How to Know When It's Time to Call a Doctor About Your Child's Fever

Your child has a fever. When is it time to call your pediatrician? A higher temperature than usual for long period should prompt a visit to your pediatrician. Any fever in a newborn or younger infant needs immediate medical attention. For fever in older infants and children, you should call your doctor, but your child's behavior and activity level will other indicators of how serious their condition may be.

Rules for Fever in Infants and Children

In general, you should call your pediatrician or seek medical attention for a fever when:

• A newborn or infant under two to three months old has a temp at or above 100.4 F (38.1 C)—seek immediate attention from your doctor or go to the emergency room.

• An infant that is three to six months old has a temp at or above 101 F (38.3 C)

• An infant six to twelve months old has a temp at or above 103 F (39.4 C)

• A child over twelve months old has a temp at or above 103 F (39.4 C) and the fever does not improve with home remedies and a fever reducer or lasts more than 24 (under age 2 years) to 72 hours (2 years and over)

• A child of any age repeatedly has a temperature above 104 F (40 C)

When to Go to Your Child's Doctor About Fever

How high a fever reaches doesn't necessarily tell you how sick your child really is, so don't panic every time your child has a fever.

A child can have a 105 F temp and be running around the room playing, while another with a 99 F temp can be deathly ill. Don't let the number on the thermometer fool you.

Whatever your child's temperature, even if your child doesn't have a fever, if your child is very irritable and doesn't have some playful moments, is breathing fast and hard, or is not eating and sleeping well, you should still call your pediatrician.

It is also important to keep in mind that children normally have higher temperatures than adults, so a rectal temperature under 100.4 F is often considered to be normal for a child under age 3 years.

Other Considerations When Deciding Whether to Call Your Child's Pediatrician

Other things to consider about your child's fever and whether or not to call your pediatrician includes:

• Does your child have any chronic medical problems? It would be much more concerning if a child has a VP shunt, sickle cell disease, or had just received a dose of chemotherapy and has a fever, etc. A fever in these situations could be a medical emergency.

• Does your child have a good reason to have a fever? A fever with a runny nose and cough in a child who is playing, eating, and sleeping well, etc. is much less concerning (he likely has a cold virus) than a child with a fever and no other symptoms (what is the source of the fever?).

• Does your child seem a lot better once his temperature goes down? While a high fever might not go down to normal, it should go down a few degrees with a fever reducer and your child should feel better. If not, that would be a good reason to call your pediatrician.

• Is your child getting worse? A fever for a day or two with worsening symptoms would be a good reason to call your pediatrician or a fever after a week of cold symptoms, etc.

• Does your child have a rash? A rash can be associated with many childhood infections, with some being very common, like roseola, but others that can be life-threatening (meningococcemia).

• How did you check your child's temperature? If he simply felt hot or you used an axillary (under the arm) thermometer, use a different method to confirm that your child really has a fever.

And most importantly, how worried are you about your child's fever? If you are concerned or worried, then call your pediatrician or seek medical attention. If your children have behavioral problems, it might just be the food they are eating. Kids food sensitivities are common but as a parent you take care of these sensitivities.