Managing a Child's Fever A fever is one of the ways your child’s body uses to help fight infection. Some fevers are caused by a virus and others by germs (bacteria). Your child could also have a low-grade fever while teething or after he or she gets a vaccine during a doctor’s office or clinic visit. Parents often worry about fever. But a fever is usually not harmful and most children will have one at some time. How high your child’s fever goes is not related to how sick your child is. How sick your child looks and feels is the important guide for you. A normal temperature is about 98.6º F (37.0ºC) when taken by mouth. Temperatures taken in the rectum are about 1 degree higher. Body temperatures are lower in the early morning and higher in the late afternoon and evening. This change is due to activity during the day. So, take your child's temperature in the morning. Re-check his or her temp about every 4 hours. Check it more often if your chld is less active, restless or does not seem to be feeling better. If your baby is less than 29 days old and has a fever, take him or her to an emergency room to be seen.
Treatment Your child’s doctor will talk with you about how to care for your child. Here are some general guidelines to help prevent your child from losing too much fluid due to the fever. Your goal is to make your child comfortable while the fever runs its course. Most of the time, you can treat your child's fever at home. ©2006-13 P&H Assoc., Inc This handout is for information only and is not meant to replace your doctors advice or treatment.
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