Getting sick is quite bad enough, but running a fever while the illness runs its course can make you miserable. So, how can you break a fever in child?
Although fever may make you feel worse, it is not necessarily a bad thing. The Mayo Clinic advises that a heat, which is a temporary rise in body temperature, isn’t an illness by itself, but it usually indicates disease in the body.
A fever can be the body’s way of fighting off an illness and keeping the body healthy.
Fever is a common symptom in children. The average temperature in a child’s body is about 36.5-37.5 degrees Celsius. When having an illness, the baby’s body temperature rises above 38 degrees Celsius. Fever is not a single disease. It is part of a natural reaction of the body when infected with viruses or bacteria. Therefore, finding out the necessary information to break a fever in child.
Symptoms
When a child, symptoms may appear:
- Feeling tired
- Pale look
- The baby becomes anorexic
- Stubborn
- Headache or body aches
- Not feeling well
Fever can sometimes be a sign of a serious infection. See your doctor immediately if:
- Babies under three months old with fever
- Unusual drowsiness or difficulty waking up
- Baby skin is quite pale
- Cold hands and feet
- Baby is weaker than usual, high-pitched crying or crying continuously
- Shortness of breath or rapid breathing
- Appears nausea, vomiting
- A rash may appear
The cause of fever in children
Infection:
Most children have a fever due to a disease or illness. A fever is a way the body fights infection by stimulating natural defense mechanisms.
Immunization:
Babies and young children sometimes have a mild fever after vaccination, you can find a way to reduce fever for children when vaccinated.
Wearing too much clothing, too hot:
Babies, especially infants, are very susceptible to fever if incubated too tightly or in a hot environment because they can not regulate their body temperature.
Teething:
Teething can also increase body temperature, but only mildly. If your baby’s temperature is higher than 38 ° C, the baby is likely to have a fever that is not due to teething.
Some other diseases:
Fever may be one of the signs of dangerous diseases such as pneumonia, malaria, dengue fever, meningitis, septicemia, etc. Children often have a high fever and are very tired. Accompanied by other symptoms such as chills, bleeding, convulsions, vomiting, shortness of breath, cyanosis, lethargy, difficulty, or coma. These conditions can be life-threatening to children if they are not detected and treated promptly.
Side effects after vaccination may also cause fever.
How to diagnose and break a fever in a child
Typically, people diagnose illness by determining body temperature. You can measure your baby’s temperature by using a thermometer. If possible, mercury thermometers should not be used because they are fragile and can be toxic to the baby. Parents can place the thermostat on the tongue for 2 to 3 minutes or clip the thermometer to the armpit to determine the temperature.
Check your baby’s body temperature carefully to find the source of the fever to treat your baby promptly.
How to care for children with a fever at home
Parents should identify three goals for break a fever in child at home: controlling temperature, preventing dehydration, and monitoring the severe illnesses that cause a fever that can be life-threatening.
Temperature control
The first goal is to control the baby’s body temperature. Make your baby comfortable by taking a warm bath or wearing appropriate clothes for your baby. The heat can drop below 38.9 degrees Celsius. Parents can control the baby’s body temperature with a thermometer.
Also, parents can use some medicines to reduce fever for children under the guidance of a doctor, such as:
Acetaminophen (Tylenol and Tempra for children) and Ibuprofen (Advil children, Motrin children) are used to reduce fever. The medication should be used for at least 24 hours so that the fever does not return.
Do not use aspirin to treat fever in children, especially for a fever related to chickenpox or other viral infections. Aspirin can cause liver failure in some children.
Prevent dehydration when a child has a fever
When having a fever, the baby’s body quickly dehydrates the skin and lungs. Encourage your child to drink filtered water (say no to caffeine). Mothers can also prepare chicken soup to hold water for babies.
Pay attention to choose clothes for your baby
Wearing too many clothes or a hot blanket can cause a rapid rise in body temperature. However, wearing thin clothing can make your body cold, forcing your body to produce more heat.
So you should choose clothes according to the surrounding temperature, and they need to be well-ventilated and comfortable to help the blood flow.
Besides, you can give your child a fever-reducing sticker to relieve discomfort.
Bathe or soak in warm water
Instead of using cold compresses with warm water, moms can also reduce fever quickly for children by bathing or soaking in warm water for 10-15 minutes. Do not use cold water because it will cause chills and fever higher due to peripheral vasoconstriction mechanism. Mom can add a few drops of lavender essential oil to create a sense of comfort for children.
Apply warm baths
Many people still believe that cold compresses help ease fevers more. This way can cause “cold burns” for patients, which is very dangerous if it is a child or infant. Therefore, you should apply warm compresses to your armpits, forehead, neck, or a warm washcloth over the patient.
Taking a warm bath or showering in the tub will help you relax and reduce fever very effectively. However, you should not apply this method to children or babies!
First, take off all baby clothes, use five small towels to dip in warm water, squeeze a little, then put on the armpits and two sides of the crotch, the other towel dipped in warm water to wipe all over the child. Warm water will evaporate, dilating blood vessels to help cool the body. Continue to do so until your child’s temperature drops to normal (37 ° C). Typically, the temperature will drop in about 30-45 minutes.
Children from 6 months to 5 years of age when fever is too high can lead to seizures. You need to reduce fever for them actively.
If your body temperature is above 38.5 ° C, you should take a fever-reducing pill, and apply the same way to reduce fever.
If the fever is too high (above 39 ° C), especially for children, it is necessary to quickly bring the patient to the nearest medical facility for examination and treatment by doctors.
Supervise the child’s signs
Drinking enough water will help you reduce their body temperature to below 39 degrees C. If both of these measures are applied. The baby is still sick; a more serious problem may exist.
