Home / Free Tools / Fever checker
Fever checker: does my child need a doctor?
Choose your child's age, the thermometer and the reading. The answer uses the cut-offs HealthHub, KKH and NUH publish for parents.
HealthHub, NUH and KKH fever guidance. Read on 5 Nov 2026.
Under 4 weeks old, HealthHub says use an armpit thermometer.
-
Answer: -. Your instinct counts: if your child seems very unwell at any temperature, see a doctor. No medicine doses here; ask your doctor or pharmacist.
The cut-offs behind the answer
| Situation | What to do | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Under 3 months: above 37.5 C under the arm, or 38.0 C in the ear | Go to the hospital: a fever is a medical emergency at this age | NUH, HealthHub |
| Any age: above 41.0 C | Children's Emergency immediately | HealthHub, NUH |
| Any sign on the emergency list | Children's Emergency immediately | HealthHub |
| 3 months and older: above 38 C | A fever. Rest and sponge if your child is well and feeding | HealthHub |
| Under 1 year: fever for more than 24 hours | See a doctor | HealthHub |
| Any age: fever for more than 3 days | See a doctor | HealthHub |
| Above 39 C with poor feeding, vomiting, tummy pain or a rash | See a doctor immediately | HealthHub |
NUHS publishes lower cut-offs by thermometer (37.3 C under the arm, 37.8 C in the ear). We use HealthHub's 38 C, HPB's line for parents, for children from 3 months.
Questions parents ask
What temperature is a fever in a child?
HealthHub, the national health portal, counts a temperature above 38 C as a fever. For babies under 3 months NUH uses above 37.5 C under the arm or 38.0 C in the ear.
When should I take my baby to the Children's Emergency for a fever?
HealthHub and NUH say go immediately for a baby under 3 months with a fever, any child above 41.0 C, or a child who is hard to wake, confused, struggling to breathe, very lethargic, pale or grey, has bruise-like spots or a fit, or is drinking and passing urine much less than usual.
When do I call 995?
HealthHub says to dial 995 when your child needs urgent and critical care: choking, not breathing or struggling to breathe, lips or skin turning blue, purple or grey, unresponsive or unconscious, or seriously injured.
Sources
- HealthHub (HPB): Fever in children (read 5 Nov 2026)
- HealthHub: Should I take my child to the ER? (read 5 Nov 2026)
- HealthHub: Guide to common infant conditions (read 5 Nov 2026)
- HealthHub: Fever (read 5 Nov 2026)
- NUH Children's Emergency: Fever (PDF, July 2022) (read 5 Nov 2026)
- NUH: First month concerns (read 5 Nov 2026)
- KKH via SingHealth: Fever in children (read 5 Nov 2026)
- KKH via SingHealth: Caring for your newborn baby (read 5 Nov 2026)
- KKH: Urgent paediatric advice line (U-PAL) (read 5 Nov 2026)
- NUHS: Fever in children (read 5 Nov 2026)
