Sleeping toddler has a temp of 39.9 - advice please

[ministryofsleep]

DS1 is 3.5 and has been unwell for a few days with a very high temperature. I took him to the GP today who ruled out ear/chest/throat/water infection and said it is viral. He fell asleep for a couple of hours this afternoona, then his temperature went down to 37 so I put him to bed as normal. I have just been up and checked on him, he felt hot so I checked his temperature and it is 39.9, he is sleeping soundly but breathing quite fast. I have removed all of his covers but should I wake him/ring the out of hours GP?

Wake him up and give him Calpol or Neurofen. Retake his temperature after 40 minutes, and if it hasn't reduced, contact the doctor immediately.

Actually it's probably a good idea to ring the GP now anyway, but do get some painkillers into him to bring his temperature down. He's at the risk of fitting if he stays that hot.

Fitting isn't caused by a high temp - it's caused by a fast rising temp. ~Temps do tend to be higher at night but if you are worried then call the doc.

let him sleep
give him fluid and paracetamol when he wakes

Wake him him and give him Calpol.You can also give him Nurofen (Child) too. I had the same thing happen with my son and it is scary. Drop his temperature and dependent on the temperature in the room, just keep him in a nappy until he cools down.

bubbleymummy - my son had a confirmed febrile fit when his temperature hit 40 and spent five days in hospital with a viral illness following this.

I'd try and give the medicine while he's sleeping - my 2 seemed to be able to stay sleeping while a syringe is surreptitiously used.

Good to have minimal covers. What you're aiming for is not a sudden decrease in temp but more a general cooling down.

What "Wmmc and lucky said.If temperature doesn't resolve out of hours or a+E.

WMMC - is scary when they get so hot, isn't it. Mine have both at times had temps of 40+. But on each occasion, nurofen has done the job at reducing temp. Think they are generally "hot" children though - I have only very very rarely had a fever, even as a child apparently. DH much more prone to this than me.

OP - if the temp does not come down or is persistently high then I would seek medical attention.

i would make the room cool and try and sneak in some nurofen or calpol too whilst sleeping with a syringe.

Temperatures do normally go up whilst sleeping so please don't panic. I would let him sleep, take the blankets off him and cover him with a cotton sheet. Check for rashes though. If he wakes up then give him some calpol/ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is better at reducing a temp then paracetamol but isn't suitable for asthmatics unless they have had it before without it bringing on an asthma attack. Plenty of fluids in the morning as he'll be thirsty due to the fever. They wouldn't do much in a hospital apart from ibuprofen/paracetamol and a non-direct fan. They just keep an eye on them. Please do call NHS direct if you are worried though. They are more qualified then me/others.

you dont need to fully wake him, strip him naked and give him either calpol or nurofen, write down the amount and time. usually when then get a temp (not always) it lasts at least 24 hours so you want to be able to remember what doses and times you gave medicine. rotate between nurofen and calpol.

people always make the mistake of not stripping them, you just want to get his temp down, can take up to an hour so leave him naked and dont annoy yourself by constantly taking his temp, check it 30 mins after you give medicine. like i said it can take up to 60 mins to kick in, if its not budging after 60 mins give nurofen (if you gave calpol first). you can actually take both at the same time but you want to have a back up so best to separate them.

if he complains of being too cold which they do with a fever then put a light sheet over him.

do not put him in a cold bath or use cold flannels, you can use a luke warm flannel, if you have a fan that works going left to right then that can be quite good too but not directly on him. open a window a little but make sure its not too drafty. you dont want him shivering as that makes his temp rise.

take care x

when my kids have a temp at night and are asleep i give them the medicine using the nurofen syringe, stick it in at the side facing their cheek at the back with their head raised slightly and a sip of water from a straw or beaker with cup (so not to spill) and shush them back gently to sleep, just use light from hall light so not to disturb them too much.

its really important you make him sip water when he has a temp.

thanks everyone, I rang A&E as we woke him, gave him paracetamol and ibuprofen and his temp was still 39, they told me to bring him down immediately, they checked him again for infection, and meningitis and by that point he could have more meds, which did the trick and brought his temp down and we brought him home at 1am, they said we have to go back if his temp hits 39 as it is unusual to have a temp this high without a reason or cause. Fingers crossed he is out of the woods as his temp has been on the high side today but not as high as last night and it has responded to calpol and ibuprofen. Thanks to everone who responded

hope he's doing ok now.

its always better to be on the safe side.

i've been ti a&e a few times with dd because i struggled to get her temp down. she had a febrile convulsion once and so i get so stressed when she has a temp.
although they explained to me its not seriously dangerous.

the last time my dd had a temp, there was no explanation, her body was obviously trying to fight some kind of infection.

good luck!

Can I ask what kind of thermometer you used?We have an ear thermometer and I'd always give calpol or ibuprofen for 39.9 but I have never really worried about it (I feel guilty now!). I have phoned a GP when it's been just over 40 but have never been told to come in immediately. Just wondering if the kind of thermometer makes a difference, or just how the child is? My kids seem to be able to be alert and willing to breastfeed (when smaller) despite some surprisingly high temperatures! (I do always check for rashes and so on very carefully, though.)

PS I hope your ds is feeling better still.

Glad you seem to have got him sorted. But can I just say that CURRENT medical advice is not to strip naked. You need to keep 1 thin layer of clothes or sheet on him otherwise you divert blood away from the skin to teh core of the body and cause core temp to rise if anything.

Hi arightblossomthatone, we have a digital thermometer that you put in the mouth, A&E were concerned that his temp was still 39 after paracetamol and ibuprofen that's why they asked to see him. He does seem to be better although his temp spiked again before bed tonight although I did manage to get it back down again quite quickly. I've never had either of my lo's have a temp of 39.9 before so I think I panicked tbh.

We use a digital ear thermometer. They cost about £50-£60 but money well spent. Takes seconds.

They've never had a temp that high before? Wow! My two have had it many times up to 40! They are 6 and 3. Especially the 3 year old. Although they are rarely sick (touch wood) the temps seem to be when they had a slightly sore throat but not bad enough for antibiotics. They usually fight it off themselves.

Most of the times the gp's said "its a viral thing"

I hope your ds is feeling better now.

You can get so much different advice, I was told only very recently by nhs direct that you should strip them naked except for pants or nappy and not dress them until their temp is normal. But you should make sure the room is not drafty. I know if they feel too cold then they will shiver which in turn makes their temp rise. My friend is also a paramedic and when she arrives at houses with babies with high temps, they are usually dressed still or wrapped in a blanket held close to mum which obviously wont help. I was told by nhs that if they get upset by being naked then you can cover them with a light sheet.

DoNotAnnoy - what you say makes sense though, I guess it ties in with a light sheet.