What could this be?

[mscongeniality]

39.5C fever plus pretty bad cough and slight runny nose...

20 month old right now and I'm trying to decide if I should take him to GP tomorrow morning or wait it out? Given him nurofen so hopefully the fever will come down...

Not sure if it's a virus or whether he will need antibiotics

Before reading any replies please remember that every baby is different.

My 11mo had a fever of around 39C for 8 days and I must have been to the doctors about half a dozen times. Every time they told me she was fine and not to worry, yet all the adverts say a fever that high IS something to worry about. They finally told me that unless she's having breathing difficulties or refusing food and liquids, just treat it like a normal cold. She did eventually get over it with alot of warm baths, alot of calpol and unending patience from us.

My suggestion would be to call your GP and ask for a callback, to discuss it over the phone. The receptionists are usually quite capable of working out whether it's urgent or not, but you'll likely get a callback within the day, then your doctor can give you a better opinion.

If you're ever concerned, ask for a callback from your GP and they will tell you whether or not they think you should come in to see them, as a 20mo is unlikely to be high priority unfortunately so you could be waiting a few days for an appointment.

So, ask for callback, and in the meantime just lots of liquids, layers and love. Hope baby feels better soon xx