High temperature is one of the common problems that children face, especially in their early years, and despite the mothers’ concern about sudden fever, it does not represent a great danger in many cases, but it is often an indication that the child has a health problem.
Sometimes fever-reducing medications may not be the first option.
What is a fever?
It is one of the ways the body fights infection, and Health direct indicates that a fever is a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or higher.
If your child's face is hot to the touch and shows signs of redness, he may have a fever.
You can check with an underarm thermometer.
The normal temperature in children ranges from 36.5 to 38 degrees Celsius, although this depends on the person, his age, the timing of the injury and the activity he is doing, how much he is exposed to the heat of the sun and in what part of the body you measure the temperature.
Body temperature is usually lowest in the early hours of the morning, and highest in the afternoon and early evening.
Causes of fever
Infections are the most common cause of fever in children. Most of them are caused by viruses responsible for colds, flu, and respiratory infections. These infections don't last long and don't usually need treatment.
Some infections are caused by bacteria and need to be treated with antibiotics, and these include some ear, throat, urinary tract infections and pneumonia, and here you need to see a doctor.
Symptoms
As frightening as fever is, especially if it is ignored, it can lead to serious health consequences, but at the same time it is a sign of the immune system's resistance to infection.
Some studies have also shown that higher body temperature helps certain types of lymphocytes work better to fight microbes.
Increased body temperature helps certain types of lymphocytes work better to fight microbes (pixels).
Sudden fever treatment
If your child has a high temperature, there are several steps you can try at home to avoid its complications:
Keeping your baby cool
Fluids help bring down a fever, so encourage your child to drink water and fluids to stay hydrated.
Try to keep your child indoors and encourage him to play something that makes him sit up and calm, such as playing with toys and coloring, or try showing your child your favorite TV movie.
Put a piece of cloth (compresses) in cold water, then place it on your child's forehead and wrist, and change the cloth once every 10-15 minutes approximately, and repeat as needed.
Make sure to adjust the temperature of the house, and avoid cold weather, because this may lead to shivering and chills, which may lead to a rise in your child's temperature, and do not aim the fan or air conditioning directly at your child.
Wearing heavy clothing may increase your child's body temperature, so it is best to wear light, loose-fitting clothing.
Shower
Fill the bathtub with lukewarm water. Do not use cold water, as this may cause your child to shiver, which may lead to an increase in body temperature or convulsions.
If your child is an infant, fill the bath with lukewarm water, and use a sponge or cloth to spread the water over his body.
After that, squeeze the towel to let the water run down his shoulder and let it run down his arm, repeat the process on the opposite shoulder, and on the legs, do not use a sponge with water on your child's face or head.
It may take about 30 to 45 minutes, then take your child's temperature to see if it has gone down.
Then, take him out of the bathtub to get dressed.
To lower the temperature, fill the bathtub with lukewarm water, not cold, so as not to cause your child to shiver (German)
When do you go to the doctor or emergency room?
The HealthDirect website answers the question and indicates the times when mothers should go to the doctor with their child, such as:
If your child is over 6 months old and you sleep for long hours, has frequent vomiting, persistent abdominal pain, light flashes, does not drink fluids well, does not urinate well, and has a fever for more than 3 days or has been in contact with a person with a serious infection.
If your baby is less than 3 months old and has a fever, you should take him to the doctor immediately, or go to the nearest hospital emergency department.
If your child begins to have trouble breathing, chest or stomach pain or pressure, or his skin turns blue or gray.
If your child shows signs of dehydration, such as feeling thirsty and dry mouth, dizziness, decreased urine output or dark urine.
Your child may need intravenous fluids to rehydrate.
If you notice little or no tears and dry skin and lips.
If a baby's temperature (under 3 months old) when taken from the anal area is above 38 degrees Celsius, according to WebMed.
If the child is 3 months to 3 years old and has a fever of 39°C or higher for more than one day.
If the child has a high fever that lasts more than 24 hours.
The child has a fever and a rash.
Finally, it is advised not to give medicines to the child to treat the fever until after the temperature reaches 38 degrees Celsius, so you must first reduce the temperature through bathing and compresses.
Avoid giving the child antibiotics without consulting the doctor. Paracetamol medicines can be given, but read the instructions carefully first to ensure the appropriate dose, if you are not sure, consult your doctor.