STOP medicating your child. 100.3 is NOT a fever...it is a SLIGHTLY elevated temp.
QUOTE:
"About half of all parents incorrectly think a temperature of less than 100.4 degrees is a fever, "
From an article entitled Pediatricians Caution Parents Against 'Fever Phobia'
Read the rest here:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/02/28/134126561/pediatricians-caution-parents-against-fever-phobia And read this too:
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/05/health/la-he-fever-kids-20110306 ALLLLL of it.
DO NOT put your child in water to reduce fever - you are more likely to cause shivers which could in fact cause a spike in temp. It just is not something they do anymore. That doesn't mean don't bathe a sick child, but do NOT try to cool them down with a bath.
And when your child runs a real fever keep this in mind from the 2nd link, it WILL help you understand why medication is NOT what you should reach for first:
"But parents just don't appreciate that fever is the body's way of fighting an infection, said Dr. Janice E. Sullivan, the lead author of the Pediatrics report and a professor of pediatric critical care and clinical pharmacology at the University of Louisville.
The fever is a sign that the immune system is doing its job to fight invading viruses, bacteria and other bugs. Studies in animals show that those whose fevers were not lowered with medications recovered from illness faster than animals whose fevers were treated.
"Fever decreases the ability of viruses and bacteria to reproduce," Sullivan said. "It causes white blood cells to increase and fight infection. It may shorten the duration of the illness."
****************KORDI - for your child's safety please so some of your own research online - things like MAJOR health associations & their fever recommendations AND read up on febrile seizure. If you do TWENTY minutes of that - you will easily see that you either recall your Dr's instructions wrong, your child has some underlying health issue that requires different instruction that you are forgetting to mention or your Dr is TOTALLY wrong on this & you really need to find a new Dre. None of what you said is true. Science says the OPPOSITE. 100 is NOT high in a child under a year. It isn't "high" in anyone, period. The only reason they treat it more seriously in small babies (4weeks to 3 months of age) & newborns (under 4weeks) is because they are more immune system fragile in general & they can go from mildly sick to severely sick quickly, NOT because the fever itself is dangerous - it is merely an indication of infection. It is also much harder to tell other symptoms at that age (like sleepiness)...since they can be sleepy normally. Taking your Dr's word on things can be dangerous when your Dr isn't keeping up with current studies. Maybe there is no "danger" in giving Tylenol at too low a temp - but if your Dr is that far off on such a COMMON issue - infants & fever - what ELSE has your Dr not kept up on & what danger *could* that put your baby in? For real - DO google danger of febrile seizure. You will quickly find there really is none. it does no brain damage, it doesn't do anything. It IS scary (I've witnessed one once - not fun to watch) but it does not harm your child.
To start you off on something really realy easy to read & very black & white (rather then medical studies like from NCBI & such) this is from St. Louis Children's Hospital & they are pretty well acclaimed - so It's not some hokey site:
http://www.stlouischildrens.org/articles/kidcare/fever-myths-versus-facts Quote: "Fevers are one of the body's protective mechanisms. Normal fevers between 100° and 104° F (37.8° - 40° C) are actually good for sick children. "
"Febrile seizures are scary to watch, but they usually stop within 5 minutes. They cause no permanent harm. Children who have had febrile seizures do not have a greater risk for developmental delays, learning disabilities, or seizures without fever."
"Fevers only need to be treated if they cause discomfort. Usually fevers don't cause any discomfort until they go above 102° or 103° F (39° or 39.5° C)."
"Because the brain has a thermostat, fevers from infection usually don't go above 103° or 104° F (39.5°- 40° C). They rarely go to 105° or 106° F (40.6° or 41.1° C). While the latter are "high" fevers, they are harmless ones."
See that ONE article of myths & facts shows how wrong your Dr is - find a new one for your child's sake. This is REALLY basic stuff your Dr should already know.