Your child’s health is your priority. That is why if your kid becomes feverish, you might consider this a scary situation, especially if you are a first-time mother or father. But your concern is thoroughly justified. With the world wide 2019-nCOV outbreak and the incoming flu season, parents have all the reasons to be concerned about the welfare and health of their children.
A fever, in a nutshell, is simply the body’s reaction when it is fighting off an infection. A viral infection is the most common of fever among children. Sometimes, vaccinations can also make a child feverish. A healthy child will usually get over it in around three days.
How would you know if your young one is getting a fever?
First, observe your kid. Is your child looking pale or flushed? Is he/she extra fussy today? Does his/her forehead or body feel cold or hot to the touch? Is the child perspiring profusely? Is your baby shivering? Does he/she have goosebumps or tremors? Is your child unusually thirsty? If your answer to most of these questions your child may be febrile.
But to confirm that your little one has a fever, the best thing you can do is to take his/her temperature. There are many ways to do this:
- Under the armpit or the axillary method
- On the forehead or the temporal artery method
- Through the bum or rectal method
- In the mouth or the oral method
- In the ear or the tympanic method
There are many types of thermometers available to read your child’s temperature. Mercury-free digital thermometers are commonly used in households nowadays because they are cheaper but may take longer to read than other varieties. Temporal thermometers allow forehead scanning and can be used even if your baby is sleeping. Ear thermometers are also a convenient alternative. Although they are perfect for children who do not stay still, you have to shell out a significant amount of money for the forehead or ear thermometers. Rectal thermometers are accurate, but they are very uncomfortable for the children so they are used only when the young ones are very sick. Whatever measuring device you use, make sure that you read the instructions on how to properly use them so that you can have a concise temperature reading.
What do you need to do when your child is ill with a fever?
Medication is not always needed to bring down the temperature of your little one. You can let your child take over-the-counter drugs for ache or pain relief. Besides administering medicine, here are the things you can do for your baby:
1. Don’t panic. It is easy to lose yourself especially if you are seeing your child suffering. But remember, you can do something about it. Panic will only make you lose your focus or hinder you from attending to your child.
2. It is important to give your child plenty of fluids to drink to bring down his/her temperature. Drinking can also rehydrate the child he/she is sweating a lot. Water is the best liquid you can give. Watered-down fruit juices also work to encourage the child to drink. Popsicles, ice cubes, iced drinks are also effective to cool down a febrile child.
3. As much as possible, cover the child with only one sheet and remove excess comforters or blankets. Not wrapping your kid with thick layers of cloth will allow the heat to escape your little one’s body which will, in turn, reduce the temperature. Dress your child in light clothing. You do want your kid to shiver since this triggers an increase in body heat. If your child starts to shake, while you are washing him/her, immediately halt what you are doing. Dry him/her up, cloth your kid, and then wrap him/her in a sheet.
4. If you are washing your child, use lukewarm water. This will reduce his/her temperature. Do not mix alcohol in the water because it can be absorbed through the skin. Never use cold water to sponge bath your child because it may cause him/her to shiver.
5. Know when to call the doctor. If you are worried about the COVID-19 situation, you can book an online doctor Ontario to initially get treatment. Call a physician during the following circumstances:
- Your febrile infant is below six months old. Low or high temperatures can signify severe ailment in newborns.
- The fever lasts more than five days. This may signify that there is a serious condition that is causing the fever.
- Your child is experiencing a fever higher than 104 F or 40 C.
- The fever does not show signs of going down even after efforts to lower it.
- Your child just had a vaccine and has a high fever going on for more than 48 hours.
- The child is not taking any fluid or food.
- You are having increasing anxiety and need to talk to someone that can help.
Be prepared, but don’t panic. Know how to calmly tend to your febrile child.