husband gave baby bottle that was 104 degrees
Fever is a rectal temperature of 100.4°F or higher
Your baby wakes up with flushed cheeks, his skin radiating heat. You take his temperature with a digital rectal thermometer, and it reads 99.9 degrees Fahrenheit. Is it time to grab medicine or call the doctor? Probably not. Technically, this doesn't even qualify as a fever: A rectal temperature of less than 100.4 degrees is considered normal, even in the very youngest infants.
Babies' temperatures – like adult temperatures – can rise slightly for all kinds of reasons, from physical exertion to a warm bath to being a little overdressed. Even time of day can have an impact, with body temperatures rising in the late afternoon and dropping in the early morning. So unless the rectal thermometer reads 100.4 degrees or higher, you can consider your little one fever-free.
Note: Heat stroke is sometimes confused with fever. This condition occurs when the body temperature rises to dangerous levels (from overdressing your baby in hot, humid weather, for example). When it's hot out, dress your baby in lightweight, loose clothing and never leave him in a closed car, even for just a minute.
Rectal temperatures are the most accurate
You may be reluctant to use a digital rectal thermometer to take your baby's temperature, but this is the best way to get an accurate temperature reading in a baby or child younger than 3 years old. (Never use a glass thermometer. If the glass is damaged, the toxic mercury inside could harm your baby.)
"Only a rectal thermometer gives a true core temperature," says Tyeese Gaines, an emergency room physician in New Jersey. "Underarm readings, forehead thermometers, and even ear thermometers aren't nearly as accurate."
These other types of thermometers can read too low or too high, so not using a digital rectal thermometer can make you miss a fever, or cause extra stress and lead to unnecessary emergency room visits.
Bacterial or viral fever? The difference matters
A viral fever results when your baby's body is fighting off an illness caused by a virus, whether it's an intestinal infection, the flu, or the common cold, explains Carrie Brown, a pediatrician at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas. Viral fevers tend to subside within three days. Antibiotics aren't necessary because they have no effect on viruses.
Bacterial fevers, on the other hand, are caused by a bacterial infection, such as an ear infection (which can be bacterial or viral), a urinary tract infection, bacterial meningitis, or bacterial pneumonia. Bacterial infections are less common than viruses – and more concerning because they can lead to serious illness if left untreated. Antibiotics are usually required to treat bacterial illnesses.
Make sure your baby gets the medical attention she needs by calling her doctor immediately if:
- Your baby is younger than 3 months and has a rectal temperature of 100.4 degrees F or higher.
- Your baby is younger than 2 years old and her fever lasts longer than 24 hours.
- Your child is 2 years or older and her fever lasts more than three days.
- Your child's fever repeatedly rises above 104 degrees, regardless of her age.
See our visual guide to managing your baby's fever.
For babies younger than 3 months, fever is urgent
In babies younger than 3 months, a rectal temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher needs to be brought to a doctor's attention as soon as possible, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
Call your baby's doctor immediately to let her know that your baby is younger than 3 months and has a fever. If you can't reach your baby's doctor, go to an urgent care clinic or the emergency room right away, even if it's the middle of the night. Don't give your baby any medicine to reduce fever unless the doctor advises it – you don't want to mask any symptoms before your baby is examined.
There are two reasons for the urgency. First, explains Brown, the protective layer of cells between the bloodstream and the central nervous system is very thin in young babies. This means that in bacterial infections, the bacteria can "cross over" and cause damage rapidly.
Also, as emergency room physician Gaines explains, "Young babies don't show signs of severe infection like older babies do." A young baby can develop a full-fledged blood infection (sepsis) and not display the typical symptoms.
If the fever is viral, there's no need to worry about sepsis. But the problem is that it's impossible to distinguish between a bacterial fever and a viral fever with just a physical exam. That's why an infant with a fever may need blood, urine, X-rays, or stool tests to determine whether there's a bacterial infection. (The exact tests ordered depend on your baby's age and symptoms).
An infant with a fever may also need a spinal tap to test for meningitis, an uncommon but serious infection that causes inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.
Treat the symptoms, not the number
Many parents believe that the higher the fever, the sicker the child, but that's not always the case. A baby with a temperature of 103 degrees may appear perfectly comfortable, contentedly playing on his mat, while a baby with a temperature of 101 may be fussy, tired, and need to be held constantly.
Does this mean that if your feverish baby is comfortable, he doesn't need a fever reducer? That's right. As pediatrician and AAP spokesperson Janice Sullivan puts it, "Treat discomfort, rather than fever."
Keep in mind that fever actually helps the body fight infection. Fever makes the body less hospitable to germs and triggers the body's immune defenses, such as the white blood cells that battle invading viruses and bacteria.
Pay attention to your baby's symptoms and behavior to determine how sick he is, and ask his doctor for treatment advice based on those signs. "It's much more important to look at symptoms," says Gaines. "Listlessness and fatigue, for example, are better indicators of illness than temperature."
Fever is a healthy response
Despite what you may have heard, fever will not injure your child's brain.
"In and of itself, fever does not cause any harm," says Gaines. Even the febrile seizures that some children have in response to a sudden spike in body temperature are almost always harmless. (In rare cases, children can inhale saliva or vomit during a seizure and develop aspiration pneumonia, or they may injure themselves falling or bumping against hard surfaces). Fever reducers can help lower a fever, but they don't prevent febrile seizures from happening.
When you're rocking your hot baby in your arms and the anxiety starts to creep in, try to remember that fever is actually a sign that her immune system is working properly. Of course, it's important to call the doctor, but the vast majority of babies with fevers recover just fine.
As Gaines explains, whether it's from a viral or bacterial infection, or a side effect of immunization, a rising temperature is a natural immune response. So rest assured that your baby's immune system is doing exactly what it's supposed to do.
Use medications judiciously
Medicines such as ibuprofen (for babies who are at least 6 months old) and acetaminophen temporarily reduce fever and can help to relieve discomfort. But before using these, try bringing down your baby's temperature with a sponge bath. Use slightly warm water (85 to 90 degrees) to wipe down your baby's skin, particularly the forehead and underarms. This home remedy can be surprisingly effective.
Another way to help your baby feel better is to keep her hydrated, so offer plenty of breast milk or formula.
It may also help to dress your baby in light clothes and keep the environment comfortably cool. For example, if the room is warm and stuffy, use a fan to keep the air moving.
If your baby still seems uncomfortable, fever-reducing medication may be a good way to go. Don't give medicine to a baby younger than 3 months without a doctor's approval, and follow these important safety guidelines whenever you give your baby a fever reducer:
- If your child is younger than 2 years old, check with your pediatrician or pharmacist for the right dose.
- If your baby is between 3 and 6 months, you can give her acetaminophen but not ibuprofen.
- Starting at age 6 months, most babies can have either acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
- The dosage is determined by your baby's weight, not her age.
- Don't give your child aspirin because it has been associated with Reye's syndrome, a rare but serious (and sometimes fatal) condition.
And if your baby is sleeping peacefully, there's no need to wake him to administer fever medicine, according to the AAP. Instead, let him sleep – and get some rest yourself.
husband gave baby bottle that was 104 degrees
Source: https://www.babycenter.com/health/illness-and-infection/fever-in-babies-7-things-you-might-not-know_10373598