Let’s talk about FEVER.

How high of a fever is too high? When do I need to take my child to the ER for fever? Is the fever going to hurt her brain?

I hear these questions on a daily basis from concerned parents. One of my passions in medicine is to educate and empower families, so they can be confident when taking care of a sick child. I think fever is a very misunderstood phenomenon, so let me attempt to clear it up for you.

1. Fever is our friend—not the enemy. Our body was intelligently designed to defend and heal itself. When our body detects an infection, the immune system produces substances whose job is to eliminate the infection. One of the by-products of this process is that our body temperature rises (fever) to kill off invaders. The fever has a job to do!

2. Fever is considered 100.4F or higher. Take a rectal temperature in infants younger than 3 months. I recommend this rectal thermometer. Buy it on Amazon. For children older than 3 months it is acceptable to take a temperature on the forehead, under the arm, or in the ear. I personally love this ear thermometer for use at home, and it’s the style we use in the my clinic. Buy it on Amazon.

3. In a normal healthy child, the temperature will not likely rise above ~104-105F. While these are high grade temps, they do not cause any damage to the brain/body. You do not necessarily have to treat a fever unless it is causing your child discomfort.

4. Taking Tylenol or Motrin may not necessarily bring the temperature back to normal. Until the cause of the infection is gone, the body will continue to produce fever, so don’t be alarmed if the fever comes back as the medications are wearing off. This is expected and should not be cause for concern.

5. If the body temperature rises too quickly, it can lead to a febrile seizure. Note, this is not a common problem. In fact, the risk of seizure associated with fever is as low as 2-5% in children under 5 years of age.

So, when do you contact your doctor?
- If a baby less than 3 months old has a fever, they need to be seen by their pediatrician. Watch out for decreased oral intake, bulging soft spot, or decreased wet diapers.

- If a child older than 3 months old has a fever, but is drinking and urinating well, then it’s ok to give supportive care at home. If a fever lasts more than 5 days, or if at anytime symptoms worsen, then it’s time to be seen.

I hope this information helps alleviate some of the anxiety surrounding fevers.
As always, consult your pediatrician with specific questions and concerns.

**Doctor Schutt’s blogs may include some affiliate links through trusted companies like Amazon. Purchases made using these links may earn Doctor Schutt a small commission.  She uses those small commissions to create content like this to help with her mission in growing healthy children and empowering parents in her community and nationwide.  She donates a percentage of this commission to organizations that share her mission and values.