When Should You Call The Doctor If Your Baby Has Cold, Cough Or Fever?
Fever is a constant concern when it comes to babies. After birth, your little one will be frequently adapting to the changing environment outside. The immune system also goes through significant changes for the babies under 3 months of age.
While it is natural for you to panic at every instance of a mild fever, it would be helpful to know various threshold parameters of cold, cough and fever in your baby and when to call doctor for baby.
What Is A Fever?
Fever is a resultant when your baby is fighting with a possible infection. The immune system responds to the infection in different forms, one being the rise in temperature.
- The normal temperature of your baby is usually between 97 and 100.3 degrees Fahrenheit.
- If your baby’s body temperature or the rectal temperature crosses the threshold of 100.4, it means that she has a fever.
[ Read: Dehydration In Infants ]
Red Flags For When To Call Doctor For Baby:
Usually, a mild fever is not a big concern until it rises to an alarming level. We have identified and listed below, a few conditions that require calling your baby’s doctor right away:
1. Increase in body temperature that stops your baby from playing or feeding.
2. Your baby looks dull and drowsy.
3. Your baby is less than 3 months old and the body temperature is above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius.
4. A continuous fever that does not come down for more than 2 days signifies there could be a viral infection.
5. A body temperature above 101 calls for an immediate visit to hospital.
6. Your baby is less than 3 months old and has a pale or flushed face.
7. If you notice an unexplained rash anywhere in your baby’s body including a diaper rash.
8. Your baby develops breathing problems due to cough and cold that does not go away even after clearing his nose with bulb syringe.
9. Your baby has temperature lesser than 97 degrees (hypothermia that can caused by diseases like malaria).
If your baby shows any or most of the above, you need to consult the doctor immediately as fever can cause serious problems.
[ Read: Cough In Infants ]
Treatment For Fever, Cough And Cold In Babies:
After you have reported the fever symptoms to your baby’s pediatrician, he may suggest or prescribe the below forms of treatment:
- Prescribe children’s acetaminophen to reduce the fever.
- Prescribe pediatric syrup for cold and cough to manage the condition.
- Constant sponging to bring the fever down.
- Prescribe antibiotics in case of viral infection.
- Admit baby in hospital in case of high fever that needs constant monitoring.
- Suggest additional tests such as blood or urine examination to understand the root cause of high fever.
Most times, your baby will just need basic medication and rest to fight fever. Your doctor will advise the necessary course of action after determining the severity of the fever.
[ Read: Home Remedies For Cold In Infants ]
Measures To Be Taken At Home:
Once you get your baby home, there are things to do to ensure that your little one is comfortable while battling with fever and cold:
- Change your baby into comfortable clothes.
- Rest your baby as much as possible.
- Keep your baby hydrated with breastfeeding or formula. Your baby will need nutrients to fight infection.
- Keep your baby’s room free of mosquitoes and other pests. Use a good repellent.
- Keep giving regular sponging with lukewarm water in case of high fever. Sponging is said to be the best way to bring down uncontrollable fever to optimal levels.
[ Read: How To Treat Mosquito Bites On Babies ]
Dosage Of Medicines:
Do not take your own call, as overdosing on paracetamol based medication is very dangerous for your baby’s liver. Here are some important pointers to be remembered while administering syrups to your baby:
- Always follow the amount prescribed by the doctor. If in doubt, get it clarified immediately.
- Maintain the prescribed intervals of time periods in between each dosage.
- Do not buy any over the counter medications. The best judge of internal medicine is the doctor alone.
Fever And Seizures:
Some babies tend to get seizures due to high temperature. This is quite frequent in the children between the age groups of 6 months to 5 years.
- A seizure can make your baby to roll his eyes, faint or vomit.
- The limbs may become stiff.
- Some babies also have fast twitches or jerks in their bodies while in seizure.
- It is always better to report any kind of signs that imply a seizure to the doctor right away.
Severe Causes Of Fever:
Most times, a fever is your baby’s way of battling some infection. However, there are more serious causes of fever that you may want to know for information sake. A fever that does not have any other symptoms could be due to a severe viral infection, meningitis, urinary tract infection or other bacterial infections.
It is important to keep track of your baby’s fever pattern, frequency, temperature and the other symptoms so that the same can be clearly reported to the doctor for an effective diagnosis.
Hope you have understood when to call the doctor for a baby fever, cold or cough. If you have any tips to soothe a feverish baby, please share them with us at.
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