The fever is one of the most frequent symptoms when the children are ill and practically the one that terrifies parents the most. Well, fever is a defensive mechanism of the body and not a disease itself, so, first of all, keep calm when your kid the fever. Here are the best tips you should follow to combat fever in children.
To check if your kid has a fever you have to measure the temperature placing the thermometer in the armpits area. If your kid is to agitated, then you might like to throw an eye on this list of the most accurate high-tech thermometers for your family.
Tips on how to keep the fever in children under control
If the thermometer shows above 38 degrees Celsius and the child does not vomit, you can give him an oral antipyretic, such as paracetamol.
In some occasions, if the fever is not too high and not related to flu or other viral infection, to lower it, it should be enough to either keep the house cool or, on the contrary, to put some warmer clothes or blankets on the little one to force him to sweat more, this being a natural process of reducing the fever.
Also, make your child drink a lot of liquids to avoid dehydration, which may turn out to be, in most cases, more dangerous than the fever in children itself.
Do not submerge your kid in cold water and do not place ice-cold cloths on his forehead, especially if your kid is in his first years of life because you might trigger hypothermia in your child.
When it’s indicated to go to the hospital?
Many parents tend to overreact when their kids have the fever and treat the little ones with a lot of medication or go to the hospital even when it is not the case and so, they could, unwillingly, expose their kids to real contaminants. So, take your kid to the hospital only when:
- The thermometer shows more than 39 degrees Celsius;
- The fever doesn’t drop in more than 48 hours;
- Your kid is visibly irritated, nervous, and cannot sleep;
- The kid doesn’t tolerate liquids and vomits – could lead to dehydration;
- Besides fever, your kid presents reddish spots on the skin (chickenpox or measles) or difficulty of breathing (flu, respiratory infections);
In conclusion, the fever in children is not always a sign of a complicated disease, as many time it might be due to teething, too warm environment, excessive crying or nervousness, or a simple cold. However, you should keep an eye on its evolution and when nothing works against the fever, seek medical advice.
