Help please!

[GiveMeVegemite]

My 8 month old has a fever of 39.6, doctor did the usual brush off as he seems fine apart from his temp. Is this normal? I am very worried. I have stripped him down to his bodysuit and a thin sleep suit and given him some calpol.

Any advice please?! I'm super stressed.

Is the paracetamol bringing his temperature down?

How long ago did you give calpol? What is this doing to his temp?

Don't forget you can give brufen to if it is needed.

If worried though then get a second opinion.

Hi there, I'm a GP - infants do tend to get higher temperatures when ill compared with older children or adults, so while high, 39.6 isn't uncommon in a poorly 8 month old. I'm surprised he seems fine in himself as even if it is just a mild virus, usually a high fever will make you feel pretty grotty. The main things to watch out for are if he seems lethargic and floppy, or not drinking, or if he develops a rash (do the glass test and get medical advice if worried or unsure). If he will drink and eat then that is an excellent sign that there isn't much wrong with him, and likely it is just short-lived virus that will pass quickly. If he deteriorates or you have any worries, I would take him back to your doctor, or ring the out-of-hours GP in the evening or overnight.

Re the fever - strip him off, alternate calpol and brufen as already suggested above. Plenty of fluids if he'll drink.

I always find that nurofen works better for temperatures. Hope he feels better soon.

Thanks for all the advice ladies. We got a bit worried as the calpol didn't seem to bring it down much so we took him to A&E. He is such a little trooper and was still smiling and laughing, even though he was burning up. They didn't have a specialist doctor in for babies under 1 year so we had to wait 4 hours (until 11pm) as he wasn't prioritised and then the doctor found out that he has really bad tonsillitis! He is now on antibiotics and still has a fever, but hopefully he will be better soon.
Thanks again.