Chorevia

Day 209 of 300 · Seven months

Fever and head bumps now

Last reviewed · 4 min read · 10 sources · Plain-text version

After 6 months the fever lines shift: call right away above 104°F, and 103°F may be a call too. Every head bump under 1 is a call. Two lists for the fridge, and a third for you.

A Black mother in a kitchen in late-afternoon light holds her twenty-eight-week-old on her hip and reads two handwritten index cards taped to the fridge door, the baby patting one of them.

The last time these notes gave you the fever lines, every number was lower. Today is the set for a baby over 6 months, plus the rule for the head bump that comes with sitting, on two cards for the fridge.

Heart

Over 6 months, the fever lines move. Call your pediatrician right away for a fever higher than 104°F (40°C) (AAP); the AAP also says you may need to call about a temperature of 103°F (39.4°C) or higher in babies over 6 months (AAP). Lower fevers are about time: call within a day for a fever lasting more than 48 hours with no other symptoms, or any fever for more than 3 days (AAP). Use a thermometer, not your hand (AAP). Teething doesn't cause fever (Massignan et al., 2016).

Head

The AAP's rule for the bump is simple: any head injury in a baby under 1 means a call to your pediatrician (AAP). Call 911 for a seizure or if your baby was knocked out for more than a minute; go to the ER now if, after a head injury, your baby vomits 2 or more times, cries and won't stop, or is awake but not alert (AAP). Most bumps end in a cuddle; the call is so the person who knows the exceptions hears about it.

Body

Two more lines for the card. Dehydration: no urine in more than 8 hours, dark urine, a very dry mouth, or no tears is a call right away (AAP). And food: a new rash, a few hives around the mouth or face, or diarrhea after a new food means hold off on that food and call; vomiting, swelling of the lips, face, or tongue, widespread hives, wheezing, trouble breathing, or sudden floppiness means 911 (NIAID; AAP).

Try today

  1. The mother at the kitchen counter writing on an index card in marker, a second card already finished beside it, the father holding the baby and reading the first card over her shoulder.

    The two lists on the fridge

    Time: 15 minutes, two index cards, a marker · Call your pediatrician right away if your baby in the guide

    1. Card one, headed 911: can't cry, cough, or breathe; struggling for each breath or bluish lips; can't be woken or very weak; purple or blood-colored spots; a seizure or knocked out after a head injury; after a food, swelling of the lips, face, or tongue, widespread hives, or sudden floppiness (AAP; AAP; NIAID).

    2. Card two, headed CALL NOW: fever over 104°F, or 103°F and up; no urine in 8 hours, dry mouth, no tears; nonstop crying or crying when moved; any head bump; a rash or hives after a food; looks or acts very sick (AAP; AAP; AAP).

    3. At the bottom of card two: "48 hours with nothing else, or 3 days: call within a day" (AAP).

    4. Across the top of both: the pediatrician's number and Poison Help, 1-800-222-1222 (AAP).

    5. Tape them to the fridge.

    Make it work:

    Read both cards out loud to whoever else cares for your baby.

Watch for

  • Normal

    a bump on the forehead from a sideways topple, a minute of crying, and a return to play.

    Call your pediatrician right away

    anyway; a call is advised for every head injury in a baby under 1 (AAP).

  • Normal

    a warm, drooly, fussy baby with a tooth coming, under 100.4°F (AAP).

    Call 911

    if your baby has a seizure that lasts more than 5 minutes, and get them seen right away even after a short one (AAP; AAP).

  • Normal

    a puree-smeared cheek that's clean skin after a wipe.

    Call your pediatrician right away

    for a new rash, a few hives around the mouth or face, or diarrhea after a food, and hold off on that food (NIAID).

For you

Three index cards on the fridge door under a magnet, the third in a different color, the mother's hand pressing it flat, the baby's high chair with a buckled baby and a spoon visible behind her.

Your own fever is still an urgent sign. A fever of 100.4°F or higher is on the CDC's list of urgent maternal warning signs, beside a headache that won't go away, chest pain, trouble breathing, and thoughts of harming yourself or your baby: seek care immediately, and tell any provider you were pregnant within the last year (CDC). A third card goes beside the baby's two. If something just isn't right, or you aren't sure if it's serious, talk to your health care provider (CDC).

If you're the partner: write her card. She'll write the baby's without being asked.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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