Fever, headache, stiff neck. Sometimes confusion or extreme tiredness. Little babies don't have enough neck muscle to reliably get a stiff neck with meningitis, which is why doctors almost always do a spinal tap on a baby under 2 months with a fever.

I did know this (my parents always asked me to look at my navel when I started running a fever-- my town lost two teenagers to meningitis and everyone was on guard), but did not check my daughter on her recent high-fever bug. I fretted about flu, because the fever was so high and because she had a stuffy nose. I guess I DON'T know what other symptoms to watch for with meningitis. Is it a fever and a stiff neck and nothing else?

OP, thank you for posting. I didn't know this and I am also not a FTM.

Also didn't know this and am not a ftm. Thank you!

Didn't know this. Thank you for posting. So glad your toddler was OK.

OP, thank you for posting. I truly had no idea and I'm not a first time mom. Also, I've never heard it from any of the pediatricians we've seen over the years.

It infuriates me that the ER nurses treated you like you were being overly cautious. I've experienced this again and again with my LO -- doctors not listening to me because my LO looks healthy in a quick exam. Okay, but I'm telling you, there's something wrong!

We see our kids all the time, and these people (professionals though they may be) see them for a few minutes. They need to remember to take what we say seriously. I love, love, love my ped because she does, but I have seen many other doctors who have not (and we later found out we were 100% right in feeling something wasn't right).

OP, I'm so glad that your LO is okay and sorry for the scary experience! My LO was treated for meningitis as a newborn in the NICU because he showed signs 3 days after birth. It turned out to be nothing more than dehydration (!), but I was happy that they took it so seriously, even though we were freaked out and totally upset to have him in the NICU.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a bunch of bitches.

+1 assholes.

OP - thank you so much for posting this. So glad your child is ok!!!

+2. why even post to state "it's common knowledge". sheesh.

Seriously, you people chastising the OP for not knowing this are assholes. I also knew that a sore neck could be a symptom of meningitis but probably wouldn't have thought about it in a pinch or known the best way to test a baby for it.

OP, I'm glad everything worked out and thanks for posting this because now I know too!

I guess I had heard it at one point, but agree it is not something I probably would have thought of with my baby. Thanks for posting, OP. I will definitely keep this in mind!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a bunch of bitches.

+1 assholes.

OP - thank you so much for posting this. So glad your child is ok!!!

+2. why even post to state "it's common knowledge". sheesh.

I did not know this. Thank you.

Anonymous wrote:What a bunch of bitches.

+1 assholes.

OP - thank you so much for posting this. So glad your child is ok!!!

What a bunch of bitches.

You know, I knew this about adults but I do not think I would have ever checked for it in a baby! Thanks, OP!

I thought this was also common knowledge. Seriously, we need parent licensing exams..... OP glad your baby is ok - she got lucky.