Little Man!

Ok, if is is 101 or higher CALL DOCTOR, 102 ER time ... If it is less than 101 I would try a tempid bath and see if I could break it myslef. If the fever has been solid at any temp after 2-3hrs call doctor, if it suddenly spikes ER. Those are my general fever rules but you should always talk to your doc when baby is well to see what his preferences are and many practices have a welcome pack with thier fever recomendations on it.

I have 2 boys, 2 and 4, and have never taken them to the ER for a fever even when it was 102. I usually give the baby tylenol and hope that will bring it down. Sometimes you have to give it every 4 hours for 24 hours before the fever breaks. My 4 year old got fevers a lot when he was teething, so yes it could definitely be a teething factor. I didn't see your earlier post to see if there were other symptoms, but if there are and you are worried, it doesn't hurt to call the doctor.

I've got four girls, and have never had to go to the ER. A fever means the body is fighting off an illness - it's a good thing. Yes, it can cause damage in babies if it's too high for too long, but I don't think 101 or 102 is too high if it's only been for a few hours. If it won't go down with washcloths and drinking water/nursing by midday, then I would say you could give some homeopathic meds.

If you think it's teething, Hyland's teething tablets are WONDERFUL. They take care of low grade fevers, snotty noses, and teething pain, and are completely safe. I have no trust in Tylenol or Motrin being safe for my babies. If there is no change by afternoon, especially if baby is not drinking, then call your doctor. They should be able to give you advice and get you in if they think it's necessary. The ER would be a long, expensive, drawn-out headache.

Your cuddles are the most comforting thing for him, so stay close!

Here are some guidelines about temps-what is concerning and what you can ride out:

http://www.ehow.com/about_###-###-####_fever-dangerous-to...

Also, go with your mommy gut. If baby just plain doesn't look right there is absolutely no harm in calling the doctor. That is exactly what they are there for. That's what happened when my oldest actually had pneumonia. I knew there was more going on even though he wasn't really registering with a high fever on regular thermometers. When they did the forehead thing at the er he was something like 103.

I agree with others under 101 is usually not too worrisome. Be very careful with over the counter meds and only take as directed and do not mix any. If it is teething I would caution against using orajel as this can cause breathing issues while they are sleeping. I'd just go with regular baby tylenol or motrin, and a cold teething ring.

Over 101 and you should call your ped and see what they say. Always try call your doc before going to the ER. Your peds office can tell you also when to take him to the ER in general. Definitely listen to your mothers instinct regardless of what the doc says!

This answer may be just for your amusement because I'm an ol' granny now! But I was always taught that if any of my children had a temp of 101 degrees or above, to go ahead and call the doctor, no matter what time it was (and, as you can well imagine, it was ALWAYS after office hours). Perhaps some doctors have different ways of doing things, but it's what I did.

I also called if there wasn't a high temp but the child looked or acted sick. You can tell when something is very wrong, even if you're not sure what it is! It's better to call and find out there's nothing to worry about than to let it go and find out you should have called.

My son was running a pretty intense fever a couple of years ago and I called a nurse on call and she told me to lay him on the couch with no shirt on and put a wet rag on his stomach and his head. Keep the rags cool and give him some baby tylenol or motrin. I never took any of my kids to the ER with a fever. Teething does play a major role in this kind of thing.

I have an 18 month old son as well. A few weeks ago he had a semi bad cold with a runny nose, cough and slight and fever he was lethargic and cranky. I was told that if he only had a cold, unless his fever is over 104 not to take him in - there's nothing they could do. Now, if he were to be pulling at his ears like he had an ear infection then I could take him in if I wanted to get a prescription for antibiotics. Or if there were any other signs of a more severe illness, then take him in. Otherwise, keep his fever at bay with some tylonol.
Good luck to you and I hope your son feels better soon!!

I responded earlier...but I think that you need to do what you think you need to do. That being said, if I were in the situation (which I was - based on what you provided) I would wait it out...no ER for sure - what about regular doctor if you are really worried. Kids get viruses - that is likely to be the report from the doctor!

If he still has a fever tomorrow call the Doc and have him looked at...At this age it could just be teething but you did say that he was a little snotty so could be a cold virus that could turn into ear infection. My kids have had fevers of 102 but then fever broke with medicine-fevers are not all that bad as the body is fighting off infection of some sort....Good luck and hope little guy feels better...When in doubt have him checked :)