Keeping high temp down in (just) 2 yr old

[Elibean]

I'm posting on behalf of a friend, whose 2 yr old started with a high temp this morning, out of the blue. He's already on Tamiflu as of this afternoon, and she's just about managing to keep temp below 40 with Nurofen and Calpol.

Here's the thing: GP said maximum dose of Kids Nurofen is 5mls 3 x per 24 hours, under any circumstances. It works far better than the Calpol at getting fever down. She's worried his temp will get higher this evening/overnight, is this correct? Just wanted to check because its a new, locum GP who answered her call and he sounded a bit unsure of his facts. It does say that on the bottle, though.

Any other tips/experiences I can pass on?

ps diagnosed as SF, as going round his sister's school as of last week...plus sudden onset high fever, cough etc.

I was told by a GP to keep giving it, as long as it's every 4 hours, and I have done in the past. Has she tried sponging her, or using a fan?

*DISCLAIMER But I would check it out again.

Apparently, if using a fan, is best not to have it directly on the invalid, but just to circulate air around the room.

Sponging great, but with lukewarm rather than cold water.

Ice lollies good.

We had same problem with dd, 3 years. If she didnt get regular calpol and nurofen through the night her temperature rocketed. One morning it was so high the thermometer could not read it.It was really scary as she has never been so hot. eventually got it down to 42 with calpol and nurofen 1 hour later. so dh and I took decision to ignore maximum dose over 24 hours as risk of febrile convulstions etc was much higher. So alternating calpol and nurofen during day so she had something every 4 hours and also during night. Exhausting waking up in night but no other option. We only needed to do this for 2 nights and then went back to maximum dose per day and just made sure we worked it out so that she had calpol at 6am, 10am ten nurofen at 2pm, then calpol at 6pm then more at 20pm. That fits with her calpol maximum dose and then space around that for extra nurofen if her temperature spiked during day or night. It worked for us, but very scary as you never know what to do for best!

Sorry meant calpol at 6pm then 10pm!

Thanks! Will pass it all on. GP told her to put fan on child so i passed on MN wisdom, and will do so with the rest!

DD needed a fan in hospital and it was the sort that ocillated went around.

bugger

I think the important thing is with fans and flannels (also baths) that you don't make the child too cold, because they will then start to generate more heat by shivering etc, thus defeating the purpose of using the flannels/fan in the first place.

my gp gave advice to give calpol and nurofen together 3 times a day and 4th dose of calpol only once as best way to deal with temperature and aches as the calpol doesn't really bring the temperature down much just kills the aches and its the nurofen which nukes the temperature

so we gave our ds (2) calpol at midday when temp seemed lowest and was easiest to keep cool, then mediced and nurofen at 6pm and midnight to get through the night, then calpol and nurofen at 6am as he was hot in the mornings.

has always seemed to work well in keeping him comfortable and keeping temp down as it always goes up more at night.

if his temperature was really bad in the day though i think i would give him a 4th dose of nurofen at midday with the calpol

Spoke to LO's Dad....their ds is ok when he's just had nurofen, playing etc, but hard to control temp for the full four hours.

Thanks again