how to tell if they have a temp when you have no termomitor

[kmh]

Charlotte does not seem her self just very sookey and feels a bit warm, she also has been off her feeds for a few days and was bringing yp her milk (which she hardly ever does), just wondering how to take a temp when Madison broke our termomtor(spel)

[simone]

Im not sure, but if her fontanelle gets "spongy" take her to the hossy, its means she's dehydrated. Maybe just some cooled boiled water in a bottle (anneliese wouldn't take the bottle when she was sick, i ended up getting a dropper and putting water, drop but drop, onto her lips where she licked it off. she managed to stay just hydrated enough to stay out of hospital, when she was about to be put on a drip.) i hope charlotte gets better... email me if you need to ask anything else...

[kmh]

thanks simone, i have just made an appointment at the docs for 11:40am she is a sleep at the moment for the 2nd time since 7:30am so she is a bit more4 tired today, I will feel her fontanelle when she wakes up.

[faeriegirl]

we see an "old fassioned" GP i have never heard a bad thing about him but he dosent beleive in thermometers he says that if mum says babys hot baby is hot ! we never actually had one for T.
i hope shes feeling better soon

[simone]

i think they have a temp if even their feet are hot, or something like that..

Good luck at the drs, hope every thing's fine

[Liz]

Tallon has a hot head (in more ways than one! LOL) and when I take his temp, it's normal, so i can't go by feeling his forehead. I've heard too their chest or their belly.

What do you mean by spongey fontanelle? Tallons is sometimes sunken (not badly.. just visible) and it moves in and out.. sometimes in time with his crying! LOL - it's gross! I can't imagine he's dehydrated.. he has plenty of breasfeeds, and loads of soaked nappies.

Kelly - could she be cutting some teeth? Sometimes they get a mild temp and go off food with their teeth.

[simone]

Spongy fontanelle is when the fontanelle is spongy LOL nah, it is normally sunken, and sometimes when they're dehydrated, a spongy fontanelle accompanies this. I check Anneliese's fontanelle when she's not feeding as much, and if she's not wetting as many nappies...

Kelly, is she still wetting her nappies as per usual?? keep not of how many she's wet or soiled in the last few hours... the dr might want to know that. Good luck!!

[kmh]

thanks everyone, she has woken up and chatting, i still will take her has i want to rule out anything to why she is not feeding, though she is still grizzly

[simone]

Maybe teething

[Fenella]

I go by forehead temperature too - I've found that putting my forehead against hers works for me, because if she's much warmer than me I figure it's a temperature. Also now she's older, if she lets me do that, either she's really tired or sick anyway, because normally she will duck to one side

[ShootingStar]

Yeh i go by forehead temp too.
I know after Jesse had his needles and got a temp then he got a little flush in his cheaks.. so that maybe another symptom.

[simone]

Thanks for the tip guys I usually use temp teddies (xanders ok with the thermometer, but the younger two arent to impressed with it) but i dont always have either of those things around.

[kmh]

thanks everyone, Charlotte did have a temp of 39.4 so she was very hot, there is no sign of infection though so i had to get a urine sample, but i wouldn get the results from that till wed and now she has got some sort of rash, I rand nurse on call and they seem to think that she has a viral infection, But Tim will be home soon so when she wakes up if she is not any better i will take her back, I took her temp about 30mins ago and it was 37.4 so not to bad

[simone]

37.4 is pretty good, just keep up the fluids and its should pass on its own. Babies sleep more when they arent well, so i wouldnt stress about it. Anneliese sleeps lots more and it just helps their bodies recover a little. Take the time to enjoy the peace hope she's better soon.

[Schmickers]

It's important not to focus too much on the temperature and look at the whole child. As you aid in your OP, there are other signs - being mroe tired than normal, not taking the breast or bottle as well.

A sunken and spongy fontanelle Is a sign of dehydration vut some fontanelles are normally sunken. A better sign is nappies - if they are not wetting as many nappies as usual, this is a sign of dehydration. and offering cooled boiled water is not recommended for dehydration in BF children - instead offer more frequent breastfeeds. If the child is dry because thay have gastro, try and offer small, frequent BF as tolerated; if they are on formula (or are BF but have severe gastro) you may need to switch to a lactose-free formula, initially at half strength, and then at full-strength, to rest their gut.

Feet, hands, and foreheads are not good indicators of temperature; the chest is, but remember - don't focus on the temperature. For the OP, finally getting the temperature of 39.5 only confirmed what you had already identified - that your child was unwell. And well done on noticing those signs.

[simone]

Michael, i wish i had known about the formula half strength with gastro, my daughter has to stay on lactose free formula for a while as the lining of her gut was damaged... and thanks for the tips re: temp

[Schmickers]

Michael, i wish i had known about the formula half strength with gastro, my daughter has to stay on lactose free formula for a while as the lining of her gut was damaged... and thanks for the tips re: temp

You can't use half-strength formula for any extended length of time, as the amount of calories are diluted, but it's a good trick in the early days to gradually get their gut used to food again.

[kmh]

thank you micheal, i have been too focused on her temp but as a whole she is not her self,her nappies are not nearly as wet this afternoon and she had a rash but that has gone done abit, we are at the doc in the morning(tomorrow)