Three year old has a continuous fever only at night?

Question

She acts completely normal during the day except with a bit of a hacking cough and she has no fever and she eats and drinks okay. But at night she just heats up! I'm sure we're not over bundling her but she just keeps on having a low fever every night. This has been reoccurring for 3 days now. What could she have? Should we go check with a doctor or wait it out a little longer?

thanks

Answer 1

Hi,

My daughter went through the same thing. When we took her to the Dr. she told us that an unexplained fever (without many other symptoms) is dangerous because the likely cause is an infection. I would take her in, better to be safe than sorry.

Answer 2

How high is the fever?  I would say take her to the Dr so that you can rule anything out.  If it is something serious then you would want to have it checked out sooner than later!

Answer 3

It is normal for a sick child to spike a fever during the night.   If it is hovering between 100 and 101.5, it may be a sign of infection, and you should have her checked.  If it spikes higher than 101.5, it is most likely viral.  Keep notes on how high it goes and how you are treating it.

Tell the doctor if she:

Is restless during the night

Is teething

Shows signs of changes in appetite or intestinal difficulties (loose stool, etc.)

Make sure she is properly hydrated by giving her a dixie cup of water every hour or so, too.  It is summer, so if she is spending a lot of time outdoors, she can be having signs of dehydration (which can cause low fever.)

Follow your instincts on when to call the doctor, but I'd say if it lasts more than a day or two more, I would make an appointment.

Good luck!

Answer 4

If it continues for a day or so, I suggest going to the doctor. It also might be a phycosomatic [spelling?] thing. Is she scared of anything at night like monsters or robbers? I knew a little boy who was so scared that a theif was going to come into his house he had a stomachache every night. Hope I help!

Answer 5

She could have an infection.  Maybe just a virus.  If she has had a fever at night for three days, I would take her to the doctor to have her checked.