Baby Fever Treatment Advice

It’s not at all uncommon for a mother to be concerned when her baby has a fever. Finding the right baby fever treatment is important because you want to get their temperature down as quickly as possible and avoid complications.

How To Tell

While a thermometer is the only way to know exactly how high your baby’s fever is, you can know if they have a fever simply by touching or kissing their forehead. If you find that it feels hotter than usual then they likely have a fever. The best baby fever treatment will depend on how high the temperature is along with a few other factors, so having a thermometer is very important.

What Else?

While you should call the doctor if your baby’s fever gets alarmingly high, there is no need to rush to the emergency room every time baby feels a little warmer than usual. There are other things that you can look at to help gauge whether your baby is very ill or just has something mild. You know your baby better than anyone so if your baby is sick you really will see it. Changes in their behavior or movements or voice can indicate that something is off. More obvious signs like vomiting and diarrhea are other indicators that your baby is not well. If your baby is teething then a fever is actually quite common. Be aware of these things to help you know when it may be time to call your doctor or head to the emergency room.

The Best Baby Fever Treatment

The best baby fever treatment is sometimes no treatment at all. Since fever is our body’s way of fighting infection it isn’t always necessary to try to bring it down. For instance, if your baby has a mild fever but doesn’t seem to be affected by it or have any other symptoms then there is no need to do anything other than keep him well hydrated and make sure he doesn't get too hot when sleeping. If your baby’s fever is a little higher and you’ve checked with your doctor, then baby acetaminophen is fine as long as you follow the recommended dosage.

What NOT To Do

Long ago some people used to believe that the best baby fever treatment was rubbing a baby down with alcohol to help lower the temperature. This is NOT safe! The alcohol can penetrate the skin and poison your baby so this is most definitely out of the question. Giving a baby a cold bath is also NOT recommended because it can cause hypothermia.

To be safe, you can always call your doctor when in doubt.