Fever Control That Works Every Time
High fever, or poorly controlled fevers, are a major concern of parents, and a very common reason for midnight visits to the ER.
The fact is, many parents, when confronted by a child's fever, will underdose them in fever medicines.
Many more parents, will revert back to "old school instincts" and cover their child up and dress them warmly.
This post will teach you how to control fever successfully, 99% of the time.
It's what I do in the emergency department, and it has never failed! With that in mind, let me say we are only addressing fever in this article.
Not the cause, not the outcome, just fever.
So if you have determined that your child doesn't need to go to see a doctor, follow these simple directions for fever control.
Cooling Measures: If the fever is 103 degrees or higher, remove the child's clothing down to the underwear.
You might consider blowng a fan across their body.
Wet towels will cool them fast, but most of the time simply agitate them.
Placing the child in a cool bath is rarely needed.
If you see your child shivering, don't stop, and certainly don't cover them up! Their body is hot! They could be in a 100 deg hot room and still be shivering! If you've take their temperature, and they are 103 degrees or more, strip 'em! Medication: It is important to give medications on schedule.
Many people will say to me, "but the fever keeps coming back after a few hours.
" The truth is that the infection and fever have never left.
The medicine has left however, it's been all used up.
It only suppresses the fever for 4-6 hours, so you have to give more!! If your child is under 6 months of age, use Tylenol (acetaminophen) only.
This is the general practice, as there is no question as to its safety in infants.
No matter if you buy "Infant Tylenol" with the little dropper, or some generic 4 oz bottle of Children's Acetaminophen, the dosing is 15mg of medicine per 1 Kg that your kid weighs, or 15mg per every 2 pounds weight of your baby.
So if junior weighs 12 pounds, he will get 90mg of Tylenol or Acetaminophen.
And be sure to give it every 4 hours.
For kids above six months of age, stick with the above formula at 15mg/kg.
It works great for all ages, as long as the fever is low grade fever.
I consider a low grade fever to be 102 deg or less.
If the fever rises above 102 deg, than you can add Motrin (ibuprofen) to the mix.
I said add, not replace.
The dosage is 10mg Motrin, per 1kilogram you child weighs.
Keep in mind, Tylenol and Motrin are 2 different medications, working in 2 different metabolic pathways for fever, and they work well together.
So don't be afraid you are giving too much, we are only talking about Tylenol and Motrin for goodness sakes! Once the fever is well controlled, under 102 degrees, you can eliminate the Tylenol and just give Motrin.
Motrin actually works better for fever, and lasts longer.
It is my drug of choice for children greater than 6 months old.
There are some guidelines and warnings about rare cases of severe allergic reactions to Ibuprofen, so if your child hasn't used Ibuprofen before, check with your pediatrician.
Easy Dosing Method: Use 1/2 teaspoon of Children's Tylenol or Motrin for every 10 pounds(20kg) your child weighs.
For those of us that don't want to mess with the whole kilograms per milligram business, here's a quick and easy way to dose both Tylenol and Motrin: Assuming you are using the regular 4oz bottle of Childrens Tylenol or Children's Motrin, and not the infant drops: Use 1/2 teaspoon of Tylenol or Motrin for every 10 pounds(20kg) you child weighs.
For example if junior weighs 20 pounds, he will get 1 teaspoon of Motrin, and 1 teaspoon of Tylenol.
The fact is, many parents, when confronted by a child's fever, will underdose them in fever medicines.
Many more parents, will revert back to "old school instincts" and cover their child up and dress them warmly.
This post will teach you how to control fever successfully, 99% of the time.
It's what I do in the emergency department, and it has never failed! With that in mind, let me say we are only addressing fever in this article.
Not the cause, not the outcome, just fever.
So if you have determined that your child doesn't need to go to see a doctor, follow these simple directions for fever control.
Cooling Measures: If the fever is 103 degrees or higher, remove the child's clothing down to the underwear.
You might consider blowng a fan across their body.
Wet towels will cool them fast, but most of the time simply agitate them.
Placing the child in a cool bath is rarely needed.
If you see your child shivering, don't stop, and certainly don't cover them up! Their body is hot! They could be in a 100 deg hot room and still be shivering! If you've take their temperature, and they are 103 degrees or more, strip 'em! Medication: It is important to give medications on schedule.
Many people will say to me, "but the fever keeps coming back after a few hours.
" The truth is that the infection and fever have never left.
The medicine has left however, it's been all used up.
It only suppresses the fever for 4-6 hours, so you have to give more!! If your child is under 6 months of age, use Tylenol (acetaminophen) only.
This is the general practice, as there is no question as to its safety in infants.
No matter if you buy "Infant Tylenol" with the little dropper, or some generic 4 oz bottle of Children's Acetaminophen, the dosing is 15mg of medicine per 1 Kg that your kid weighs, or 15mg per every 2 pounds weight of your baby.
So if junior weighs 12 pounds, he will get 90mg of Tylenol or Acetaminophen.
And be sure to give it every 4 hours.
For kids above six months of age, stick with the above formula at 15mg/kg.
It works great for all ages, as long as the fever is low grade fever.
I consider a low grade fever to be 102 deg or less.
If the fever rises above 102 deg, than you can add Motrin (ibuprofen) to the mix.
I said add, not replace.
The dosage is 10mg Motrin, per 1kilogram you child weighs.
Keep in mind, Tylenol and Motrin are 2 different medications, working in 2 different metabolic pathways for fever, and they work well together.
So don't be afraid you are giving too much, we are only talking about Tylenol and Motrin for goodness sakes! Once the fever is well controlled, under 102 degrees, you can eliminate the Tylenol and just give Motrin.
Motrin actually works better for fever, and lasts longer.
It is my drug of choice for children greater than 6 months old.
There are some guidelines and warnings about rare cases of severe allergic reactions to Ibuprofen, so if your child hasn't used Ibuprofen before, check with your pediatrician.
Easy Dosing Method: Use 1/2 teaspoon of Children's Tylenol or Motrin for every 10 pounds(20kg) your child weighs.
For those of us that don't want to mess with the whole kilograms per milligram business, here's a quick and easy way to dose both Tylenol and Motrin: Assuming you are using the regular 4oz bottle of Childrens Tylenol or Children's Motrin, and not the infant drops: Use 1/2 teaspoon of Tylenol or Motrin for every 10 pounds(20kg) you child weighs.
For example if junior weighs 20 pounds, he will get 1 teaspoon of Motrin, and 1 teaspoon of Tylenol.