my 5 month old son is running a fever of 101.7 and showing no other signs of pain or discomfort he is as jolly as always ... when or should i take him in to be seen?
Call his pediatrician's office and ask them. They may just tell you over the phone that a certain virus is going around and treat at home this way or that way.
Don't fool around with baby's health. Babies can go down hill very very quickly... Go to the doc's.
LBC
I always err on the side of caution and call the pediatrician any time there's a fever. It may be overkill, but I had a serious health issue 2 years ago that had no symptoms, so they're very kind to us under the circumstances.
The call is free, they'll tell you if they want to see you or not and how to best deal with it.
Being that it's Friday, it's better to call and speak with your pediatrician than to have to call the doctor on call (who may not be in the same practice) or go to the ER over the weekend if it worsens.
A 5 month old can not be given ibuprofen, so your only medicinal option is tylenol. I would honestly recommend a call for peace of mind.
If your son has no other symptoms he doesn't need to see the doctor. Try reducing the fever with Tylenol and/or Motrin. (acetaminophen and ibuprofen)
I would not be concerned as long as he was showing no other signs of pain or discomfort. My grandchildren's pediatrician said that a fever of 102 or less is common with children and the fever in it's self is not a reason for concern. I've also read this on a reputable web site. Don't remember which one.
But if it will help you be more comfortable you can always call the pediatrician's office and ask about it.
You don't say how long he's had a fever, but chances are your little guy is fighting a virus or other infection. The good news is that it sounds like he's behaving normally in spite of it. As long as he's eating, drinking, peeing and doesn't seem lethargic there's probably not urgent cause to run to the doc immediately.
Give the doctor a call and discuss what's going on. They'll offer some parameters and let you know what to expect.
You don't need to take a child to the doctor for a fever. If he's sick for 5-7 days, you may want to have him checked - but don't waste the doctor's (and other patients who may *really* need to see the doc) time otherwise.
Since he is so young, I would call the pediatrician. When my daughter was that age she had a temp of about 100 and they had no problem with me bringing her in. Better to be safe then sorry.
I would call the ped just to be safe. But it sounds like he might be teething, or at least starting. My son started teething at 4 months and his first teeth popped out at 6 months. My daughter started teething at 10 months and her teeth popped through at 13 months. My son had no symptoms except for excessive drooling and swollen gums (that never bothered him). My daughter on the other hand had all the classic symptoms...low grade fever, diarrhea, crankiness, periods of not eating, etc. But she never had any swollen gums to indicate a tooth coming up. Just all of a sudden, the symptoms would go away and the next day two teeth would pop through.
101 is about midgrade as far as fevers go; I would call your pediatrician's office and consult with a nurse, but I would say that if he's drinking normally and keeping it down, even if he isn't eating as much then he should be okay. Give him some baby Motrin (no aspirin!) and see how that does, he may just have a mild bug. If it hits >103, you need to have him seen ASAP.
I'd wait and see. If he's acting fine there may just be a little virus that his body is fighting. Fevers are a good thing! They fight infections and if you give him something it will more than likely stick around longer because he's not fighting it like he's supposed to.
He may also be teething and if his gums are a little swollen, it's actually easier for the tooth to pop through.
I usually give my son something to reduce a fever only if he can't sleep or if he's ridiculously uncomfortable, which it doesn't sound like your son is. If you decide to give him something and it doesn't reduce the fever, THEN I'd call the doctor. Hope he feels better soon!!
A lot of viruses start out with just a fever, then they go into something else, cough or cold or sometimes just a virus. Usually the doctor will want to wait to see how long he has the fever before seeing him. Usually after 5 days, if nothing else comes along with the fever, is the time to go to the doctor. Or if the fever goes up past 103. My elementary school children had a 101 fever for 2 weeks. After the first week, the doctor put them on antibiotics, but they still had a fever for another week. Watch him closely. If it is only a fever, wait to go to the doctor. If it gets worse or something else comes up, take him. Just remember his resistance is low so don't take him anywhere and don't allow him to be around other people, he may catch another virus and get REALLY sick.
motrin / tylenol help the fever?
could be ear problems...could just be his body fighting off an infection right now... if the fever lasts more than 24 hours, I would phone the doctor and ask if you should take him in.
Good luck
Definitely call the doctor since he is so young just to see if they want to see him. Give him some tylenol or motrin to bring the fever down. It may just be a random virus that will go away in a few days. We get them all the time. If it gets worse or the fever goes over 102 definitely see the doctor.
Good luck!
