105.9 Fever in Almost 4 Yo

I think I'd be taking her to the ER, personally. I'd rather be safe than sorry - that is a VERY high temp.

uti has caused that in my younger daughter
in my older daughter it was once caused by 5th disease (a lacy rash will appear the day after the fever goes away), another time it was caused by influenza B (no vomiting, just really really high fever)

hugs, this is so hard on mom especially when you are protecting the infant from getting it so you can't be "mom" to the sick one!

Yes, my son had a fever of 105.5 a couple of years ago. It was VERY scary, so my heart goes out to you. He had roseola. I hope that the fever resolves quickly and that you have some help around the house so you can get a break.

I probably would have taken her to the ER. My kids have never had a fever that high.

But I have a 6 year old, 2 y/o and a 4 week old. The older kids were sick with fevers last week, I think I even got sick, I am breastfeeding and my newborn hasnt gotten it. Thank God!

Please call the ER and ask to speak to a triage nurse for advice, you may need to take your daughter in.

You've been doing all the right things... and they're not helping... time to take her in to the ER. (BTW... the "if you can get it down" usually has a 20 minute time limit on it).

As to your Q... yes. Often with kids who have measles (not saying your daughter does, that's just where I've seen a lot of 105-6 fevers). It tends to be 50/50 on whether they live or not & whether they suffer brain damage / eye damage or not. ALSO with kids with meningitis I've seen a lot of 105+ fevers. Those outcomes tend to be a lot better (in my experience, not statistically - I haven't looked up the mortality and morbidity stats and done a comparison- this is *just* my experience), because meningitis can be treated a lot more effectively than measles, so the high fevers are of shorter duration, so there's less organ damage, in my experience. Based off of THOSE two sets of experiences with high fever... ER.

My 10 month old just had 104.5 fevers a week ago and I was not worried. It my doc said that we have been lead to believe that high fevers are dangerous,when actually they are good for you. Her fever lasted 3 days and I only gave her tylenol at night so she could sleep. It is so high because he/she is trying to fight off a virus. I know it's scary, but it's not dangerous until it gets to 107. Really, I was always told that as soon as you get to 105 that your brain starts to fry. NOT TRUE. You are doing everything fine. Let her burn the virus off. GIve meds only when he/she is uncomfortable. I know it's scary, I've been there many times. Oh, and my son use to have febrile seizures all the time. Every time he had a fever. After the 3rd, I stopped rushing him to the ER. They are completely harmless. My son was even having one for 25 minutes one time, and the paramedics told me that was a bad sign. So, if your child has one and it doesn't stop fter 5-10 minutes, then call if you're worried, but learn how to really handle it so you don't get so scared every time it happens.

OK, so here's my input. Both of my children have had very high fevers in the past. If the newborn was to get it depending on his/her age they would admit and run a battery of tests to rule out meningitis. As for your older child if the doctor can not figure out what is causing the high temps they will not give antibiotics and will have you treat with tylenol/motrin which it sounds like you are doing. I have be reassured by several pediatricians, ER's and nurses from different practices and hospitals that it is not necessarily how high the fever but the sudden change in temperature. So, ice cold baths is a definite no no as this will shock the body and can cause seizures. I usually sat in a luke warm tub and ran water down the back until the child felt like they were cooling down. Also, apparently in some cultures (Chinese I believe I was told by ER) they actually pile blankets on top of the kids to 'sweat' out the cold. I have never done that usually I just leave them in a diaper or underwear. Keep the child well hydrated as that's where you can run into more problems. My little guy had a high fever but was admitted for dehydration which was horrible. If you don't notice any improvement or the child starts to become lethargic call Dr. right away (which I'm sure you would do anyway). Best of luck!

I can see how you were worried, and I am glad the fever broke. I have a kid that gets super high fevers when sick. I am not worried about them. Well, if it got to 105.8 I may worry but not go to the ER. Fevers are supposed to be there to fight the illness. I let them do their job unless I suspect a seizure. Then I may try and bring it down a little bit. But, if my kid has a febrile seizure it's scary but not really that big of a deal. Will not cause brain damage or anything.

