Safe Sprouts

A fever is any temperature 38°C and above.

And they are one of THE most important defence mechanisms our bodies have to get rid of unwelcome guests such as viruses and bacteria.

While fevers can be scary in our littlest family members, it’s important to remember that they are a completely normal response, and there’s a lot we can do to keep our child comfortable.

And while my love of fevers is no secret, if your baby is under 3 months, or immunocompromised, they will need to be taken to the ED. This is not because of the fever itself, but to investigate the ‘guest’ who the immune system is trying to fight off.

Comment FEVER for more info

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🤒 A fever (classified as anything over 38°C) is a completely NORMAL response for a child over 3 months to an infection in the body, and it can actually be a good thing!

❓Hang on….how can a fever be good? And can it ever be bad??

Most ‘germs’ (i.e. viruses) require the body to be a certain temperature in order to survive. So our clever body changes it’s set temperature (by increasing it) so that the internal environment is not favourable for the germs, weakening their hold on the body. Amazing, right? 🤓

However, there are a few times when your child will need to be medically assessed if they have a fever. I call them the RED FLAGS.
See your doctor if your child has a temp of 38°C or above and any of the following:

🚩has persistent vomiting, refusal to feed, floppiness or drowsiness
🚩problems with breathing
🚩pain that doesn’t get better with pain relief medication
🚩a stiff neck, light that is hurting their eyes, and/or a rash
🚩your child seems to be getting more unwell
🚩you FEEL something isn’t right (parent intuition is REAL!!!)

🚩any fever in a child under 3 months or who are immunocompromised- even if they have no other symptoms🚩

We go in very deep in our blog this week on fevers. Link to this blog in bio, or comment FEVERS and I will DM you the link to it.

Kat 🧡