What is the best way to treat a fever?
Fever in a child is probably the most common worrisome condition for a parent and, of course, it spikes in the middle of the night! While 98.6 F (37 C) is recognized as “normal” body temperature, individual people, adults and children alike, can have a lower or higher temperature on a regular basis. Thus, a 3 to 3.5 F elevation above that individual normal should be considered a fever. It is best to measure temperature rectally in children until age 3 since that method is most accurate. Digital thermometers are fairly accurate and have an instant readout. Ear scanners are expensive and are often inaccurate when ear canals are blocked with wax or when a child has an ear infection. Children with fever can be uncomfortable with complaints of headache, body aches, loss of appetite, tiredness, restless sleep and irritability. Their heart rates and respirations increase and their skin flushes. Parents who contact their pediatricians may be told to begin simple, non-medicine treatment to help
