dodginess and she got me to take it a couple of times while we talked to make sure it was consistently low which it was.

She told me to give him an extra blanket but not put the heating on (heating would make air too dry for him) and check him during the night, and to give him some Medised when he woke if I had some (which I don't and now can't get OTC).

He woke at 5am - very upset and took an hour to settle but at least he had had a good chunk of sleep. Temp was 35, and is 35.4 this morning. He seems a bit better in himself but we're off to the doctors to get him checked over later this morning.

Thank you for your help late last night I was expecting to get a temp of 38C as I thought he would be feverish so 34.8C was a big shock!

he could have an infection or maybe a virus holidaysqueen... probably nothing serious but you did the right thing to monitor him closely and seek help- not worth taking risks with wee ones and no-one things badly of you for being cautious.

to get an accurate reading with an ear thermometer you need to pull the ear down and back before insertion- get's the probe in properly.

let me know how you get on at docs...

Holidays Queen - we had a few scares with a low temp when dd was this age, and NHS Direct sent us to A&E. Dd was fine though, I just don't think the reading was accurate / I wasn't putting the probe in far enough.

Let us know how he gets on.

We went to the doctors this morning. DS was miserable in the waiting room then as soon as we got into the doctors he was the smiliest, happiest, giggliest boy in the country Doctor now thinks I'm a paranoid mum!

Temp was better - 35.8 when she took it, and now above 36. So I think he is on the mend. He's very snuffly still and tired so has snuck in an extra hour nap, but he's much more his normal self.

Dr told me to keep him warm, let him rest and keep an eye on his temp, but she thinks the worst of it is over and it is probably just a weird response to a bug. In other words, she doesn't really know but she isn't worried!

Thank you all for your support

great!

bugger the GP- always err on side of caution as low temp can be very dangerous for wee ones.

i think you passed the 'first illness' test.

10/10