When they have a fever...

Do you check on them in the middle of the night? It seems that in here(not necessarily this forum), people would go and check on their kids if they had fevers. I always felt bad, because I don't. I mean, I walk in, check in on them briefly. But if someone even moves an inch, I bolt out of the room. Sometimes as I open the door, I hear one of them move, and I'm done. I don't go in. But I don't ALWAYS check on them. And if I do, I make sure they are breathing, etc, but I don't necessarily touch them. And I have NEVER given medicine in the middle of the night(when they've gone to bed WITH a fever).

Anthony had a fever tonight of 101.1. It was right before bedtime. I gave him a tsp of motrin and I won't hear from him until morning(that's how they've always been-even if sick, they sttn-generally speaking). I've only once been woken up with Nicholas screaming-and he had a fever in the middle of the night. Otherwise, we catch the fever before bed.

Am I supposed to check on them in the middle of the night with fevers? I know people have mentioned giving baths in the middle of the night. Are their fevers not high enough? Or am I just a different parent? LOL! Fevers always worry me(only once I became a parent did they worry me), but I never know what I should be doing vs. shouldn't be doing.

Am I over analyzing this?!?! LOL!

 

I will give a bath if they wake in the night screaming and are VERY hot, like 104-ish. I would not do that just for the heck of it if they were sleeping soundly, or if they woke up with a fever around 101 (In that case I would give Tylenol or Motrin then straight back to bed with a sippy of water). If they are sleeping, I will at most just check for breathing through crib tents, or check for temp with my hand and intervene (with meds and sippy cup) only if they feel really hot. I think sleep is the best thing for them when sick, so I tend not to mess with it.

Good luck - hope he is feeling better soon!

 

I always check my kids in the night if they go to bed with a fever. My oldest, Olivia, used to run extremely high fevers (she's been 105 on many occasions) when she was little & I think it scarred me for life. :lol: So, I do go in & feel of them, if they are really hot I will try to wake them just enough to get in another dose of Tylenol or Motrin, otherwise I leave them alone. I do try to give ibuprofen at bed time for most fevers since it will generally last longer & make it less likely that I'm going to have to give them a dose in the night.

 

Yes, I am usually up anyway going to the bathroom or tending to a child, so I sneak in and take a temporal thermometer reading just to make sure they are comfortable.

 

not generally because if their fevers get too high in the middle of the night (over 102) they wake up on their own...or start talking in their sleep which is a sure sign its time for another dose of something!

 

I do. Anytime they are sick, I keep an extra close eye on them, which usually means I end up in the bed with them.

 

I never used to go in :blush: I actually never really took their temperature because if I felt they were hot, gave them motrin and it's always gone down. Then last week I did take my sons temp. and it was 103 and well, with everything going on (H1N1) I freaked out, checked on him often and even ended up sleeping with him. ardon: My kids have always slept okay even if sick (unless it's coughs, those are hard to deal with at night) so I've never gone in with a fear that I'd wake them.

 

Ditto to this. I check on them every night before we (DH & I) go to bed. They have usually been asleep for 2-3 hours at that point. Fever or not, I still check on them. I dose with Mortrin or tylenol before bed, if needed, but I wouldn't wake them up to do it again or to check temps or take bath unless they woke up miserable. After my intial bedtime check (before I go to bed), I don't go back in unless they cry out or I hear talking or sounds (and talking or sounds is included only if they are sick).

 

Well, I am jinxing myself for sure, but the only time Kevan & Karina have had fever is after the MMR shot. I dosed them with ibuprofen before bed, and didn't really worry about it until morning.

But, Nadia has had three occasions where she's run very high fever -- like 104 or higher. Two were years ago, and one was just a couple weeks ago. And yes, I did go in and check on her, and gave more medicine if needed.

But, it's a lot easier to check on a child who is almost 6 -- she gets up and takes her medicine, gets a drink and just goes back to sleep. I wouldn't wake my 2-year-olds unless absolutely necessary!

 

I turn the monitor up so I'll know if they're thrashing around but I don't go in unless I suspect a problem. They are amazing at hiding how sick they are during the daytime but their sleep is easily disturbed so if they aren't feeling well, I'll absolutely know about it.

 

We check on the kids each night before going to bed, but that's it. I do not go in specially to check on them any other time when they have a fever. I do not go in and check on them in the middle of the night.ardon:

 

Same here - they go to bed at 7:30 and we don't go until later so I check on them when I go to bed and that's it. If the fever makes one of them so uncomfortable that they wake up in the middle of the night I will make sure it has been enough time since the last dose of motrin or tylenol before bed and give them more and put them back to bed. When my ds had a high fever about a week ago I actually asked if I should wake him and the nurse said no, that the best thing for him was sleeping but that if he did wake up then we should try to treat the fever.

 

I do check because I have one who will pop up to 104 or 105 even with tylenol or motrin in her system. If she goes to bed with a fever, I usually get up every 3 hours to give her tylenol or motrin (alternating). She does not always cry and wake us up when she has a fever, so we have to go check and not rely on being awakened by a child. I think everyone's children are different, so people know what they need to do for their kids.

 

If one of them went to sleep with a high fever (say, over 102), I would probably check on them in the middle of the night, but not for a low fever. For one thing, our doctor always says that a really sick child will probably not be sleeping peacefully, and when they are sick, sleep is the best thing for them. So I wouldn't want to risk waking them up, and I also don't worry that much if they're sleeping calmly and not seeming distressed.

I check on them every night before I go to bed anyway. I used to really worry about waking them up, but as they get older, it's less and less of a risk. Even when they were 2, even though we did occasionally wake them by accident, they would just sort of go "Mommy..." and roll over and zonk back out. :ibiggrin:

 

My two will let you know if their fever spikes during the night by either waking up screaming or Alice especially will talk in her sleep. But if they're running a fever during waking hours and they're sleeping, I'm not going to wake them up to give them medicine, they'll wake up on their own if they need more.

 

Mine always get dosed with Ibuprofen before bed when they have fevers & I always check them before I go to bed (usually 1-3 hrs later) to make sure the temp is going down. Whether it's just a hand to their face or with the thermometer, at least I know their meds are working. Only once did I ever check their temps during the night (except when they were infants anyway) & that was when Conner had roseola. His temps were above 103 even with meds, so I kept a close eye on him.

Here's a little nurse babble for you....fevers aren't really scary. Fevers mean their little bodies are working to fight off whatever they're fighting. This is why I never treat a fever under 100-100.5 during the day (I still treat it at night, as most fevers go up at night). The only reason I treat above that is for comfort (and I will treat below that if they're uncomfortable). High fevers may appear scary, but the only true scary thing about them (well, unless they're above 105 or so) is the risk of febrile seizures (and even those are only scary for those watching!). Those do not come from the fever itself, but from how quickly the fever spikes (ie from 99-104 in a short time). The big thing with any fever is the risk of dehydration...so if my kids are feverish, I always push fluids.

I'm lucky in that I can check on my kids throughout the night either without waking them or barely waking them (they always go back to sleep). But I've always checked on them frequently...from birth on (usually to cover them up). I've honestly NEVER given a bath during the night...just given them meds & put them back to bed. I'm also lucky in that if my kids are really sick, they always wake in the night. So, I can sleep easy knowing that they'll wake me if they need me.

Hope your little guy feels better soon! I hate fevers (I have one now & feel just awful)!!!!!

 

Thanks for the info! I appreciate it! Question-so should I not treat the fever during the day? I had one temp read 101.5, the other 102.9(under arms, different arms). I know this is a bit higher, but if it's under 101, would you not treat it, until bedtime? I think I heard that somewhere else as well.

And thank you everyone else for your opinions/thoughts. I ALWAYS checked on my kids before bed. That is-until I gave birth to Annabella. I had a c/s and couldn't do stairs-and they are upstairs. And, I've found it's harder and harder to go in there without them moving around. I would HATE to wake them, as lately, they've been waking at various times of the night calling out, etc. They go back to sleep, but if they saw us, I can only imagine the torture that would bring us! And-when my kids have been sick/teething, etc-they've always been AMAZING sleepers(*KNOCK ON WOOD*), so I would hate to mess with that!

As for Anthony's fever..he woke up fine this am, and then it seemed after nap he was really warm again. I took his temp, and got two different readings, but both were over 101, so I gave him motrin. DH said it was too close to him waking up. I don't know. I need to be extra cautious because he is supposed to have surgery on Friday and he can't if he's sick. It's off to the pedi's tomorrow to check his ears just in case(I secretly hope they find something...I don't want the surgery-but it's just delaying the inevitable!).

 

If you take under arm temps, I always add a degree, so I would treat over 99 under the arm. Part of it depends on how they're acting...if he's acting fine, then I maybe wouldn't treat it. Above 101 is fairly miserable, so I tend to err on the side of caution & just give meds. I never alternate meds unless their temp is above 104 & I always make sure not to give Ibuprofen after noon, so they can get a dose at bedtime (I might give Tylenol in the afternoon if they really seem like they need it). Since your little guy is slated for surgery later this week, I'd definitely get him checked out to make sure he's not sick with something that can be treated (like his ears, for example).

Good luck!

 

I only treat fevers if they're over 102 OR if the kid feels bad. Half the time mine are running around like normal even if they have a 101 degree fever! But to answer your original question, I do check on them before I go to bed like always, and they've been down for a good 3-4 hours by then, and I also jack the volume up on the baby monitor. My guys have been pretty sick the past two nights, and I was up with one of them almost every 40 minutes last night... :blink: I also have one of those temporal thermometers which isn't quite as accurate, but I can get a really good idea without waking them up.

 

Yes, I check on mine. But only if its dead in the middle of the night. I will not check on them during the wee morning hours when they may wake up and be up the rest of the day...say 5ish or 6. I check on them before I go to bed or if I get up in the middle of the night to go to the restroom. My girls usually won't wake up so I don't worry about waking them.

I don't even have a thermometer that works ..so I just use my hand..so I don't treat unless they are burning up (I need to get one).

 

Target has their brand ear thermometers for $19.99.

 

Me too! I feel like the fever is a good thing....fighting off the buggies. If they seem miserable, then I dose.

 

Thanks, Bex, I really do need to get one, I just keep forgetting. I have some coupons for Target, too, so I will check that out this weekend (I'm sure I'll be there Christmas shopping).