Infants and Fever

Fever is not necessarily harmful, and it is not always evidence of a serious illness. A fever is a special cause for concern, however, in infants younger than 3 months of age. Fever symptoms include rapid breathing and heart rate, glossy eyes and flushed skin. Parents and caregivers should be most concerned with changes in eating or sleeping habits, coughing, pain or other marked changes.

What to Do

An accurate temperature reading is especially important during the first 3 months of your child's life. During this time, a rectal thermometer is the most accurate way to measure your child's temperature. To assure an accurate temperature, be sure the child is not overdressed or warm from activity, a hot bath or hot weather.

A rectal temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher in an infant younger than 3 months of age should be brought to the attention of the child's doctor immediately. A rectal temperature of 101 degrees or higher is considered a fever in older infants and children. A rectal temperature between 99 and 100 degrees is a low-grade fever and does not usually need to be treated.  A rectal temperature is normally 1 degree higher than an oral temperature.

In young children even a slight elevation of temperature can mean there is a problem. In newborns, a drop in temperature below what is normal (below 95 degrees rectally) can be a sign of a problem.

How to Take a Rectal Termperature

To take a rectal temperature, lay the baby on your lap, bottom up, with legs hanging down. Be sure to support the baby's head. If the baby is too squirmy, lay the child on a firm, flat surface. Be sure to use a digital rectal thermometer, not a mercury thermometer. Put petroleum jelly on the end of the thermometer to make it more comfortable, and insert the thermometer about half an inch into the rectum until the thermometer signals that it has recorded the correct temperature. Always stop if there is resistance. Be sure to hold on to the thermometer while it is in the child's rectum, so that the child doesn't roll over or move and puncture his or her colon.

Self-Care Steps for Fever

• Give plenty of fluids.

• Use acetaminophen or ibuprofen if your child's fever is making him or her uncomfortable. Be sure to follow the package's instructions for your child's age and weight. Do not give aspirin or aspirin-containing products because they have been linked to Reye's syndrome, a serious condition that can lead to coma and death.

• Give infants a sponge bath in lukewarm water. Do not use cool or cold water, which may cause shivering.

• Dress the baby lightly and use lighter bedclothes to avoid overheating.

• When calling your baby's doctor about a fever, tell him that you  took your child's temperature rectally, the time of day you took it and how your child is behaving .