Dd has temp of 34.9 should I be worried

[Wannabestepfordwife]

Dd had a temp of 37.5 about 3 o clock I gave her some nurofen. Have just taken her temp and it's down to 34.9 have wrapped her up in blankets. Should I ring ooh or just wait and see if she warms up

How old is your child?

She's nearly 17 months

I would ring ooh. A quick google says below 35 is hypothermia. She's very young, so best to get professional advice. Hope she feels better soon.

Ring them. I have no knowledge or experience, but that's what OOH are there for.

Ring OOH. :)

Just checked and she's gone up to 36.1 think I will give ooh a call just to be on safe side and keep checking.

Thank you for your responses

With an oral thermometer mine is always low as I am a terrible mouth breather - could it be that? Hope she is okay xx

How did you take her temperature? That will have a bearing on the reading. If taken under the arm you need to add about 1 degree, for instance.
But of course call OOH if in doubt.

I used an ear thermometer if that's the correct term

37.5 is not a temperature it is within normal range. Is she unwell?

Ear thermometers are no use that young,their ear canals are too small, that's why you got a such a low reading - it didn't go in properly.

You need an under arm thermometer.

I remember reading that it is difficult to get an accurate reading with an ear thermometer.
In fact now I come to think about it, I vaguely remember our children's doctor recommending against them as he thought they were unreliable.
Have you got a traditional thermometer to hand?

"37.5 is not a temperature it is within normal range."

DD's temperature is a constant 36 degrees. So for her 37.5 means it is going up.

She's been grumpy today but she's teething but she's been active all day and is easy to rouse so it could be the themometre and I've just panicked- I'm a bit of an anxious first time mum

We have an electronic ear thermometer and it tends to give wildly inaccurate readings. Before you panic too much, I would suggest that you test your thermometer on yourself/ another healthy person to make sure it is working properly.

I have taken my children's temps when they are completely well so I know what is abnormal for them.

I hope your DD is okay, OP. Definitely ring for advice and reassurance. It is what they are there for.

""37.5 is not a temperature it is within normal range."

DD's temperature is a constant 36 degrees. So for her 37.5 means it is going up."

Still not high enough to warrant medication unless there is other signs. She might get to this temperature just running around.

Low reading with ear thermometer are usually due to mishandling. Repeat it, check both ears and if it is still below 35C then ask OHH.

Hope she is fine.

I doubt very much a temp of 34.9 was an accurate reading!

Not all ear (tympanic) thermometers are as good as others. We use one in surgery that can be used from birth but some have a probe that is just too big for tiny ears.

Temps taken under an armpit can also be inaccurate, and IME forehead thermometers are next to useless!

I would go more on how she feels, using the skin on her back or tummy as a guide. A child with a fever will feel hot to touch.

"Still not high enough to warrant medication unless there is other signs. She might get to this temperature just running around."

The only time I have taken her temperature and had a reading of 37.5 was when she was complaining of feeling ill and shivery, which was why I took the temperature in the first place. I got a bit paranoid about DD's temperature spikes when she was little because when she was ill her temperature used to rocket to the point of febrile convulsion. After being blue lighted to hospital on one occasion I used to panic if her temperature rose above 37.5 degrees.

Thank you all for your responses!

Rang ooh and they said as she's not showing any symptoms of illness and she's easy to rouse breathing normally etc not to worry.

Am going to sleep with her and keep my eye on her just to be on the safe side

My DCs get very low temps sometimes (under 35 degrees), especially during the night if they are ill or post viral (or maybe they always do this when asleep and I don't usually check their temps?!). I once went to the GP about it (re DC1, I hadn't realised that DC2 did the same thing at that point), and he didn't really believe me - said I must be getting inaccurate readings.

Then DC2 got really quite ill with a virus, and ended up in hospital for a week. As they were doing obs, the nurses noticed (a few days in - initially he was feverish all the time) how low his temperature went. The first time they spotted this they paged the doctor to come, and put him in a device called a bear hugger to heat him up. But as it continued (only when sleeping at night) for a few days, and after discussion with the consultant, they didn't seem too worried at all and accepted that it was normal for him.

Still worth looking into, but in our case it wasn't a cause for alarm.