My son's temp is 102.9? What should I do? Should I take him back to the ER?
For the past few days my two year old son has been sick, this morning when he woke up he felt really hot, so I took his temp, rectal it was 103.8..I took him to the ER they gave him motrin, and then gave me a prescription for an antibitoic and cough medicine, they sent him home with a temp of 101.9..he's been sleeping all day and not eating..just drinking..I just took it again and it was 103.3..gave him some tylenol and a sponge bath 102.9? Should I take him back to the ER? I feel stupid for asking just hoping to get some answers from experienced mothers/fathers.
Minnow2012-11-21T22:09:57Z
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He can have Tylenol and Motrin/Infant's Ibuprofen. They don't hurt if you take them both at the same time, but keep strict records on how much you gave and what time you gave it so that you don't mix them up or give too much of one or the other. You have to wait a full hour to see if it's going to help the fever, though if it spikes above 104 then take him in.
Taking him to the ER is acceptable if he has an unresponsive fever. This is where it's above 103-104 after you've given him Tylenol and Advil as well as a gentle bath (not cool, you don't want to chill him.) Keep in mind if he's been sleeping covered up, that will also give him a higher temperature. Also, most ERs will not do much unless the fever is above 104, and in the meantime you're exposing him to MUCH worse than he likely has. Also, most fevers get higher at night than in the daytime hours. The antibiotics may make his tummy feel sick or even make him feel sleepy as well.
Him just drinking is fine, the biggest danger is dehydration. You may want to try gatorade or pedialyte. I know that gatorade has carbs and calories in it that actually would help him a bit in keeping up his strength. Also, if he's willing to drink toddler-formula, that's another option when they're sick since it gives a lot of nutrition.
Don't worry about making him eat, just make sure he drinks plenty, and make sure his beverages have good calorie content, since he's not eating much. As far as the fever, yeah, don't keep him covered up in anything heavy. If he's cold you could probably put a sheet over him, but nothing heavy at all, as this increases body temperature. You also don't want him to be cold because this will of course, make him shiver, which will raise his fever more. Lukewarm baths/showers/compresses, optimally baths or showers, will lower his body temperature significantly. Not cool or cold, or warm, but medium, tepid, lukewarm water. Too cold water will make him shiver, raising his temperature, and too warm water will, of course, just make him warmer. Give him another bath, and another tylenol/motrin if you can without exceeding the appropriate dosage. If this doesn't work, then you can go back to the ER. Although it can be frustrating, for sure, it's better safe than sorry.
I went through this with my kids, it's heart wrenching but also unlikely that the ER will do much more. I would probably try the motrin (ibuprofen) again as it seemed to work well and go with the max dosage. Don't cover him up even though you may be tempted. Keep a close eye and give it another day but if you are really worried, take him in, even if it just gives you peace of mind.
keep him coverdd and try wetting a handtowel with cool water, wring it out, a bit so its not dripping, and just keep wiping his face, forhead, back of neck, arms, hands , maybe legs, it might help his temperature drop.id say if its still high then why not take him back in like a hour? you made it seem like its been all day and still no break in temperature. maybe call your doctor? look online what the max allowed fever temperatyre for a baby should be. if its thee then go, if not then keep doing towel until he cools down