How Will I Know if my Baby Has Fever?
A fever is a normal phenomenon in the body as it is a sign that the body is fighting back against any infections. The easiest way to spot or to tell if your baby has a fever is through body temperature; you can touch or even kiss your baby’s forehead to know if his temperature is rising.
The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) and most of the doctors agree that babies have normal body temperature if it is within the range of 36 to 38 degrees Celsius or 97 to 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Usually, the basis is the rectal temperature; once it goes beyond this range, your baby has a fever. However, you are the only judge to know whether or not your child is really ill. But calling a doctor during uncertainty will do no harm to him.
While reading the body temperature is not the only thing if fever is serious, you should also consider the age of your child as well as his behavior; it is serious if your baby is under 3 months especially if the fever is stopping him from feeding and playing.
Below are the guidelines should your baby’s temperature rises above normal;
- For babies less than 3 months, 38 degrees Celsius or 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit is alarming even if it is within range. It is because babies with this age do not experience high body temperature. In such case, a doctor’s advised may be taken as it often leads to serious diseases and infections.
- Call your doctor if the temperature rises up to 38.3 degrees Celsius (101 degrees Fahrenheit) and your baby is between 3 and 6 months.
- For babies whose age is 6 months and older, seek doctor’s advise if the body temperature reaches to 39.4 degrees C (103 degrees F).
Now, before calling out your doctor’s help, you must be able to diagnose your baby and know about the symptoms other than high temperature; fever is oftentimes accompanied by signs such as diarrhea, rashes, vomiting, cough and pain. Calling your doctor will not do any good unless you tell him these symptoms. In doing so, you can drill down what really is the matter with your baby.
Take extra precautions especially if your baby has the following symptoms;
- If you can find little, red-purple spots on the skin which turns pale if you press them, it can be a sign of serious infection caused by bacteria.
- If your child is laboring heavily with his breath or is breathing faster than normal, it can be an indication of pneumonia.
In both cases, you must call your doctor immediately for your baby to be given immediate and appropriate treatment. Delaying things will really put his life in danger.
As mentioned earlier, you are the sole judge to know if your baby is feeling okay or not; if you can find something really unusual about your baby, never hesitate to call your pediatrician.
Incoming search terms for the article:
how can i tell if my baby has pneumonia, fever range in babies, how can i tell if my baby has a feverRelated Baby Care Articles:
- Baby Tips – Causes of Sleeplessness Related To Illness As a parent, you are bound to feel anxious about...
- Avoiding Swine Flu in Babies The world was stunned when influenza A, a.k.a swine flu...
- Reasons Why You Need to Diminish Your Child’s TV Viewing Is your child watching too much television? If so, you...
- Ideal sleep habits for your baby Babies love sleeping. If your baby can talk, telling you...
- 9 Safe Sleeping Tips For Your Baby In the early days, when it is typical to be...
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment