Fever: How to Care for Your Child, Age 2–36 Months

Fevers aren't dangerous or bad for children. They help the immune system fight infection. The health care team examined your child and did tests to look for infection. Your child might have gotten fluids if dehydrated, and antibiotics while waiting for the test results. The team found no serious cause for the fever. Your child is feeling better and can be cared for at home. But symptoms can change, so keep watching your child carefully.

• Take your baby to a health care provider for follow-up according to the instructions you were given.

• If your child feels warm, measure the temperature. The best way is to take a rectal temperature (in your child's bottom) with a regular digital thermometer.

• Other methods to measure temperature are less accurate, but can give you a general sense of whether your child might have a fever:

  • You can use a regular digital thermometer to take an axillary (armpit) temperature.

  • You can use a temporal artery thermometer by swiping it across the forehead. 

  • Ear (tympanic) thermometers are OK to use for children 6 months of age and older, but earwax can affect the reading.

  • Do not use a mercury thermometer, as these aren't safe.

• If your child has a fever and is uncomfortable, a medicine may help your child feel better and drink more:

  • If your child has an ongoing medical problem (for example, a kidney, liver, or blood problem): Check with your health care provider before giving any pain or fever medicine.

  • For children 2–6 months: You may give acetaminophen (such as Tylenol® or a store brand).

  • For children over 6 months: You may give acetaminophen (such as Tylenol® or a store brand) OR ibuprofen (such as Advil®, Motrin®, or a store brand).

  • Do not give aspirin to your child as it has been linked to a rare but serious illness called Reye syndrome.

• Offer your child plenty of liquids to drink. It's OK if your child does not want to eat much while having a fever.

• Let your child rest as needed.

• Your child may return to childcare or school after the fever is gone for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine.

Your child:

• refuses to drink

• still has a fever after 2–3 days

• develops a new symptom or specific problem (such as vomiting or diarrhea, cough or congestion, rash, foul-smelling pee or pain when peeing), or if you think your child has belly, ear, or throat pain

• seems to be getting sicker

Your child:

• is very fussy, can't be calmed down, or is hard to wake up

• appears dehydrated; signs include drowsiness, a dry or sticky mouth, sunken eyes, crying with few or no tears, or peeing less often or having fewer wet diapers

• develops bruising or tiny red dots on the skin that look like broken blood vessels

• has a stiff neck and seems to have a headache

• has trouble breathing or swallowing

• has a seizure (body movements that look uncontrolled)

What causes a fever? In most cases, fever in a child is due to a viral infection (such as a cold or a stomach bug). But fever also can be caused by a bacterial infection, which needs antibiotics. Sometimes, kids can get a fever after a vaccination. Teething may cause a slight rise in body temperature, but it is unlikely to cause a fever higher than 100.4°F (38.0°C).

What temperature is considered a fever? Measurement types can give different temperature readings. You should know the number that is a fever for the type of measurement you take:

Can a high fever harm my child? No. Only high body temperatures caused by heat coming from outside the body can be harmful (such as when a child is left in a hot car). A few children have seizures during a fever (febrile seizures). These are scary to see, but they do not cause brain damage or mean a child has a seizure disorder. Most kids who have febrile seizures grow out of them. High fevers don't necessarily mean an illness is serious or that antibiotics are needed. How your child is feeling is more important than how high the fever is.

Does a fever always have to be treated? Not always. If your child seems well, is alert, is drinking, and is acting normally, there is no need to give medicine for fever. If your child seems cranky, tired, and uncomfortable, lowering the fever can help make your child feel better.