Am i the only parent that havent got a thermometer to check DD's temp if ill???

[Biglips]

????

My children are no longer babies.. youngest are 6 and 8.. but I will longer bath them until they are completely over any fever episodes and their temp has been stable for 24 hours. This may sound dramatic, but (as I stated below) my kids are/have been prone to dramatic fevers and when DD was a toddler, and had a virus/was running a temp, I bathed her in a cool (not cold, not warm) bath (as adviced by GP on phone) to help reduce the temp, and within minutes, she was weak, shivering and had blues lips. NHS direct sent an ambulance in which she received oxygen on way to hospital. I was 6 months pg.. it was nightmare scenario.. I don't take risks anymore. I carefully alternate calpol/brufen, strip them off, put a fan on them and have now been successfuly (touchwood) treating their scary temps at home, when in evidence, for years.

I admit all this may sound over the top to some parents, but some kids have better thermostats than others. If your child's is iffy, you don't take chances. Febrile episodes are truly terrifying, even if rarely actually dangerous. (DD's was called a "Pre-febrile convulsion" by the hospital.)

That sounds scary - I'm a nurse and know that febrile convulsions, whilst generally not dangerous, are plain frightening. I agree you need to be cautious in reducing a temp and not go too quickly.

I've never had a thermometer.

As I said earlier, my dd2 ended up in hospital due to her temp rising and they thought she had meningitis. It was terrifying. So glad I have a thermometer to measure how the dcs are doing - I use it to confirm my own instincts.

I use medicines for them like I do for myself. As soon as I feel unwell I hit the paracetamol/brufen and it would be cruel not to do the same for my dcs.

Never had one, that's what mummy's hands are for! DD had febrile convulsions and is terrible at regulating her temp, but calpol does the trick. TBH I don't actually know what temp is normal and what is not - I just feel head and armpit and judge from that. And generally my 2 are very healthy and have no hypochondria tendencies (unlike my friend's daughter who sticks the thermometer in her ear daily and is always ill).

I don't agree that its cruel to not give calpol for a minor fever if the child is at a high risk of autism (or even if they're not). It's quite hard to actually routinely reach for the calpol bottle to dish it out for a child who has a temp but is still playing, not too unwell, when you know that there are people out there who believe that routine suppression of fever may be responsible for the development of autism in suscpetible children. I have no idea if they are right, but I'm not about to experiment on my child that I know is susceptible to autism. Anyway I dish out medication really according to how ill the child looks. If they look ill, are lying very still etc, I take it a lot more seriously than if they're playing, pay less attention to temperature than how they are behaving.

I do agree that febrile convulsions are terrifying. Ds3 was unconcious for 8 minutes with his. I was a complete basket case. Mind you his was a classic - temp spike that came out of nowhere- what actually pushed it up and triggered the convulsion was ironically enough him screaming the place down whilst I tried to get calpol into him.

agree Jimjams - had a very difficult time over November when ds's temperature kept going up. in the end did resort to calpol, but don't understand why people give it routinely when child is happy. Didn't realise your ds3 had a febrile convulsion - how frightening for you - so glad he's alright.

i Have to have one as iff dd has a tempature it can bring on a seisure, I alos have to give her calpol at the FIRST sign of her being unwell. pead's orders.

My sil gave her ds calpol before going for his first immunisations. I told her she was being a little unnecessary, but he is her first and we all worry more with them. My poor ds has to be at death's door before I take him to the GP! He had chickenpox at 5 mths old and the HV made me take him. I didn't really understand why, someone whose child was actually ill may have needed that appt. The doc only told me what I knew already, give calpol to reduce fever, apply calomine and cool flannels to stop itching. I quite often ask the pharmacist for advice when my 2 are poorly, they are sometimes more use than the GP because they have so much knowledge of medication and you don't have to wait for days to see them, unlike my GP
Obviously for a child like yours, 2shoes, you have to be careful, to not give calpol would just be plain stupid.

Yes agree 2shoes- in your case I would dish it out as well.

Ironically enough I picked ds3 up from his childminders and found that by the time we had got home he had a temp (and I did dig out the thermometer and take it as I wasn;t sure he had one as he wasn't acting ill at all). It was 39.6. He's been fine all day, ate a huge lunch, hasn't stopped running around since he got home, ate a huge tea. Was a bit whingy at one stage, but basically behaving completely normally. I assume he has a cold. I didn't give him anything as he was acting well, just felt hot.

Anyway by bed time it felt as if it was creeping up a bit, he was getting a bit more cuddly, so I gave him a dose of nurofen and popped him off to bed. Am hoping by giving it he will be comfortable and sleep all night, which will do him the world of good.

have sent you my email jimjam

Ok, the reasons I give Calpol-

DD1 when aged 3 had bad cold, developed a temp over a couple of hours, rose faster than you could imagine, had a huge Febrile convulsion while in a traffic jam,(luckily outside a GP surgery) asphyxiated herself on her tongue and wouldnt come out of fit.
I had to give mouth to mouth and compressions.
The Gp poured calpol down her throat when she had been rescusitated.

DD2 had more convulsions than I can care to remember regardless of sponging/ bathe compresses etc. Both in hosp and out.

DD1 again had the worst chicken pox hospital had ever seen it was in EVERY orifice, and I do mean everywhere. She was so uncomfortable she was admitted and semi conscious
In a situatuion like that paracetomol was a Godsend for her.

Now, you may say that a temperature is a natural way to fight infection and there are lots of lovely ways to comfort them.
But, in my humble opinion if you have the means to help them, give them the drugs !!

End of rant.

Use calpol!

use calpol!

use calpol!

No, no real risks with giving Calpol as advised on the bottle! The gist of this thread was how, and indeed SHOULD you rush to lower a slight fever in a child if they are otherwise well.
Some of us with children with special needs are more cautious in reducing a temp, especially when it come to the used of cold compress/wraps as this can in some cases cause a core body temp rise, which if your child has ferile convulsions, could trigger one.
Hope that makes sense.