Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Temps over 104F can have severe lifetime effects on mental capacity. If it getes close to that how would you know what do do to keep it from going higher? See a pediatrician.
If their fever is too high (103F/40C+) you're gonna have to use meds. Or else, they can get brain damage or even die.
I've had many 104-degree fevers during my childhood....even had one after I was in my early 20s. No brain damage. (It took menopause to do that. LOL)
A pediatrician once told me it takes 108 degrees before brain damage is a possibility. I don't know if she was correct or not, but I do know that anytime I had a fever as a child it would always go up to 103-104, it was just the way my body worked. My mom would give me alcohol baths (which we now know NOT to do). I don't know if we had Tylenol or Motrin back then or not?
Anyway, when my kids were little I didn't give them Tylenol for fever unless they seemed miserable. They would always just lie around watching TV when they had fevers. I let the fever do its work.
I think they actually studied the difference made in the duration of chicken pox when fever was reduced or not and found that children recovered around 2 days faster when it was not. ??
Totally depends WHAT is causing the fever, and how high it is! Over 103 can cause MAJOR problems! A low-grade fever isn't necessarily bad...but what's wrong with a tylenol? It will make them feel better.
I've had many 104-degree fevers during my childhood....even had one after I was in my early 20s. No brain damage. (It took menopause to do that. LOL)
A pediatrician once told me it takes 108 degrees before brain damage is a possibility. I don't know if she was correct or not, but I do know that anytime I had a fever as a child it would always go up to 103-104, it was just the way my body worked. My mom would give me alcohol baths (which we now know NOT to do). I don't know if we had Tylenol or Motrin back then or not?
Anyway, when my kids were little I didn't give them Tylenol for fever unless they seemed miserable. They would always just lie around watching TV when they had fevers. I let the fever do its work.
I think they actually studied the difference made in the duration of chicken pox when fever was reduced or not and found that children recovered around 2 days faster when it was not. ??
You are correct, fever of 103-104 is hardly life threatening but 108 is considered the cut off for when brain damage is real concern. Typically takes heat stroke and not infection to get a fever that high though...
MAYBE that's okay but I'd bet that above a certain temp and you'd better take action!
of course if a child has a temp over say, 102 the doctor needs to be contacted, but we rarely saw a doctor when we were kids and we never took our kids to the doctor with a fever unless it was really high or it lasted more than a day or two.
of course if a child has a temp over say, 102 the doctor needs to be contacted, but we rarely saw a doctor when we were kids and we never took our kids to the doctor with a fever unless it was really high or it lasted more than a day or two.
I could say the same for me and my sisters when we were young. But; let me throw another twist into this thread: when we are responsible for another's child. Then you cannot take a chance. You do not want to make the wrong call; so you take the child to the doctor and let them make the wrong call! At least you did the right thing should things go wrong. You really don't have a choice. We would not want to be in the position of explaining that we thought it was only a common cold and did nothing.
I never took my daughter to the doctor for just a fever. Who wants to get in the car and sit in a doctor's office when you feel lousy, just to go home and take an OTC med?
I would give her fever reducing meds if she could keep them down, though. In my 20s I was oddly stubborn about over the counter meds for myself, but why suffer if you don't have to? Your body will fight an infection even with a fever reducer, AFAIK.
The RN who taught my prenatal classes was very enthusiastic about reducing fevers - saying that letting one go and maybe get to febrile seizure level was not something you (general) would want for your kid.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,934,552 times
Reputation: 9885
Generally, I medicated if the fever was 101 or higher and they had other symptoms that interefered with their ability to rest. My kids always had spikes in the afternoon so I'd monitor the pace at which it was rising and would medicate based on that, too.
My sister actually had febrile convulsions when she was a toddler and it was very scary. At the time she had chicken pox and her fever went really high, really fast. As I recall, her fever was 105-106. She rarely gets a fever, but if she does, it spikes really fast. And that has been true into adulthood.
There is no medical reason to let your child suffer with a fever. Give them some Motrin and ease their discomfort.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
