4 Month Old Fever

My dr usually says to go ahead and give a couple of doses of tylenol after shots because this is very common. It will help with soreness at the injection site as well. However, you need to get dosing from the dr. or look it up online. The bottle won't tell you the dose for a 4 month old. Go by weight, not age.

++edit++
My daughter has No side effects from the CDC schedule, my son did, he would get fevers. Maggie brings up some urban legands and the info is not accurate. Japan actually sepereates the MMR shot and the rate of autism continues to increase there as well. The Dr. Sears book is great and it is the schedule I would go with if my daugter had bad reactions. She has never even been fussy, so I got lucky. If the shots did not give "true immunity" we would still have polio. I will keep the MMR combined, but won't do it until 2 years. I would definately recommend you not do MMR with the chicken Pox, that was the roughest for my son and the one series I regret doing. They are both live virus and too much to handle in my opinion. Definately feel free to play with the schedule, but I'm not convinced about giving one at a time. You go back more often and your child's immune system isn't given time to reset and be without the pressence of a vaccine. The immune system is always dealing with something during this type of schedule and I will be curious to see what research says about this a few years from now. You are the mom, go with your gut! I know, you asked about the fever, not everyone's take on vaccines! Tylenol in the right dose will never hurt!

try taking her temp another way. I bought an auxillary (ear) one since that is what they use at the pediatrician (but I have to check BOTH ears... one must be shaped a little different & never shows as high). Or you could try rectal. Check with the Dr. & they may just tell you to give her a dose of tylenol or ibuprophen... I space my sons shots because he has a reaction almost every time.

**Edit- Granted, I am NOT a fan of shots- but Emily's info is not correct. Febrile seizures are caused when a fever goes up too fast (can be from a virus) not necessarily from toxins... if she gets a fever you can use a luke warm bath (NOT cool- shivering actually raises the fever). Do not dress the child any warmer than you want to be dressed.

Please get on the internet and check out vaccinations- in Japan they don't do ANY until 3 YEARS old-
There is a group in Detroit who should be able to help
best of luck,k

Fevers focus on the head and need to be brung down the body to release. This is why febrile seizures occur because too many toxins are in the brain and haven't been released. Making sure a child has a bowel movement is important. So is keeping them covered everywhere but the head. Rub their arms and legs to get the energy down. I don't do shots but realize that you just put toxins into your child's bloodstream and now she is fighting it. When we naturally get a disease it filters through our nose and skin before it reaches our blood stream. This is what creates a true immunity. Read more about Children's Illness and Vaccinations on my Just for Moms page on my web www.wheelsoflight.org.

I would take her temp another way with a new thermometer. Fever after shots is important to pay attention to. Although infrequent, the complications and more serious side effects of vaccines unsually start with fever. Monitor your childs temp, activity, behavior and overall symptoms over the next several days and don't hesitate to call a Dr. It is better to be safe than sorry.

In the future, you may want to consider NOT giving several shots at once and NOT giving vaccines that are 'combo' shots that have multiple vaccines in one shot. Giving multiple shots on the same day is very difficult for a baby's body to deal with and tolerate whereas injecting ONE vaccine at a time is easier for them to process it and recover well. It may take extra visits, but would be worth it for their health and avoid some of the risks associated with vaccine overload on one day.

Sure, you will have people tell you that 'it's fine, just do it the way the Dr offers' but it's not always true for some babies. Every kid is different and research has been done that shows that it is A LOT for a babies body to handle and in some instances has led to serious side effects that could possibly be avoided. I would recommend reading the Dr. Sears book called 'Vaccine Book' for sound Dr. advice and suggested vaccine schedules. If you decide on a delayed or seperated vaccine schedule, don't be bullied by your Dr (Im notsure how current yor Dr is on newer research)... there are LOTS of pediatricians out there that agree with and are on board with newer ways to administer vaccines to help avoid complications. Best wishes and I hope your little one is just fine.

That's normal. I'm surprised your doctor didn't tell you that she might feel a little hot. It's okay, no need to worry. Just don't bundle her up too warm and she'll be fine.

At 4 months is when my son had a reaction to his vaccinations as well. Before the fever, he was very irritable and I could not calm him. I thought he needed to be changed or fed but that didn't work. By the time we got home, he was burning up. I didn't even take his temp b/c he felt so warm. I gave him Tylenol and it helped. However, I did watch him closely the rest of the day and the next day or so. And to me, as his mother (even though I was a first time mom), did not feel he was the same. I spoke with my dr. and he seemed to say it was normal for fever and that if he's fine now it's ok. I then started researching about vaccinations and the idea of an alternate vaccination schedule. I asked my dr. a few times since that 4 months well visit and he did not believe in an alternate vaccination schedule or administering separate MMR when it came time for him to receive those. I stayed with that dr. for the next 2 months. But when it came time for his 6 months visit, I continued to question the vaccinations to myself and the dr. The dr. stood firm in his belief of following the CDC schedule and no separate MMR vaccinations. In my gut, as my son's mother, and knowing what he had gone through at 4 months just did not feel comfortable and I no longer wanted to leave the pediatrician's office wondering what I had just done to my son. So, I switched pediatricians and I feel much better. I told the new dr. about his reaction at 4 months and he no longer receive the pertussis vaccination and was given just the DT and not the DTaP. In addition, his vaccinations are spread out more and not given more than two at one visit. And he will be given separate MMR vaccinations when it comes time. My son has done well since this change. I would just research (online, bookstores, etc.) and inform yourself and make the best decision for you and your daughter that you feel comfortable following through with it. Like someone, had said previoius on your responses, not every baby reacts the same. Some babies are fine on the CDC schedule and some illustrate some sort of reaction in some form or another. So based on your daughter and how well you know her, you have to make the best decision for her as an individual. Good luck! And I know how you are feeling and that's because you're a good mother and pay attention to your daughter and her needs.