Temp >38

DD woke up this morning at 5.30 feeling very warm. I took her temp and it was about 38.2. I just thought maybe she's a bit warm from being in her grobag so I took it off and just left her in her onesie. Gave her a feed and stood in front of one of the open doors for a bit to get the cool air and took a cold washer to bed with us (decided to put her back in bed with me) to put on her head.

She woke up at 7.30, still really warm. Temp was about 38.3 but I didn't leave it there for any longer so it may have been a little higher. I've done the cold washer again, she's now just wearing a singlet and nappy and i gave her some panadol. She doesn't seem 'sick', as in she is bright and alert, chatting and giggling, maybe a bit more grizzly than normal though.

I did think it was her teeth but I can't feel anything and it seems strange for it to just suddenly occur like that.

Whatever the cause, I'm just wondering what to do about her temp...should I keep doing what i'm doing and monitor or see if i can get a doctor's appointment? is 38.2 really that high or should i not be too worried just yet?

It is a temp and if you are worried get her in to a dr to be checked out. My 3 year old woke at 3 with a temp like that too. The only other symptom she has is a cough. We are going to the drs but only cause I need a certificate for my work - I think it is prob just a cold or virus but I guess it could be an ear infection.

Good luck and I hope she feels better!

If she is happy and drinking okay, then I wouldn't worry too much. A temperature above 38 degrees is almost never due to environmental factors - it is much more likely to be either a result of teething, or perhaps a viral infection.

There is no need to worry about bringing a temperature down. It is an important sign that guides us to how our children are coping with an illness, and the temperature itself won't hurt her. Masking the temperature with paracetamol or ibuprofen might makes us not be as worried about an illness as we should be, though, so for that reason I recommend not using paracetamol unless it is really obvious they have aches and pains - grizzling and crying, for instance.

I second the above post! Leave it to take it's own course. Temperatures are the bodies way of fighting infections - infections can't survive in a hot body :)

I hope she feels better soon. No clothes, lots of fluids, a wet face washer to play with and she'll be right in no time!

Thanks Marni, I tried to get into the doctors but they didn't have any appointments until tomorrow..funny how I got in pretty much straight away the last time we needed a doctor and that was on a Saturday morning! Hope your little one is feeling better soon.

Schmickers & fourthontheway - I was trying to tell myself that this morning...just leave it alone and her body will sort herself out...but then I freaked myself out thinking about what would happen if it just kept going up and up :rolleyes: I reall do worry too much sometimes :rolleyes:

Anyway...she refused a couple of bottles today and was still very warm this afternoon, she got quite grumpy too. I went up to the hospital earlier tonight but there was going to be at least a 2 hour wait as they had an emergency case so I came home. She seems ok now, not quite so hot and her temp is back under 38. Might set my phone alarm to check on her overnight as i won't wake up unless she does!

Hopefully it is just her teeth and not something more sinister..I guess it's a good sign that she is a bit cooler though. Will see how we go.