PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Winter is here, which means kids are getting sick — and not just with COVID-19.
However, high temperatures are not necessarily a bad thing, according to Dr. Katie Lockwood, an attending physician and primary care doctor at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
“Fevers are part of our body’s natural way of fighting an infection. Cranking up the thermostat is part of how we get rid of that infection faster,” she said.
“We don’t want to just treat the number that we’re seeing on a thermometer. So if a child has a fever, it’s not automatic that they need medication. You really want to look at how your child is with that temperature.”
Of course, when the temperature spikes too high, say, 105 degrees, it’s time to seek treatment.
When using over-the-counter medication, read the label and follow dosing directions exactly.
“The labels will specifically tell you the dosing intervals so you know when you are due for your next dose,” Lockwood explained. “They’ll also tell you if there are other medications that you shouldn’t be taking with that medication, because even things that are over the counter, sometimes they can have interactions with each other.”
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And, she said, use the measuring device provided — a teaspoon from the kitchen isn’t the same.
Also, remember that those multi-symptom medications may contain ingredients your child doesn’t need, and some may be dangerous for very young children.