High temperature is one of the common problems that children face, especially in their first years, and despite the state of anxiety that mothers feel 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 best option first.
What is a fever?
It is one of the ways the body fights infection, and the Health direct website 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 a thermometer under the armpit.
The normal temperature in children ranges from 36.5 to 38°C, although this depends on the person, their age, the timing of the injury, the activity they are doing, how much sun they are exposed to, and on which part of the body you take 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
Infection is the most common cause of fever in children, most of which are caused by viruses responsible for colds, influenza and respiratory infections. These infections do not last for a long time and usually do not need treatment.
Some infections are caused by bacteria and need to be treated with antibiotics. These include some infections of the ear, throat, urinary tract, and pneumonia. You need to see a doctor.
symptoms
As much as a fever is frightening, especially if it is ignored, it may lead to serious health consequences, but at the same time it is an indication of the immune system's resistance to infection.
Some studies have also shown that a higher body temperature helps certain types of lymphocytes work better to fight off microbes.
High body temperature helps certain types of lymphocytes work better to fight microbes (Pixels)
sudden fever treatment
If your child has a high fever, there are several steps you can try at home to avoid complications:
Keeping your child cool
Fluids help bring down the fever, so encourage your child to drink water and fluids to stay hydrated.
Try to keep your child indoors and encourage him to play with something that makes him sit and calm, such as playing with dolls and coloring, or try showing your child's favorite TV movie.
Put a piece of cloth (compresses) in cold water, then put it on your child's forehead and wrist, and change the cloth about once every 10-15 minutes and repeat it as needed.
Make sure to adjust the temperature of the house, and avoid cold weather, as 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 conditioner directly at your child.
Wearing heavy clothes may increase your baby's body temperature, so it is best to wear light and loose clothes.
Shower
Fill the bathtub with lukewarm water, do not use cold water so as not to cause your child to shiver, which may lead to an increase in body temperature or exposure to convulsions.
If your child is a baby, fill the bath with lukewarm water, and use a sponge or cloth to spread the water over his body.
After that, squeeze the towel so that the water falls on his shoulder and let it flow on his arm, repeat the process on the opposite shoulder, and on the legs, do not use the 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 dropped.
After that, take him out of the bathtub to get dressed.
To reduce 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?
HealthDirect, answers the question, and indicates the times when mothers should go to the doctor with their child, such as:
If your baby is over 6 months old, and you notice that he sleeps for long hours, has frequent vomiting, persistent abdominal pain, light hurts his eye, doesn't drink fluids well, doesn't 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 baby starts to have trouble breathing, has pain or pressure in his chest or stomach, or if his skin turns blue or gray.
If your child shows signs of dehydration, such as feeling thirsty, 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 the child's temperature (at the age of less than 3 months) when taken from the rectal area is higher than 38 degrees Celsius, according to WebMed.
If the child is 3 months to 3 years old and has a high temperature 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 fever until after the temperature reaches 38 degrees Celsius, so you must first reduce the temperature through showering and compresses.
Avoid giving the child antibiotics without consulting a doctor. Paracetamol medications can be provided, but read the instructions carefully first to ensure the appropriate dose. If you are not sure, consult your doctor.