When infants or young children have fever or the flu, they can’t say what is wrong or how they feel. Parents have to be one part mind reader and one part detective.
Symptoms of the flu include fever, muscle aches, fatigue, headache and congestion. Children may also have nausea or vomiting. If a child has a fever – considered more than 100.4 – parents should pay particularly close attention to their baby’s behavior.
“If your child has a fever, be on the lookout for profuse vomiting, difficulty breathing or very unusual actions,” said Dr. Gail Demmler, pediatrician and director of Texas Children’s Diagnostic Virology Lab. “If a baby younger than 2 months has a fever, you should call the doctor.”
Demmler said the most accurate way to take a baby’s or toddler’s temperature is rectally.
“If you take a child’s temperature under the arm, be sure to leave the thermometer in place for two or three minutes,” she said. “Ear thermometers are not accurate for children under 3.”
If your child does have a fever, the best way to help bring it down is with acetaminophen and ibuprofen, Demmler said. These medications usually work within an hour. Don’t give aspirin to children.
“Alcohol baths, cold baths and cold washcloths are not effective,” said Demmler. “They actually make the child more uncomfortable and don’t help with the symptoms.”
Take your child to the pediatrician or emergency room if he or she shows any of these symptoms:
- Rapid or labored breathing, bluish skin tone
- Not drinking enough to prevent dehydration
- Changes in mental or emotional status; for example, not waking up, not interacting
- Intense irritability, so much so that he or she doesn't want to be held.
- Relapse in flu symptoms, return of fever or worsening of cough after getting better
- Worsening of underlying medical conditions, such as heart or lung disease, diabetes