What should children eat when a fever
When children have a fever, parents should supplement foods with high-calorie content, high protein, low fat, and a reasonable water supply regime.
The first two or three days can give your baby plenty of fluids such as soup, juice, or milk (if there is no diarrhea). Divide the meal about 2 hours/meal after that can gradually increase to 4 hours/meal.
Provide children with soft, light, easily digested and efficiently absorbed foods such as porridge, cereals, milk, and sweet fruits such as bananas, papayas, oranges, etc.
The amount of protein in the diet should be increased. So parents should supplement foods with high protein values such as eggs, milk.
Supplement protein-rich foods when your baby has a fever.
Fatty foods, spicy foods, and fiber should be avoided.
The addition of nutrients is also essential in fighting a fever — Supplement Vitamin A, B, C, Canix, Iron, and Sodium for babies.
1. Drink plenty of water
Fever can easily lead to dehydration, try to encourage your child to add more fluids such as juice, soup, porridge, water, herbal tea (artichokes, chrysanthemum tea), milk. Also, parents can give children rehydration and oral electrolyte preparations such as cresol, hydrate. This way is aimed at rehydration, purifying the body to help reduce fever quickly.
The way to reduce fever for babies who are too young and who are breastfeeding is to breastfeed more and more often. For children who have been eating weaning food, you should learn how to make delicious weaning foods for them to eat well and recover quickly.
2. Vitamin C
Orange juice and fruit juices rich in vitamin C such as grapefruit, tangerine are good drinks to help your baby increase the resistance to fight off the pathogens from the outside. Also, fruits such as grapes, watermelon, dragon fruit chilled provide water to help calm the body.
Learn more sources of vitamin C-rich foods to quickly prepare a nutritious daily menu to help your baby reduce fever quickly.
3. Calcium
Some experts believe that calcium can help reduce the time a child is sick. This mineral is best absorbed from food or can be supplemented with specialized medicine.
Feeding your baby dishes with ingredients from fish, dark green vegetables, oats to help the baby quickly recover.
4. Use fever-reducing medicines
You should give your child antipyretics when he or she has a fever above 39oC. Paracetamol is available as a single package, or syrup is an easy-to-use, fast-acting antipyretic. Usually, with antipyretic effect after 30 minutes of use and lasts 4-6 hours with few side effects. You need to give your child the correct dose as prescribed 10 – 15mg / kg body weight/time, repeat after 4 hours if there is still fever. You should give children 3-4 times/day. The maximum total dose should not exceed 60mg/kg body weight/day.
Acetaminophen can also help lower a child’s fever. Note that the dose for infants and young children depends on weight and age. Also, you should consult your pediatrician before giving any medicine to your baby. Read the directions on the package and use a particular measuring device to ensure the exact amount of medication your child takes.
Apple cider vinegar
Wiping yourself with apple cider vinegar is a very effective way to reduce children’s fever at home, but it is not widely available. When your baby’s body temperature rises, you can soak a towel in apple cider vinegar diluted with water in a 1: 2 ratio. Then, you apply it to your baby’s forehead and abdomen. Alternatively, you can use an apple cider vinegar towel to wrap around the soles of the feet.
Massage your baby with peppermint oil
Peppermint oil works well to reduce fevers and alleviates the feeling of fatigue when having an illness. Add peppermint oil to your child’s cold water or massage him with peppermint oil and another vegetable oil like almond oil on his chest and temples. Peppermint oil can also improve severe symptoms, help clear the nose and sinuses of the respiratory system.
Some note:
- Do not force children to eat if they do not like it
- Give your baby plenty of rest
- Give me a sponge bath at room temperature
- Wear lightweight clothing
- Keep your baby’s room cool, well-ventilated, and not too cold or too hot.
How to prevent fever in children
Prevention of fever and the diseases that cause fever depends significantly on the personal hygiene of each family member. Prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria by:
- Wash your hands with soap and water
- Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing and coughing
- Rinse food before processing
- Vaccination on schedule
- A healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables
- Get enough sleep
- Things to avoid when caring for children with a fever at home
When caring for children with a fever at home, you should note the following to help children reduce fever quickly:
- Let children wear layers of clothing when they have an illness. If your baby has a temperature, you should only let him wear loose clothes, a thin blanket to help his body heat quickly.
- Children should not be kept in very tight rooms.
- Do not use cold towels, ice, alcohol, or alcohol to reduce fever for children.
- Children should not be given medication as soon as they have a fever. The rush for children to take antipyretic drugs as soon as they have an illness accidentally causes the body’s defense mechanism has no chance to “face” the pathogens. Just remember it to form a defense mechanism. If your child has a fever below 38.5oC, you need to apply the way to reduce fever at home and closely monitor for 1 -2 days.
- If after 1 -2 days, the fever does not subside, take your baby to the hospital for examination and diagnosis.
- Do not squeeze the lemon in your mouth; baby’s eyes are aimed at reducing fever. This way can result in herpes blisters, tongue burns, eye burns, or suffocation.
- If your child has a fever with convulsions, do not use a hard object to pry the baby’s mouth or try to force the baby. Keep your child on their side and keep a close eye on them, paying attention to how long each seizure lasts to provide information to the doctor when needed.
- Do not use folk remedies to reduce fever for children. Because these remedies have not been medically verified, their side effects have not been evaluated yet.
- Do not use aspirin to reduce fever for children because it can cause damage to the brain of children (Reye syndrome).
Hopefully, the knowledge about fever in children above will help parents to stop the excitement for children as quickly and effectively as possible.
Wish the baby always be healthy and obedient!
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