3 Y/o with 105.0 Fever......how High Is TOO High?? I

Updated on June 13, 2012
M.Q. asks from Perris, CA
32 answers

High fevers don't scare me, but this one is scaring me.I usually don't bring fevers down unless my child is very uncomfortable b/c I know it's the body's way of stopping the bacteria from growing but I took her to her ped this morning, fever was 102.9, ears are fine, throat is fine, gave her 7.5ml ibuprofin when fever hit 103.6 so i could liven her up and get her to drink some lemonade, which she did, she is very well hydrated.. Fever went down and 2 hrs later it's back with a vengance @105.0 in left ear 104.6 in right ear. She is not due for ibuprofin for 4 more hrs and tylenol is due in 2 more hrs. So far Ive stripped her down to undies, covered her in a very light sheet (she's shivering) and put a cool towel on her head. None of my girls have EVER had a fever this high, i spoke to her pedi he says I'm doing everything right and to take her to the ER if she keeps spiking so high. I worry of a febrile seizure so i'm right by her side. Has anyone's child had a fever so high?

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So What Happened?

Hello friends, thank u all for the great advice. So i took her back in about 1 hr after posting and i was reassured over and over again that this was probably viral and we had to wait it out.when i called to get an apptm they told me to go ahead and give her the tylenol although it wasnt time. And by the time she was seen her fever was down to 103.7 still high but better.Turns out both my 3 y/o and 23 mo old have herpangina which is just like hand foot and mouth disease, this explains the sore throat, and the baby now has sores on her feet, there's another mild outbreak at school (they had a hand foot and mouth outbreak a few month back)and this explains my 3 yo's sore throat although her ped said her throat looked good, the sores were probably further down. Thanks again and you all would be surprised at how calm the doctors were about her high fever. no need to call 911, no need to take her to the ER and expose her more. They were able to go back to school one week after her fever broke.

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B.B.

answers from New York on

When the fever is that high you have to give a higher dose of motin and tylenol, alternating the two. I would take her to the doctor the ER though ASAP since the only time this happened with my son he had pnuemonia. Fevers are usually not this high without something really being wrong (infections, ect).

2 moms found this helpful

C.M.

answers from Washington DC on

do not wait! Get her to the ER now!! My son gets high fevers. Most recent was pneumonia. When he was 2, it was a bladder infection. 105 is really high. I would not wait any longer. I hope she feels better!

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C.R.

answers from Kansas City on

I would be at the ER! My doctor says anything over 104 is reason to go to the ER. I usually am there at 103, and usally they have an ear infection with that fever.

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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

I hope you're not reading this because you're already in the ER

IF NOT GO AND GO NOW

You're in seizure and brain damage territory.

104 and out the door.

Fevers can and do spike in toddlers up to 107 & death. Once you pass 104 the body is not capable of self regulating. Occasionally someone will be used to high fevers (like I'm used to my sons oxygen dropping and can treat at home LONG past when a first time kid would be admitted to the hospital, not just treated).

GO AND GO NOW. Stopping for red lights only as common sense dictates. If you're more than 5 min away call 911 and have an ambulance take her. I am not in any way joking.

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B..

answers from Dallas on

That is too high. What's worse, is that it has not been getting lower even medicated. Your child needs to see a doctor. Like, now.

7 moms found this helpful

A.R.

answers from Houston on

Personally I would take her to the urgent care clinic at this point. Ours have you being seen by a doctor within 20 minutes.

If you want a second opinion, call an urgent care clinic. They listen very patiently to all of the symptoms and can give you good advice on when to bring your child in and on what to do. We use those instead of ERs which have long wait times.

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A.L.

answers from San Francisco on

please take her to the ER... that high of a fever is extremely dangerous

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

A temp of 105.5 is too high.

Take her to the ER or urgent care.

She is shivering because of the fever.
She has chills.
Which is common with fever.
She probably also has a headache. This can occur with fever too.

The fever IS spiking.

You NEED to take your child to the ER.
Today.
Now.

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B.A.

answers from Chicago on

If Motrin and Tylenol are not keeping her below 102.9 take her to the ER. She my need more to get her fever and infection under control. I'd rather be told by an ER doc they will be fine then risk it and change your life forever. She may need more fluids than she can drink.

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M.O.

answers from New York on

Too high. Much too high. I almost never say this, but call 911. Right now.

