A fever is not an illness but a sign of an illness. Fever may actually be beneficial in fighting off infection. A high fever is 103.6 degrees F or higher, according to Dr. Sears. In some infants, a high fever can cause irritability, a rapid heart rate, increased breathing rate, dehydration and febrile seizures. Although febrile seizures are scary, they are usually not serious and cause no lasting damage, indicates the American Academy of Pediatrics' HealthyChildren.org.
Causes
Infants usually have higher temperatures than older children. Everyone's temperature is highest in the late afternoon and evening and lowest between midnight and early morning. This means that if your infant has a fever, her temperature can spike in the afternoon. According to HealthyChildren.org, typical causes of fever include respiratory illnesses like croup or pneumonia, ear infections, the flu, bad colds and sore throats. Bowel, blood and urinary tract infections, meningitis and several viruses also cause fever.
Dehydration
While an infant with a high fever may be irritable and have an increased heart and breathing rate, a very serious side effect of a high fever is dehydration. Having a fever increases your baby's need for fluids, and if he doesn't have as much as his body needs, he can become dehydrated, indicates Baby Center. Signs of dehydration include a dry diaper for more than six hours, dark, strong-smelling urine in his diaper, no tears when he cries, dry mouth and lips and lethargy. To prevent dehydration, make sure an infant with a high fever is drinking plenty of liquids. You can give him 4 oz. of water in addition to milk if he is 4 months or older.
Febrile Seizure
A high fever can cause febrile seizures in children between 6 months and 5 years of age. This type of seizure typically runs in families and usually occurs during the initial few hours of an illness, according to HealthyChildren.org. During a febrile seizure, your infant looks different to you than normal for several minutes. for instance, she may have a blank stare. Your child may stiffen, twitch and roll her eyes, followed by a period of unresponsiveness. This type of seizure lasts for a few seconds to under a minute, though rarely, they can last for several minutes. Report the episode to your pediatrician immediately though these episodes are rarely serious.
See the Pediatrician
Take your baby to a pediatrician if he has a high fever. A fever can have many causes and it means your baby is fighting off an illness that can only be diagnosed and treated by your doctor. Before you see the pediatrician with an infant who has a high fever, ask him about attempting to reduce his fever with children's acetaminophen or ibuprofen to make him more comfortable and reduce his risk of serious side effects.
