Bringing a new baby home from the hospital can be one of the best and scariest days of your entire life. I did it twice and both times, believe it or not, the doctor didn’t give me a baby training manual. Of course, since mothers themselves are human beings, they are born with all the knowledge to nurture a child from infancy to adulthood. You won’t believe the hype! I had never been around the smallest children, and when they were born to me, they were so created from another planet that I knew how to care for them. All books like, What To Expect When Your Expecting, never really touch on what actually HAPPENS when the baby gets home. As soon as you arrive for several nights, weeks and months with your new miracle, the first fever will inevitably rear its ugly head. Now if you are a first time parent, you will have some difficulty if your child actually has a fever. Below you will find four ways to take your child’s temperature, and finally, what medicine can treat a fever, and when to call a pediatrician.
Oral thermometer
The oral thermometer you remember from your youth is a different version than the one we have today. The old ones had mercury in them and were very dangerous to children. Those who today are much safer, it is hardly necessary to go under the tongue and read under the minutes. Using an oral thermometer on a new baby, however, is useless. A new baby won’t lie still long enough for you to check their temperature and you’re probably going to start a serious crying fit if you force the thermometer into their kiss. Don’t go this route until your child is around 4 or 5 years old.
Forehead thermometer
A stick placed on the forehead or a thermometer is not a good way to take your baby’s temperature. It can be completely inaccurate and when you need to decide whether to take your child to the emergency midnight, knowing the exact temperature depends. You don’t want to bundle up your baby, wake up your whole family and make an unnecessary trip to the hospital if your baby’s fever isn’t even relatively high. They don’t even try forehead thermometers. Believe me.
Under Arm Thermometer
A thermometer under the arm is a fairly easy and accurate way to take your baby’s temperature but always remember to add a degree. For example, if you take a thermometer and it reads 99.9 then your baby’s temperature is actually 100.9. Always try to place the thermometer under the left arm, as it is closer to the heart and try to place the tip in the direct center of the arm pit.
The thermometer is right
Many parents are a bit caught off guard using the thermometer right in their newborn mode strictly because of where the baby goes. But here is the truest thermometer of all. When you take a baby’s temperature correctly, you will have their internal body temperature. You need to lie the baby on the side or tummy, use the petroleum jelly on the end of the thermometer and barely insert it. Hold the baby still and a release movement until the thermometer receives a reading.
So report what the actual reading temperature is. The status quo is that 98.6 is normal but in reality, every person on the planet has a different “normal”. Common ranges for most 98.6-100.4. If your child’s temperature is over 100.4 then he definitely has a fever. Children younger than 3 months of age need to be seen by a doctor anytime they have a temperature over 100.4. In children over 3 months of age, the temperature to be considered as concern is 102.4. Always have acetaminophen and ibuprofen on hand. Most doctors will advise the best course of action to bring down the fever and use intermittent medication. It is also wise not to over-dress the baby, because sometimes they can have fever symptoms due to the way they are dressed, as in winter. Do not put a child in a cold bath to bring down a fever. If a child is sitting in cold water, the cold enough bumps on the surface of the skin, then the body will start shivering to try to warm itself back up. Instead, place the child in a warm water bath and gently pour it over the child’s back and abdomen, where most of the fever can be felt. After the child sleeps through the night he can sleep sheet if necessary. If the fever persists for more than 2 days and if other symptoms are clear, you will call your pediatrician and come in, just make sure that they are not bacterial infections< present Once you and your baby survive your first fever, you'll both be comfortable handling it.