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J.T.

answers from Dallas on

please make sure you're not "lowballing" on the ibuprofen/tylenol dosing... give her the full dose that is appropriate for her weight. additionally, while a fever that high is certainly something to watch VERY closely, don't let people freak you out that she's gonna have brain damage with anything over 104, and you also need to consider her behavior, is she conscious/aware of the world around her/making sense... my oldeset child is a "spiker", he has gone up to 107.5 before, he was 3yo with that one - we've hit 106 a couple times as well, he has never had a seizure, nor brain damage. keep her appropriately medicated and cool(but not an ice bath or anything like that, a body temp shocker like that CAN actually cause problems if not done in a VERY closely medically supervised manner). also, i'd check her rectally, those ear thermometers are notoriously inaccurate - i've had wildly high and different readings out of those - at that high of a temp, you need to KNOW what her temp is, and you need it accurate. did her temp initially lower after the fever reducing meds? if so, i'd be inclined to wait it out one more dose as long as it doesn't climb any higher before the next dose. i'm always leery of hitting an ER or hospital unless we REALLY need to, sometimes you end up picking up bonus illnesses or you end up waiting forever on a dose of fever reducing meds - if you go, take your meds with you so you can dose her if you end up waiting... good luck and hope she's better REALLY soon! we are dealing with a crazy fever here as well, hit 104 yesterday, pedi can't really pinpoint what's wrong, we're going with "it's viral", but this is day 4 - so back on thursday if we don't get better :(

edited to add: good grief, don't call 911 - a conscious child with a 104 fever is NOT an emergency for an ambulance...

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⊱.H.

answers from Spokane on

I would take her to the ER.

And please, keep us posted on how she is doing!! Sending prayers!

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A.H.

answers from Washington DC on

My husband had a 105 fever and we took him to the ER just in time. The doctor told us with a temp this high there is a possibility of seizures, brain and organ damange. Take your kid to the ER. Please !!

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N.P.

answers from San Francisco on

I don't like fevers getting higher than 104. So when it hits 103 I dose with meds and only once did it ever get up to 104.5. I stripped her and put her in a lukewarm bath to bring it down. She hated it but she's just fine. I was always told that if a temp gets around 106 it could cause brain damage so I don't like to mess around with high temperatures in small kids. Here's a fever guideline I found:

In young children, it is broken down by age:

- Under 3 months: Call a doctor for any rectal temperature over 100.2 degrees.
- 3 to 6 months: Call a doctor for any rectal temp over 101.
- 6 to 12 months: Call a doctor for any rectal temp over 103.
- In children over 12 months and adults, there are other things to consider. Some situations that warrant calling a doctor include:

- A child under age 2 who has a fever for over 24 to 48 hours
- A fever that lasts longer than 48 to 72 hours in older children and adults
- A fever over 105 degrees, which could indicate a more serious illness
- Presence of other concerning symptoms such as a stiff neck, confusion, difficulty breathing, or a first-time seizure
- Presence of other symptoms that make you think an illness may need to be treated, such as a sore throat, earache or cough
- You think you may have incorrectly dosed medication, or you aren’t sure what dose to give

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J.S.

answers from Hartford on

Ear thermometers are notoriously inaccurate. I would toss it and get a either a Vicks digital readout thermometer or a temporal lobe thermometer.

If you're absolutely certain that the readings you're taking are accurate, then take her to the ER now. 104* is dangerously high already.

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J.M.

answers from Missoula on

Honestly, I would probably take her to the ER at this point... I generally trust the doctor, but if it is spiking that high on medication I wouldn't leave it to chance... Better safe than sorry, you know? ESPECIALLY since she is obviously not feeling well either. (My DD spiked to 104.6 one night, but she was acting completely normal, so I wasn't too worried then...)

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M.L.

answers from Colorado Springs on

Yes. Call your doctor again if you're that concerned, just to double-check the instructions. The temp is two degrees higher than this morning. I think I'd be on the way to the ER with the child.

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L.M.

answers from Houston on

Do not 'cold-sponge' a child who has a fever. This used to be popular, but it is now not advised. This is because the blood vessels under the skin become narrower (constrict) if the water is too cold. This reduces heat loss, and can trap heat in deeper parts of the body. The child may then get worse. Many children also find cold-sponging uncomfortable.

Some people use a fan to cool a child. Again, this may not be a good idea if the fanned air is too cold. However, a gentle flow of air in a room which is 'room temperature' may be helpful. Perhaps just open the window, or use a fan on the other side of the room to keep the air circulating.

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K..

answers from Phoenix on

Is this question for real?

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M.D.

answers from Washington DC on

THAT is WAY too high!! My daughter had febrile seizures from fevers that spiked - you should be in the ER with a fever that high!!!

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S.H.

answers from St. Louis on

scares you...no way around it.

I would sponge her down, regularly. & keep pumping fluids. With a fever such as this, it's really easy to dehydrate.

