Patient information · Paediatrics
High temperature in children
advice for parents and carers of under-5s
A fever is a temperature of 38°C or above. It is the body's normal response to infection, and in most children it settles within a few days. How your child looks and behaves tells you far more than the number on the thermometer.
Call 999 or go to an emergency department if your child
- has a rash that does not fade when you press a glass against it (see over);
- has a fit or seizure;
- is very difficult to wake, unusually floppy, or does not respond to you as they normally would;
- is struggling to breathe — grunting, breathing very fast, or sucking in below the ribs or at the neck;
- has skin that looks blue, grey, very pale or blotchy;
- has a stiff neck, dislikes bright light, or has a bulging soft spot on the head;
- is under 3 months old with a temperature of 38°C or above, or 3 to 6 months old with a temperature of 39°C or above.
Trust your instinct. If you feel your child is more unwell than a temperature alone explains, seek help — do not wait to see whether a rash appears. Tower Bridge Hospital London is not an emergency service. The nearest emergency department is the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel Road, London E1 1FR.
The glass test
If your child has any rash, press the side of a clear drinking glass firmly against it and look at the spots through the glass.
If the spots do not fade under the glass, get medical help immediately.
Spots that fade under pressure are usually less serious, but keep checking — a rash can change over hours. Illustration for guidance only.
Looking after your child at home
Do
- Offer small drinks often. Breast milk is best if you are breastfeeding.
- Dress them normally and keep the room at a comfortable temperature.
- Check on them during the night.
- Keep them off nursery or school while they have a fever and feel unwell.
Do not
- Do not sponge your child with cool water or put them in a cold bath.
- Do not undress them completely, and do not wrap them in extra layers.
- Do not give medicine purely to bring the number down if your child is otherwise comfortable.
- Do not give aspirin to any child under 16.
Medicines
- Paracetamol and ibuprofen are equally effective. Give whichever you have, at the dose on the packet for your child's age and weight, if they are distressed or uncomfortable.
- Use one at a time. Do not give both together. If the first has not helped after the recommended interval, you may try the other instead. Ask a pharmacist if you are unsure.
- Check the label of any other medicine you are giving — cold and cough remedies often contain paracetamol or ibuprofen, and it is easy to double up by accident.
- Medicines that lower a temperature do not prevent a febrile convulsion, and are not needed simply to make a number look better.
Signs your child may be dehydrated
- a dry mouth or tongue, and no tears when crying;
- sunken eyes, or a sunken soft spot on a baby's head;
- fewer wet nappies than usual, or dark, strong-smelling urine;
- unusual drowsiness, or cold hands and feet.
Offer frequent small amounts of fluid rather than large drinks. If your child will not drink at all, or you are seeing several of these signs, contact us or NHS 111 the same day.
Book an appointment with us if the fever lasts more than five days, your child seems to be getting worse rather than better, they develop a rash, you have been asked to bring in a urine sample, or you simply want your child examined by a doctor. We see children seven days a week, usually the same day.
Seen today, not next week
Same-day appointments most days, seven days a week, 9am–7pm, on Whitechapel Road.
Tower Bridge Hospital London
97–99 Whitechapel Road, London E1 1DT
WhatsApp 07903 284 189
info@mhwclinic.co.uk
Open Mon–Sat, 9am–7pm (closed Sundays until September)
In an emergency
Call 999, or go to the Royal London Hospital Emergency Department, Whitechapel Road, London E1 1FR.
When we are closed and it is not an emergency
Call NHS 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk.
Also able to advise
Your own GP · Your local pharmacist