by Betty Carew

Created on: January 18, 2011

Although it is worrisome for parents when a child starts running a fever it is the child’s body fighting off the viral or bacterial infection that has entered their system. A fever is only a symptom of what is taking place inside the child’s body. However, this does not relieve the worry of being a parent with a sick child and leave many parents wondering when to call a paediatrician for fever.

Age of the child

Deciding when to call a paediatrician depends on several factors. The age of the child comes into play. If the child is an infant and is showing a rectal fever of 100.4 F, then considerations should be taken to call a paediatrician. If the child is from three to six months of age and is running a temperature above 101 F it is time to seek help.  Above this age when the child is running a fever of 103 F for an extended period the parent should contact their paediatrician. There are also symptoms to watch for besides the fever.

Fever combined with other symptoms

There are other symptoms that present themselves with a fever in older children that can send out warning signals that a paediatrician should be called. As stated above a fever is just a symptom of what is going on in the child’s body.

If your child is showing signs of lethargy, overly irritable, seems confused, having difficulty breathing and is experiencing headache the paediatrician should be called. If the fever persists more than forty eight hours without positive results from home treatments it is another sign that the parent should contact their paediatrician. The following are a few guide lines to use when a child is running a fever.

Lethargic and fever

A child that becomes lethargic doesn’t mean that the child is less active than their usual self. A child that is running a fever usually feels a little active than usual. The meaning of lethargic in medical terms is when a child is very difficult to wake up or is dosing off to sleep constantly without medication. This is where signs of confusion appear in the child. If the child is displaying these symptoms the parents should seek medical help.

Irritable and fever

Irritability is when the child cannot be comforted regardless of what the parents do. Most children become fussy while running a temperature but usually can be consoled and comforted in the parents arms. The signal for worry is when none of these tactics work and the child just keeps on crying.

Trouble breathing with fever

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