Fever - what is it and when to worry

Fever is often a very scary symptom for parents. It is estimated that 30% percent of visits to a the Pediatrician are for a child’s fever. Interestingly parents attitude towards fever hasn't changed in over twenty years.

Fever is an important bodily response to illness. Fever is often present at the beginning of an illness as it helps fight all types of infections. Many parents think that fever will harm the child or that the temperature will rise to very high degree. In the absence of extreme external factors (a locked, hot car), the body does an amazing job at keeping the temperature appropriate for fighting infection and for preservation of normal function. Fever itself does not cause injury nor long- term damage.

Many parents will give acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen(Motrin/Advil) for fever thinking that these medications will "cure" the fever. Parents are frequently surprised that the fever returns when the medication wears off. These medications will suppress fever but will not cure the underlying illness. Many viral cold illnesses have fever associated with them and require no intervention. There is actually a theory that suppressing fever (and all the good things it is doing to help fight infection) actually prolongs the illness.

So when should parents call the doctor? Because infants three months of age and younger have no way to tell us they are ill, they should be seen by a physician if they have a rectal temperature of 100.4F (38C) or greater. If the child seems lethargic (acting very ill, barely arrousable), irritable, is having trouble breathing, or having fewer than two wet diapers during waking hours, the child should be seen. If your child has had fever for three-to-five 3-5 days or greater, you should seek care from your Pediatrician. Parents should not fear fever, just for being a fever, but if your child is not acting normal and"right", if you’ are worried, your pediatrician will be happy to see him.

By Zoey Goore, MD, MPH

Sorry for the lack of entries

Sorry for the lack of entries in the past week. I should have posted this note before going out of town but I didn't. I have been out of town with limited internet access. I am returning on Thursday August 2 and have a bunch of new items to blog about. Here is a list of what I have in the works:

• Flexa Furniture -
• Popular new Baby Carrier
• Airline travel with kids
• New Bugaboo Stroller
• More links to car seat info on the web
• Hip Gear for New Dads
• Britax Travel System - new options coming soon!
• Reader survey - let me know what you want to read about

The largest baby and children's product show is just around the corner as well. The ABC Kids Expo is an industry only show and not open to the public but click the preceding link if you want to learn a little more about it. I will be bringing you the scoop on the newest products and trends in the industry. With camera in hand I will also bring you some of the "first looks" on the latest products.

Stay tuned and thanks for reading.

Richard Goore -- www.goores.com -- www.gooresblog.blogspot.com

8 Things No One Tells You About Being a Mom (and how to deal with the ups and downs)

By Paula Spencer

Babies are adorable! There's nothing like the love surge of a full-body hug or the amazed pride you feel when your toddler takes his first steps!

Enough about the bright side. We do moms a disservice if we only gush about the countless truly terrific aspects of raising a child and neglect to mention the, well, harsher realities. It's useful to know that there are not-so-hot sides of the job, if only to take the edge off those inevitable pains of feeling exasperated, unnerved, or just surprised. And it's reassuring to know you're not the only one to admit a downside even exists. This is my list — you'll probably have one, too.

There is no learning curve - Rather, if you graphed it, it would just go up and up. By the time you master colic, it's over. All your smug expertise at changing diapers on an upright toddler becomes obsolete when she graduates to big-kid underwear. Net result: You never feel quite on top of things.

And although the firstborn breaks you in for the next, number two is usually so different in temperament, taste, or developmental pacing that what you learned the first time often doesn't work or apply. My oldest, Henry, would only respond to the loudest of shouts and severest of threats. But when I tried my hard-learned disciplinary tactics on next-in-line Eleanor, the slightest raised voice would make her quiver and tear up.

Silver lining: A good mental workout. I've learned a lot about human behavior that I might not otherwise have — plus a lot about kids' music and books, the art of bandage application, and how to make dinner really fast.

The rest of the story.....

This is a fun, quick read and it’s worth reading the entire article. Many Dad’s (myself included) don’t read all the parenting magazine’s and books that we ought to. Being the husband of a pediatrician, I took even more for granted and assumed that I will pick up what I need to know from my wife. Boy was that the wrong assumption!

We struggle everyday with the same issues Paula mentions in her article. Her Silver Linings are true (at least the ones we have gotten to thus far). One of her 8 things is that you have to Force Yourself to Back Off. It’s hard when we constantly are battling the clock and trying not to be late. When I give my kids that extra time in the morning to tie their own shoes or get dressed by themselves it is worth it (even if we are late) for the satisfaction they get from doing that little task us adults take for granted.

With my kids at the ages of 4 and 6 we encounter new issues every day that weren’t there before. Raising kids is challenging and extremely rewarding at the same time.

………..I can’t wait until they are teenagers!

Richard Goore – http://www.goores.com/ – http://www.gooresblog.blogspot.com/