“What should I do if my child has a fever of 102?”
My daughter just reached a 102 fever. What should I do for her? Does she need to be taken to the emergency room?
3 Answers
Fever can be caused by many different things, including viral and or bacterial infections. You can always give her Tylenol to decrease her fever. But she needs to be evaluated by a healthcare professional ASAP.
Please know that younger the child, higher the urgency to get medical care.
EG: a month old child with 102 fever needs urgent attention compared to a ten year old.
If the child looks sick to you and or not acting her normal, yes go to ER or doctors office.
You could give sponge bath with tap water ( not ice cold water) this helps evaporate the heat.
Do not give aspirin in any form.
Liquid Tylenol or liquid ibuprofen is ok.
Best advice I can give you is to get the child seen by a physician.
The reason could be viral or more serious bacterial infection.
Early better than late, get to the doctor.
EG: a month old child with 102 fever needs urgent attention compared to a ten year old.
If the child looks sick to you and or not acting her normal, yes go to ER or doctors office.
You could give sponge bath with tap water ( not ice cold water) this helps evaporate the heat.
Do not give aspirin in any form.
Liquid Tylenol or liquid ibuprofen is ok.
Best advice I can give you is to get the child seen by a physician.
The reason could be viral or more serious bacterial infection.
Early better than late, get to the doctor.
If your child is older than 2 months, a fever by itself may not be an emergency. Children less than 2 months should be evaluated by a physician that day, as their immune system is not very strong yet. The question is why is your child having a fever? If the child looks ill, appears confused, appears short of breath, has abdominal pain, or has a rash with a fever, I would recommend going to see a doctor that day. The medical condition may not be severe. However, without an exam, there could be a significant illness.
