There is no shortage of debates in parenting forums about how to treat (or not treat) a child’s fever. Opinions range from rushing kids to the hospital the second their temperature reaches 99.5 degrees, and letting their kids fester with no medicine when their fever is over 104 degrees. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle of that, but it’s easy to focus on those extreme cases and worry about those kids. 

While parents shouldn’t be freaking out the second their kids’ temperature creeps over 100.4 degrees, there can be good reasons for fearing fevers. Fever usually indicates that an illness is more severe than a common cold. A lot of people know someone with a history of febrile seizures, and that’s more likely with a high fever than a low-grade fever. Despite what health influencers might say, there is little harm done in giving your kid fever reducers if they are clearly suffering from a high temperature. It’s better than going to the ER and paying a boatload of money for doctors to tell you to do just that.