I know that this issue goes against all the pediatric recommendations that indicate that to know if the baby has a fever, be sure to take the temperature. And this is indeed so to know the exact degree of fever, although not so much, for many parents, if we talk about perceive that they have a fever touching them.
Actually, this post is not a recommendation but to share my experience (and that of other moms who have told me this) to know if you have also recognized that the baby has a high temperature in this way.
Most of the times that my daughters have had a fever, I have been able to perceive it just by touching them, with a kiss when I woke up, holding them in their arms or shaking hands ... Immediately the alarm went off, that alarm internal thermometer that says "there's something weird here". Of course, the next step is to check the exact temperature degree thanks to the thermometer.
This is so at the first warning of fever in children, then we take out the thermometer and leave it more or less at hand (not too much, because you will know what these little cups attract the little ones ...).
But I recognize that, when my daughters are going through a feverish process that we have already detected, often (especially when they sleep, so as not to wake them up) I "take" the temperature with your hand or lips, provided that the general condition of the girls is good.
So that we do not take this as a mechanism of home temperature but reliable, I remind you how to measure the fever to the baby correctly and accurately.
I am sure that this "ability" develops over time and contact with our children, because surely newborns would not have been able to detect these temperature variations. But after months rocking them, lulling them, kissing them, bathing them or changing diapers, we already recognize ourselves enough to know, just with one hand, if the temperature has risen.
Surely moms are not as precise as a thermometer (and parents, I imagine, although I don't know the case). But I think it's not weird recognize if the baby or child has a touch fever, just approaching our children and once we know them enough to know what their usual temperature is.
