How to Lower Fever in Babies?

Fever in babies is the nightmare of mothers. You’ll inevitably need to specialize in child fever, as it happens so many times into adulthood.

How to reduce fever in babies? What is good for fever in children? How to reduce fever at home? All the details are in our article!

What to do step by step to reduce fever in babies?

Most mothers with fevers try home fever reduction methods before going to the hospital. Let’s see what these methods are that give effective results unless there is a situation caused by a serious illness.

1. Serine does:

You need to keep your baby with a fever cool and thinly dressed. Because the more you dress and warm him, the higher his temperature will rise to dangerous levels. When babies have a fever, the biggest mistake parents make is to dress them more because the baby is cold and shivering.

Room temperature of 20-21ºC is sufficient. If the weather is hot, you can also put a fan nearby so that the cold air circulates in the room. Only diapers/panties can be left on it.

2. Apply wet cloth:

• One of the oldest methods of reducing fever in babies is to use wet diapers.

For wet cloth application;

• Lay your baby on this towel by placing a towel on a waterproof mattress, linoleum. Cover with a thin blanket.
• You will need three cloths for this process. Wet one completely with warm water and wring out. Fold it and place it on your baby’s forehead. When the cloth is warm, wet the cloth again.
• Wipe your baby’s body with another wet cloth. Especially wipe the face, neck, abdomen, knees and inner elbows, armpits and groin area.
• When the cloth begins to dry, continue to wet the cloth and wipe it. Continue wiping your baby’s body for about 20-30 minutes. You can also give your baby a bath instead of using a wet cloth. In this way, the body temperature of babies is tried to be reduced to its normal level.

3. Take a warm shower:

It also works if you put your baby in water that is close to normal body temperature. It should be noted here that the temperature of the water is not too low. Because if you try to reduce high fever with very cold water, a severe shock picture called collapse may occur.

4. Increase fluid intake:

You need to make sure your baby is getting enough fluids, as a high fever increases fluid loss. If your baby, who has not yet switched to solid food, has a fever, you should give him plenty of breast milk/formula. If you have switched to additional food, you should complete your liquid support with diluted fruit juices, watery soups and of course water.

5. Use antipyretic drugs:

If necessary, antipyretic can also be used in infants.

• If your baby is less than 6 months old, always consult your doctor before giving medication.
• If her rectal temperature is higher than 39.5 ºC and she seems very restless, try to lower your baby’s temperature with the application of warm water.
• If the baby is over 6 months old, has a fever above 39 ºC and does not have symptoms that require immediate medical attention, you can give antipyretic drugs in appropriate doses. In such cases, acetaminophen is usually used.

What to do to reduce fever in children?

First of all, let’s say that all of the methods we mentioned above should also be applied in case of fever in children. What is good for fever in children aged 2-6? What is the best antipyretic drug? We have also included this information.

• If the child with fever is between the ages of 2-6, acetaminophen and ibuprofen, which are the best options, can be used to relieve him.
• Compressing in a bathtub containing 2.5-5 cm of water at 29.4-33.2 °C is useful. Cold water can make a fever worse by causing chills, so be careful.
• You can have your child sit in the water and use a sponge to spread the water over his torso, arms, and legs. In this way, body temperature drops by 1-2 °C.
• When vomiting and fever are experienced in children at the same time, both acetaminophen and ibuprofen and compress application may give more effective results.
• Antipyretic suppositories can be used for fever of 38.5-39 °C.
• Anything up to 40 degrees fever is considered normal. However, if there is an uncontrolled fever above 40.5 °C, it is necessary to contact the doctor.

How to reduce high fever in children?

A high fever can cause anxiety in infants and children, as it may cause convulsions. The fever can only damage the brain if it is as high as 41.5. Fevers lower than 40.5 °C are not harmful per se.

If your child’s high fever does not go down, you can try to control the fever with acetaminophen and a compress. However, if there is a bacterial infection, this method only provides temporary relief and the situation recurs. Your home apps won’t show any benefit.

If high fever persists, you should contact your doctor immediately. Because;

• Upper and lower respiratory tract infections,
• Infections in the gastrointestinal tract with diarrhea and vomiting,
• There may be conditions such as urinary tract infections, especially in girls.

In babies, serious conditions such as meningitis, pneumonia and muscle inflammation can also lie under the fever that does not go away. In such a situation, the child should be hospitalized.

What are the mistakes made to reduce fever?

Now you know the ways to reduce fever in children. But you should also learn what not to do when your baby has a fever.

• If your baby wants to go out, don’t force him to stay at home. A baby who is already really sick will want to rest at home. Light activities do no harm, but excessive activity can increase body temperature.
• Don’t try to give your child an enema unless your doctor recommends it.
• Don’t overdress or wrap your baby in a blanket.
• Do not wrap your baby in a wet towel or cloth, this will block the flow of heat from his skin.
• Do not attempt to bathe your child with aspirin or vinegar water or rub alcohol on their skin to reduce fever. These will not reduce the fever and may even lead to poisoning by being absorbed through the skin.
• High fever in infants increases caloric needs. For this reason, you should not starve your baby in cases of fever.