I'm glad your daughter is feeling better!! If the temp comes back there is a remedy you can try that usually worked for my daughter. This is going to sound insane but it works. Take some raw egg whites & soak them in paper towels & wrap them around her feet then put a plastic bag over each foot. The egg whites will cool her down. You can also give your babies children echinacea to boost their immune system. The brand I use is for infants 4 lbs. & up. It's good to open some windows from time to time to let the germs air out so the other children won't get sick. Good luck!!

Go to the ER! She is at risk for febrile seizure. That is way too high and she needs seen. Fevers coinside with secondary infections/ virus, but fever too high leads to seizure, brain injury, and lots of other things you dont need to read about on your iphone while also caring for your NB. Youre in my thoughts and prayers, but please stay with your NB (doesn't need hospital germ exposure) and have your husband take your daughter.
Just my advise. I think you have a great concern and good parenting skills too! :) Trust your motherly intuitions...

I am not a medical practitioner, but I am a CT technologist. I used to work at a children's hospital- doing CAT scans and have scanned lots of kids post seizure with head trauma. I still advise to go to the ER... and OF COURSE don't apply layers of blankets!

I had a 105 fever when I had measles at age 4, my mom took me to the ER and she said they put me in bath of pure ICE water! That seems pretty torturous... but I guess it worked and Im here now. 105 is pretty darned hot and scary. I always put my kids in a tepid bath then turned on the cold water once they were in the tub and brought the fever down slowly. Usually when it get's that high it means it's getting ready to break and the healing process begins.... the high fever can cause problems tho like seizures and such so if you can't bring it down with your own tactics it's best to take them to the pros.

My husband is a paramedic -- He said if this occurs again (after the tylenol and motrin and cool baths) that you have to strip her and put ice packs behind her knees and in her armpits. This cools the arteries that are running back to your core. It is what the ER does if they cannot get a childs temp down. No blankets, clothes, etc. In my opinion I would let the ER be the "bad guys" because I would have a hard time packing my little lovebug with ice when they are already miserable. I hope it is broken!!!

Hi, A.. My daughter, now 9 and a half, also hit a temp. (almost) this high when that Swine Flu thing was rampant. She was 7. I think hers went up to 105.5º. I was frantic, and wanted the pediatrician to give me the green light to rush her to the ER 9of course because the office was closed). But, when I called, he calmed me down a bit and said that it is not how high the fever is, but how fast it spikes, and what the child's behavior is like during the fever. I was also told to do the Tylenol / Motrin piggyback thing, and administered the Motrin about an hour and a half early. Within the hour, her temp. went to 103.8º, and he said she should be alright, but to continue to watch. I never thought I would breathe a sigh of relief for a temperature of almost 104º! From that point on, it very slooooowly went down. It took her almost 8 days to get back to under 100º. I found that advice to be sound. Although her fever was high, she was able to move and talk to us. She wasn't hallucinating, or acting lethargic. She was in pain, but there were still tears indicating she was not dehydrated. Hang in there! Lots of liquids, watch her closely, and TLC. Viral infections are usually much higher temp than bacterial. Good luck!

So glad to see that you got so many responses in 4hrs! Even better to hear your daughter's fever broke. We had a similar incident right after my son turned 4 (turned out he did have strep). My other two children are the same age as yours -- the baby is now 12wks old. My hands were so dry and chafed from all of the hand washing and hand sanitizer because we were terrified about the baby getting sick. Luckily, my son was old enough to understand to stay away from his baby sister for a little while. A few days later, I came down with a fever for a couple of days but that was it in our household. If we can contain an illness to the sick child without everybody in the house getting sick (or at least the other kids), then we consider that to be a big win. Good luck!

My son used to spike a fever like that at that age - absolutely terrifying.

