1. Babies under 3 months should be seen for fever over 100.4F. They should not receive any medicine for fever until seen by a doctor.

2. No ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) for children under 6 months.

3. Always follow the dosing guidelines according to WEIGHT, not age.

4. Use syringes and droppers for measuring, not teaspoons or kitchen spoons.

5. You may repeat doses of THE SAME medicine every 6 hours and then stagger, so that your child is getting one medicine every 3 hours. (For example, Tylenol at 12PM, Motrin at 3PM, Tylenol at 6PM, Motrin at 9P.) Don't give either medicine more than 5 times a day.

6. Closely read the labels of over-the-counter flu and/ or cold medicines. These often contain Tylenol or Motrin and can lead to double dosing.
   
   Please refer to the following pages for medication dosing tables.
   Tylenol (acetaminophen)
   
   Motrin/ Advil (ibuprofen)

Your child may return to school when they are fever free (temperature less than 100.4F) and have no vomiting for 24 hours. They must also have had 24 hours of any antibiotic that was written by your doctor.

A fever is defined as any body temperature greater than 100.4F. This means that temperatures of 99-100, while above normal body temperature, are NOT a fever. For babies under one year, rectal temperatures are preferred. For older children, oral or ear temperatures are best. Forehead and axillary temperatures are unreliable. It has been shown that parents and healthcare providers are unable to determine if a child has a fever based on touch alone, so if you suspect your child has a fever, please use one of the methods mentioned above to confirm. Please do not add or subtract any degree when reporting your child's temperature, regardless of method used.

Note: Any child under 3 months of age with a fever needs to be seen by a healthcare provider.

Over-the-counter cough medicine is not recommended for children under 4, per the AAP. For children between 4 and 6 years old, please ask your doctor before using. Remember, these medicines need to always be dosed according to WEIGHT, not age. Please see the link below for other at home remedies, when to worry, and expected time course for colds.

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/ask-the-pediatrician/Pages/Can-I-give-my-5-year-old-cough-medicine.aspx

This chart from Children’s of Alabama serves as a great guide for which illnesses can be treated in the office and which warrant a visit to the emergency room.

Shoals Pediatric Group follows the American Academy of Pediatric recommended vaccination schedule. We require patients to stay current on any vaccinations required by the Alabama Department of Education. We highly recommend all optional vaccinations as well. We are happy to go over these in more detail at your well-child appointments.

You can find the vaccination schedule here: https://downloads.aap.org/AAP/PDF/1ChildhoodGuide_Schedule_Family.pdf

Save this in your phone! The number for poison control is the same across the nation - 800-222-1222. Available 24/7.

We highly recommend keeping your child current with his or her well-child check-ups, as developmental milestones are covered in detail at each of these visits. We will let you know if we have concerns, but we encourage you to voice your concerns. Healthychildren.org has a great page with milestones for each age: https://www.healthychildren.org/english/ages-stages/pages/default.aspx