Fevers are a defense mechanism of the body against bacteria and viruses. Both these types of germs prefer and thrive in a temperature around 98.8 degrees F. Fever is the body's way of making your body unsuitable for the germs to survive and killing it to clear the infection. Usually a fever is a good sign that your toddler's body is functioning the way it should to keep your baby healthy but persistent fevers can mean trouble and need for a medical intervention.
First of let's consider what counts as a fever and when you should be worried. A healthy toddler's body temperature is usually in the range 97-100.4 degree F. A body temperature exceeding it counts as a fever. Your child being hot and flushed from playing and excessive clothing and sweat does not count as a fever. Giving the child some time to cool down and removing the extra clothing will bring back the body temperature to normal.
Only a temperature reading is not sufficient to know whether the fever is serious or not. Keep an eye on your child's behavior irrespective of the temperature. A higher temperature that doesn't keep your toddler from eating or playing is most probably not serious enough to cause alarm but requires you to keep an eye none the less. If your child is in a good mood, is taking enough fluids and food and playing it is a good sign despite the rise in temperature. However, if the fear lasts more than 24 hours or is recurrent then its best to pay the doctor a visit or call him.
A high fever, a persistent fever and a fever of 104 degree F are all signs that medical intervention is needed and that you should call the doctor or pay him a visit. Depending on your child's fever and additional symptoms the doctor will treat the fever accordingly. In some cases, if the fever is brought down with medication, the fever will persist because the medication doesn't help clear the infection.
Usually if your child's fever is not affecting his/ her behavior then it might not need treatment and its best to let the fever run its course while ensuring that the child is adequately hydrated with fluids and is taking adequate rest. Also, ensure that you keep a track of your child's body temperature every few hours.
Depending on what is causing the fever and how severe the infection is, the fever can last anything between 1-7 days. Usually an infection takes 2-3 days to clear froth body and that is how long the fever will last. In some cases, like influenza the fever can last up to 5-7 days, while treatment with antibiotics will take 48 hours for the infection to reduce and the fever to come down.
Depending on your child's symptoms and temperature, the fevers usually subside within a week at most with proper medication if deemed required by the doctor. Keeping a close eye on your child is all it takes in addition to being well read up to deal with such situations in an appropriate way for your child.
