Treating Your Child's Fever

When fever strikes in children, parents are kicked into high gear- experiencing an adrenaline rush to combat it immediately. Their first instinct tends to be calling a doctor or grabbing the nearest bottle of children’s paracetamol to remedy it.

Fever is often a sign of an underlying illnesses such as dengue fever or the H1N1 influenza virus, which causes parents to freak out. However, most of the time a fever is not that dangerous at all.

Fatal fever?

Contrary to what most parents believe, fever is actually an indication of good health. Essentially, this means that the body is doing its job in fighting off infection or an illness. Healthy kids are able to tolerate high fever without any complications.

Fever response

Every experienced parent, more or less, knows what to do when fever strikes in the family. But for first time parents, here are some fever response tips you need to remember:

1. Children younger than 3 months old must be immediately rushed to the doctor once fever (even the mildest one) strikes. This is because a young baby’s immune system is still very weak and underdeveloped.
2. Children between 3 to 6 months should be evaluated by a doctor once their fever hits 38C.
3. Children older than 6 months with fever can be continuously monitored at home. If the fever rises above 39C, and is accompanied with other symptoms such as coughs, cold or diarrhoea, the doctor must be contacted right away.

Fever treatment for children

Fever treatment for children may vary depending on the specific temperature, age and even beliefs of the family. By default, fever is treated by paracetamol, ibuprofen or acetaminophen. These medications are proven to reduce fever and most parents are comfortable giving these to their children.

Apart from medications, lots of parents also opt for natural fever treatment for children. This includes:

1. Lukewarm bath – unlike cold baths that could shock the body, lukewarm baths can effectively cool off the child, thus reducing fever. Do not add any alcohol or other harmful fluids in the water as it could be absorbed by the skin.
2. Wet socks – another favourite fever treatment for children involves putting wet socks around the child’s ankles and feet. This might seem weird but it does help calm fussy children to sleep.
3. Popsicles – if not suffering from coughs or colds, a popsicle can be utilized as fever treatment for children. This tasty treat helps fight dehydration and provides much-needed energy from sugar.
4. Apple cider vinegar - An old fever treatment for children, placing an apple cider vinegar-soaked washcloth on the forehead does wonders for reducing temperature.
5. Fluids - anyone suffering from fever should be consuming lots of fluids. Be it fruit juices or regular water, these fluids help prevent dehydration and act as natural fever reducers.

What is your tried and tested fever treatment for children? How did it help your child? Share your valuable tips with other readers by leaving comments below. For more information on fever treatment for children, check out this video.