How bad is a "bad" baby fever?

My girlfriend called me up today and said her baby girl had a fever for two days. She wanted to know if she should call the doc. Personally, if my son had a fever for more than two days I'd call his doctor - but not being a doctor myself, I thought we should look it up. How to gauge your baby's fever: Most pediatricians note that behavior along with a fever is a good indicator of actual trouble. This is because a baby can be really sick but have no fever, or mildly sick with a high fever. There are other signs you need to be aware of. According to my trusty baby health manual, you should watch for the following signs: If your baby has a fever you should call your doctor or head to the nearest emergency room if:

• She is under two months of age.
• She's having convulsions (stiffness, flailing arms, rolling eyes).
• She can't breathe, or has labored breathing.
• Her neck is stiffer than normal.
• She can't relax - at all. Such as no sleeping, can't stop crying,
• The onset of fever is extremely sudden - especially after a hot day.
• The fever is over 105.

If she has a fever she most likely needs to see a doctor asap if:

• She's 2-6 mos of age.
• She has had a fever that suddenly goes way up.
• Her fever is over 102.
• You give her baby ibuprofen and the fever won't break.
• Her behavior is overly cranky or agitated, say, she won't eat or sleep well or is more fussy than normal.
• The fever lasts longer than a day (24 hours) without going down - and nothing else seems wrong.

Of course there are all sort of fever complications. If your baby has a fever for the whole day and you have a bad feeling call your doc - that's what the doctor is there for. At best it won't be anything, at worst you may catch something before your baby gets really sick. It never hurts to call.