My Mom swears by a wet cloth on the back of the neck "to keep the brain stem cool". Hope this helps.

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K.O.

answers from Atlanta on

I'm pretty laid back, but I'd be very concerned that her fever is that high on both tylenol and motrin. I'd say go to ER. I have a child that gets those high fevers (along with febrile seizures) but she always responds to the medicine, going down to at least 102-101.

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L.N.

answers from New York on

yes my kids tend to hit 105 but usually when they have strep, and 104.5 when they have the flu. rotate between tylenol and motrin. did they take a culture of the throat?
this is probably an infection which requires antibiotics. common cold, viral etc go up to 103, higher than that it's dangerous.
ps my kids have no other symptoms other than a high fever when they get strep. no white dots or anything of the sort plus the rapid strep test never catches it. it's the 48 hrs one that shows as positive in such cases but with my kids' history the doctor will prescribe an antibiotic while waiting for results and sure enough it has always returned positive for strep.

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K.M.

answers from Kansas City on

Please update us when you get back! Sending positive thoughts!

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M.H.

answers from Chicago on

Call your doc, or get her to the ER.. We have an awesome doc office I can call and talk to the nurse and they can also direct ..

FYI.. My hubby used to get fevers, they found out he was allergic to the enamel on his teeth.. (no lie).

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H.G.

answers from Dallas on

I give meds for any rise in temp. We would of already been at the ER. hope she feels better.

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V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

Also, something to think about:
How are you taking her temperature? If you are taking it through an ancillary location (under the arm) then you generally need to add 1/2 to 1 degree to the temperature reading. So if it is reading 103.6 under the arm, the actual number would be 104.1-104.6 degrees. That needs attention, not wait and see...

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M.C.

answers from Washington DC on

definitely do the tempid baths. Make sure you know her correct weight so the dosing can be correct. My son had a situation where it spiked hours before he was due anything. I took him in to the ER. They weighed him. He had gained 5 lbs and I wasn't giving him enough medicine.

My son used to get high fevers like that. 103-104. Turns out his body was fighting a food allergy that we didn't realize was a food allergy. Each time I took him to the dr. or ER they would say it was a virus and send me home.
When we did figure out what he was allergic to after 10 months of fevers on and off, it turned out it was a fruit that he'd been eating since he was 6 months old.

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S.B.

answers from Colorado Springs on

Sorry that your daughter is sick LoveMy4Girls. May I ask if she has any other symptoms such as a rash? My daughter's doctor told me that it's not so much how high the fever is but how the child is behaving (Ex...can she stand, is she freaking out/crying; is she calm, etc.)even at a 105 temp. My daughter once had a fever that continued to go up and down between 103.0 to 106.0 and she ended up having to be hospitalized. She is allergic to Amoxx and the over the counter meds didn't keep the fever down. Before she was hospitalized they took blood tests, throat swab, chest x-ray, etc. I would definitely go back to the hospital and have them take these tests.

I hope your daughter feels better soon. Take care!

F.M.

answers from San Antonio on

Yes, and we held him and took a 10 minute COLD SHOWER. I was SHIVERING and he was complaining, but it worked to get his fever down. I think if you go to the ER, they'll do the same thing - put the kid on ice and give him a high dose of meds.

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M.B.

answers from Washington DC on

Put her in a lukewarm bath and start making it progressively colder as she is in it. You need to get that fever down ASAP.

I'll also support the idea of taking her to the ER... I'm just saying that the quickest way to get her fever down is the bath, and a kid with a high fever isn't going to go straight in to be seen if there's a wait at the ER.

During the bath, I'd call the medical facility and see what kind of wait they have. I'd also call the Dr.

She will not like the bath, but her comfort isn't #1 right now, reducing her fever and finding the root cause is. I.E.: also, no sheet or blanket.

Just a bit of info: my husband had a fever of 106.5 when we were dating. He was 20. He was not responding to fever reducer at all... SO, they did tests and found out his body was fighting e.coli. They put him on Cipro (anti-biotic) and it worked like a charm.

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M.P.

answers from Green Bay on

It could be roseola - which is very common, causes HIGH Fevers, but is a virus, meaning nothing they can do about it. It causes a rash, but not until fever BREAKS. Scary, I know.

It could just be a virus - in which case they won't give antibiotics and you will just have to wait it out. However, if you are nervous, or can't bring the fever down with what you are doing, I would certainly say to bring her back in as well. At least then you will be in the company of people who know what they are doing should anything happen. But be ready for some testing and the possibility that it could just be a nasty virus!! :-( Good luck!!!

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