taking temperatures

[Zerub]

My 14-month-old dd has a temperature; I tried taking her temp using one of those forehead strip things and it said 40C but dd was shaking her head violently trying to get it off at the time so I didn't hold it on for very long. We have the same problem trying to hold a digital thermometer under her arm - can't keep her still long enough. (well, I suppose two of us could pin her down but I hate doing that!).

So my questions are:

1. how high does a temperature have to be before you call a doctor and start panicking? I know the temperature is different depending how you take it too... How accurate are those forehead things?
   Complicated by the fact that dd seems fairly happy (very tired, not very hungry and a bit whingy but not in pain) and also it is sooo hot at the moment (more than 30 in our living room).

2. how on earth can you take a toddlers temperature accurately without a major fight?

Thanks!

Hi Webmum, I was really cross with my gp one day, turned out there was nothing wrong but...
ds had temp of over 39 for 3 days, no other symptoms but took him to doctor to be checked. He just looked at him and asked if he was my first baby, I said "No, if he had been I would have been there 2 days ago!" Honestly, I am not a neurotic mother but he just assumes all perants are.

However, he did redeem himself on day when ds was slightly poorly and went downhill really fast over 2 hours, took him to gp straight away and he pulled out all the stops.

To be honest where I live the GPs are very over stretched and never seem to have the time to fully examine a baby.

My ds has been somewhat of a worry to us, we worked it out the other night that for the first 13 months we went to A&E at least once a month with one thing or another.

The one incident that does stick is when I'd taken ds to GPs with a persistent temperature a day befor visiting my mum. GP said he seemed happy enough and to give him calpol..... 2 days later I've been to see my mums GP with him as he is now very unwell. This GP said to go straight to hospital..... The following result was a thorough check up with a pead and he had a chest infection, ear infection, throat infection and signs of slight de-hydration.

The pead didn't want to comment as to weather my GP would have noticed these 2 days ago but did say that she was going to write to GP.

The problem was / still is that even if ds is ill he seems happy and smiles alot. Even of that trip to A&E he was happy and smiling at the nurses.

I know that I need to change GP's but I don't live anywhere near another one so am forced just to insist that I don't see that GP whenever we go.

The NHS Direct is a god send!!

The NHS Direct site has a flowchart showing what to do when your baby has a temperature - NHSDirect Fever flowchart . I think it is the same questions they ask you when you phone. Also has photos of rashes so you can compare with what your child has!

I ordered a Braun ear thermometer today. I too do the kiss test thing but it only tells me her temp is more than mine, it doesn't tell me when its got to 40 - and dd is my first

DD's temp is back to normal today but has an all-over rash. Ho hum. NHSDirect says just keep an eye on her. Thank God for NHSDirect - I bet my GP does too! Actually my GP is great (used to be a paed; constantly says he'd rather I was too paranoid than too laid back). But the doctor's surgery is the last place you want to drag a sick baby to, isn't it?

Zerub - first time my ds had temperature followed by rash when temp had gone down I took him to the GP, who said that a rash when the baby is clearly back to normal is nothing to worry about, it's the final reaction to whatever virus made him ill, and doesn't need to be reported to nursery. He could go out and play with other children as long as he seemed well in himself. HTH.

Am I the only person who hates NHS direct? Every time I ring them they tell me to go to A and E. The last place I want to go. If I thought we needed to be in A and E I wouldn't bother ringing NHS direct. Luckily we have a very good out of hours doctors service. You can talk to a dr on the phone, and go to a drop in clinic at the hospital if need be- you get seen much faster than in A and E (just round the corner).

They also are able to access your notes via the computer. Last time I rang them at 5.50 in the monring about ds2 who had woken up with a very high temperature and seemed very dehydrated (why I was ringing- also I wasn't sure if he hadoverheated- his room was baking or whether he had a temp due to infection), she asked me if he was breastfed - which I thought was a strange question at 18 months (he is but still a strange question). My mum pointed out that the screen would have been flashing that he hadn't received any vaccinations, so she probably thought I was just some hippy type. I'd spoken to NHS direct first who said "go to A an E". Dr said "you're doing the right things, just keep an eye on him"

I hate them too, given up using them now.

Drs also worry me Best Friend's little boy had virus when I was 8 months pregnant - he also had squits and throwing up and temperature - Dr said never mind just a virus - she is real bossy and asked whether it had a name - he said oh yeah measles but he should be ok!!!

She was so worried because he had pooed all over me night before - but all was ok - Drs just don't seem to understand how worried we get about our babies.

Think problem with NHS direct is that they do not ask relevant questionsd and have no idea of medical history which is a big factor in things sometimes.

Although love my doctor at mo have got appointment through to see consultant about having nose fixed and is only a month away.

I also find it's amazing the lack of knowledge some doctors have when you ask a slightly less common question. When I was pg with ds1 dd1 caught whooping cough. I had never been vaccinated against it, and was worried that I could pass it to my unborn ds because of this. But noone could tell me the answer, and none of them seemed inclined to find out. Their response was that whoopping cough was so rare nowadays they aren't really taught about it. Luckily ds was born with no problems as a result, but it didn't do my stress levels any good.

Just to mention that for larger children (my son was 10lb 4oz at birth) the doses on the calpol/ infant neurofen bottles are insfficient. We ended up in A&E after being unable to reduce his temperature and the nurse weighed him and said we were doing everything right, he just needed the dose of a 5 year old (he was 3!). Within half an hour of giving him a proper dose his temperature was down and he was charging round the waiting room!

Yes so true from having a ds born 8lb 9oz he has always been on bigger dose of calpol etc than what the bottle suggests, if you're unsure ask your gp how much you can give.

Just an update - my Braun Thermoscan ear thermometer arrived. So much better than the Thermotek one! (which I've sent back, although the supplier is currently refusing a refund - good job I paid by Barclaycard).

Anyway, for anyone else thinking about getting one of these - its great. Shove in ear for a second, and lo you have a temperature reading. (OK, you have to pull the top of the ear up a bit and press a button, too). But I managed it on a struggling 15-month-old, whereas I couldn't get the Thermotek one to work even when dd was being co-operative. Pays to buy the known brand...

Zerub, Braun have great after sales service too. My first Braun thermometer went wrong after about 3 years, so I called them to see how I could fix it. What I got was a brand new thermometer sent to me instead, and I wasn't even asking for one! They even sent me a freepost sticker to return the broken one. Not many places will do that after 3 years of use