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Fever in babies: lowering the baby’s temperature
Very common during infancy, fever is a natural reaction of the body to an infection. It is most often not serious and simple measures can help you endure it better. But in babies, it requires more special attention.
Symptoms of fever
As recalled by the High Authority of Health, fever is defined by an increase in the core temperature above 38 ° C, in the absence of intense physical activity, in a child normally covered, in a moderate ambient temperature. It is normal for a child with a fever to be more tired, more grumpy than usual, to have less appetite or to have a slight headache.
Baby’s temperature: when should you see an emergency?
- If your child is less than 3 months old, fever above 37,6 ° C requires medical advice. Request an appointment during the day. If your usual doctor is not available, call SOS doctor or go to the emergency room. If the temperature exceeds 40 ° C, go to the emergency room;
- If your child has other signs (vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty in breathing), if he is particularly depressed, he must also consult without delay, whatever his age;
- If the fever persists for more than 48h in a child under 2 years old and over 72 hours in a child over 2 years old, even without any other sign, medical advice is required;
- If the fever persists despite treatment or reappears after having been missing for more than 24 hours.
How to take baby’s temperature?
A warm forehead or flushed cheeks don’t necessarily mean a child is feverish. To know if he really has a fever, you have to take his temperature. Preferably use an electronic thermometer rectally. Measurements under the armpits, in the mouth or in the ear are less precise. The mercury thermometer should no longer be used: the risks of toxicity if it breaks are too high.
For greater comfort, always coat the thermometer tip with petroleum jelly. Place baby on his back and fold his legs onto his stomach. Older children will be more comfortable lying on their side.
Causes of infant fever
A fever is a signal that the body is fighting, most often an infection. It is present in many diseases and mild disorders of early childhood: colds, chickenpox, roseola, teething… It can also occur following vaccination. But it can be the symptom of a more serious disorder: urinary tract infection, meningitis, blood infection …
Relieve and treat your baby’s fever
A child is considered febrile when his internal temperature exceeds 38 ° C. But not all toddlers cope with fever the same way. Some are tired at 38,5 ° C, others seem to be in great shape as the thermometer reads 39,5 ° C. Contrary to what has long been believed, it is therefore not a question of lowering the fever at all costs. But to ensure the child maximum comfort while waiting for it to disappear.
Simple actions in case of fever
- Discover your child. To facilitate heat dissipation, undress him as much as possible. Remove sleeping bags from toddlers, blankets from older ones. Just leave a bodysuit, light pajamas …
- Make him drink a lot. A fever can make you sweat a lot. To compensate for water loss, offer your child a drink regularly.
- Refresh his forehead. It is no longer recommended to systematically give a bath 2 ° C below body temperature. If it feels good for your child, there’s nothing stopping you from bathing them. But if he doesn’t feel like it, applying a cool washcloth to his forehead will do him just as well.
Treatments
If your child shows signs of discomfort, supplement these measures by taking an antipyretic. In younger children, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and aspirin have many side effects. Prefer paracetamol. It should be administered at the recommended doses every 4 to 6 hours, not to exceed 4 to 5 intakes per 24 hours.
What are febrile convulsions?
In some children, the brain’s tolerance for fever is lower than average. As soon as their body temperature rises, their neurons switch on, causing seizures. It is estimated that 4 to 5% of children between 6 months and 5 years old have febrile convulsions, with a peak in frequency around the age of 2 years. They most often occur when the fever is over 40 °, but seizures can be observed at lower temperatures. Doctors still do not know why such and such a child is predisposed to convulsing but we know that the risk factor is multiplied by 2 or 3 if his big brother or his big sister have already had it.
The course of the febrile seizure is always the same: at first, the body is seized with involuntary tremors, arms and legs stiffen and make large jerky movements while the eyes are fixed. Then suddenly everything slackens and the child briefly loses consciousness. The time then seems very long for those around them but the febrile convulsive seizure rarely lasts more than 2 to 5 minutes.
There is not much to do, except to prevent the child from injuring himself, which fortunately remains infrequent. Do not try to thwart his disorderly movements. Just make sure it doesn’t hit objects around it or fall down stairs. And as soon as you have the possibility, as soon as his muscles start to relax, lie him on his side, in the Lateral Safety Position, to avoid the wrong roads. After a few minutes, he will have fully recovered. In the vast majority of cases, the child recovers in a few minutes and keeps absolutely no trace, neither in terms of intellectual capacities, nor in terms of behavior.
If the convulsions last more than 10 minutes, call the SAMU (15). But in most cases, a clinical examination by your doctor or pediatrician within hours of the attack is sufficient. He will thus be able to ensure that the convulsions are benign and possibly prescribe additional examinations, especially in infants under one year of age for whom it is important to ensure that the convulsions are not a symptom of meningitis.