You are doing the right thing, alternating Tylenol and Ibuprofen, tepid baths, lots of fluids. I also use to keep his head wet - just dampen his hair in the tepid bath or run a wet washcloth over it. We loose most of our heat through our head, so it would lower his fever as the water literally evaporated from the fever heat off his head.

Most importantly, even when you think her fever is under control - don't skip a dose of meds. I did that once - the 10pm temp checked out at normal. So I didn't give him another dose. At 2am he had a fever of 105.

Your parenting skills seem just fine to me A..
I hope you have been able to get a little rest and I hope your daughter is better soon.

God Bless

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Anything over 103 I would take to ER or an Urgent care. If it stays that high for too long it can do damage on the inside.

This can be a scary thing. I hope things turn around and the fever breaks:) Hang in there mama.

Epstein Barr, meningitis, and Roseola are the other virals I can think of that include high fevers... and can be checked by a lab test.

Sounds like you've done or are doing what would have been recommended anyways... lots of healthy and lucky thoughts going your way.

I hope you are over the worst. It is so scary for us parents! The highest I've dealt with was 104.9 in my 18 month old. If it helps my ped said alternate tylenol and mortin every 4 hours and if you can't get it under 104 with medicine go to the ER. In my experience the medication can take up to 90 minutes to kick in (doctor siad and hour).

my daughter has urinary reflux.the sym r lethargic, high fevers, vomiting runnies and frequent hospital visits.she was 18 months when i found out she had it.we did advitl and tyonal.jus had to write down when it was givin.should talk with your dr about it.

My daughter had the flu back in February and her temp went from 101 when we first got to the doctors office to 107 in about 10 mins. It had been averaging 103-104. She was freezing! She had sweats on and a blanket and still just shivering. They told us to get the blanket off of her and not keep her covered that only helps increase the temp. By the time we left the hospital about 3 hours later her fever was back down to 101. Give meds but don't keep her covered with a fever that high.
Hope she feels better soon!

Whew! Febrile seizures do not lead to brain damage. And, a new born can catch a virus. It is best to keep her separated. You're in contact with your doctor. You've done what he's told you to do. Don't listen to us on this site who are not medical practitioners.

Until I took my teen daughter to the ER with tonsillitis one holiday I wasn't aware to keep a person with a fever only lightly covered. Keeping them piled with blankets just keeps them warm and helps the fever to get higher.

You are doing everything I would have suggested. Both my daughters ran very high fevers when they were sick. Their fever usually would top off at 106. The first time it happens is the scariest, if it happens again it is easier to deal with. Hope she's feeling better soon.

I am sorry for all of this stress that is upon you and your family right now.
I hope she is feeling better now.
I pray you all stay healthy and that you all get lots of rest.

Keep with Tylenol and Motrin.
Keep with the cool baths.
Keep giving fluids. ( no red fluids ).

Let her eat whatever she wants.

When she is laying down put ( Be Cool ) patches on her forehead and the back of her neck.

Put Vicks on the bottom of her feet and then socks. The Vicks pulls the fever out through their feet.

With 4 kids of my own, I have been there and done that. I wish you all the best. God Bless You, your husband, and all of your babies.

This is dangerous. She could have a convulsion. Make a luke warm bath and put her in it. If you have peppermint tea put that in it. It breaks fever. You have go to get her fever down.
You are a good Mom so get her fever down fast. Breastfed babies usually don't catch much from the siblings until they are 8 or 10 mos old.

Just to help ease your mind a little. I used to (and sometimes still occasionally do) have really horribly high fevers. When I was about seven, I had one reach 106.3 and started to hallucinate. My mom had just checked my temp half an hour before and it was 103, then I started shouting about a dog in the room. They immediately wrapped me up and rushed me to the ER. They packed me in ice (at least that was what I was told, I don't remember any of it). It eventually came down and after a night in the hospital they released me. I have no lingering side effects.