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You awaken in the middle of the night only to find out that your child has a fever. What do you do?
If you had asked me just 3 years ago, I would have told you to get some fever-reducing medicine into your child and call it good, maybe even call the doctor. Ask me now, however and I tell a different tale.
As parents, we are often led to believe that fevers are this thing of doom and gloom. We are told that a fever is so horrible that we must treat it with medicine the second our child is no longer 98.6 degrees.
However, that just isn’t true. Fevers are not bad. Not bad at all actually, fevers actually help your body heal!
Did you know that when you give medication for a fever you could reduce the production of antibodies by 50%! Think of that as basically delaying your recovery time by half! That right there should show you that fevers should be allowed to run their course unhampered.
Fevers: Friend or Foe
Fevers Defined
In order to be classified as a fever the temperature needs to be above 100 degrees. (Note this varies depending on which way you take the temperature but generally 100 degrees is a safe bet)
An untreated natural fever (as in caused by infection, not heat or poisoning) rarely ever goes over 105 degrees unless the patient is over dressed or in a location that is too hot.
Brain damage does not occur unless the fever is over 107.6. This is important to remember as many of us have been led to believe that anything over 104 is practically life or death.
Some children do experience febrile seizures. It is important to remember that while they can be scary, they are not harmful. They are basically the body’s way of keeping the fever in check.
Now that we’ve got some of the basics covered, let’s talk about what we should do when our child gets a fever.
When to seek medical help
- If your baby is under 3 months and has a fever. (100 degrees)
- Fever has lasted more then 3 days.
- Persistent fever over 105 degrees.
- Fever has been caused by a non-natural source such as drugs, poison, toxins, extreme heat, etc.
- Child is repeatedly vomiting, has a severe headache, stiff neck, extreme lethargy, or unresponsiveness.
What to Do During a Fever
If your child is otherwise acting normal and the fever is under 104 then generally you do not need to do anything. Let them do what their body tells them to do: eat, drink, sleep.
Do make sure to give them plenty of liquids, as dehydration will only raise a fever and making things worse.
If your child is still nursing, then nurse frequently as not only will your child need the liquid but breast milk creates antibodies for your child to help fight infection.
Avoid foods and drinks that are full of sugar. Sugar is not good for anyone but during illness it is only going to prolong the issue. Sugar reduces immunity and thus increases the illness’ duration.
If fever is over 104 then make sure your child is getting lots of fluids. Give you child a tepid bath to help lower the fever. Note: you do not want a bath that is too warm but you also do not want a cold bath either.
Give your child all the normal illness fighting remedies that you normally would; garlic, coconut oil, elderberry syrup, etc.
What Not to Do During a Fever
Bundle up your child. Over dressing a person with a fever may led to a very high temperature and that is not something you want.
Use ice baths, ice packs, or rubbing alcohol to lower a temperature. They can actually cause the body to over compensate and raise the temperature.
Give fever-reducing medications such as Tylenol or ibuprofen. These will only increase the illness’ duration and actual have their own risks.
Now perhaps if your child’s fever is going past 104-105 and you just can’t get it down otherwise, then if you feel comfortable go ahead and give a dose while heading over to the doctor.
Every child will have a fever at some point in their lives. When they do, it is important to remember that the fever isn’t there to cause harm but rather to help your child recover from their illness quicker.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nor do I claim to be able to give medical advice. This information is simply to educate, inspire, and motivate you to look into these issues more on your own, or to talk with your own medical practitioner for more information.
Good post, and I agree. It is hard to keep our brains in check and dismiss all the things we have been taught for so long.
Fevers are a different thing for me now, since Jaden's febrile seizure. Even though I know it was a good thing for his body, as he was essentially pushing the reset button on his body, it was still the most terrifying thing I have had to watch my child go through.
So, yes, my first though is still drugs when J gets a fever…but that is simply because of my fear of the fever and not whats actually best for my son. I haven't used fever meds in a very long time, probably since his recovery period last summer.
This has generally been my philosophy, and I have prevented medicating my little one as much as possible. However, recently when she was struggling with a fever I talked to my brother, who is a physician, and he scolded me for not reducing her fever (it was a little under 103). He said you never want the fevers to get too high because there is a high risk of seizures, and that once the child suffers from a seizure he/she is inclined to have more seizures throughout the rest of his/her life. I enjoy your blog, but I had to point this out. While I can appreciate medical perspectives that differ from the "western perspective," on this one I think it might be better to err on the side of caution.
Thank you for posting this. You posted a comment on my thread on bbc yesterday. And because of it I haven't given my baby Tylenol at all today. He still has a fever :(. But I do feel more comfortable not giving him Tylenol. I have been giving him (and myself as I'm nursing) a natural herb immune booster.
I am aware of doctor's philosophy on fever reducers and febrile seizures and I disagree. Febrile seizures usually occur due to fevers getting higher too quickly, not because they are getting high. A kid can get a febrile seizure at only 102 degrees if the fever spiked suddenly. Also only 2-5% of kids will ever have a febrile seizure and I do not think that justifies fever reducers. Nor do I think it's the best thing for a kid with a history of febrile seizures to rely on fever reducers, just in case. There is no harm in febrile seizures so there really is no reason to try and avoid them. I mean, I'm not saying we should encourage febrile seizures but there really isn't a reason to give fever reducers as a possible preventative. Instead you could just give tempid baths from the beginning to make sure the fever doesn't spike suddenly.
This would have been such a helpful post to read 4 years ago when I was a first time mom. I've nominated The Pistachio Project for a blog award, I hope you will accept.
Posted on the "National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke":
"95 and 98 percent of children who experience febrile seizures do not go on to develop epilepsy. However, although the absolute risk remains small, some groups of children–including those with cerebral palsy, delayed development, or other neurological abnormalities–have an increased risk of developing epilepsy. The type of febrile seizure also matters; children who have prolonged febrile seizures (particularly lasting more than an hour) or seizures that affect only part of the body, or that recur within 24 hours, are at a somewhat higher risk. Among children who don't have any of these risk factors, only one in 100 develops epilepsy after a febrile seizure."
I understand that I'm not going to change any minds, and it is a personal decision. I rarely medicate my daughter, but to me the risk is not worth it.
Fevers in my child always scare me. But when I call the nurse, she pretty much tells me the same thing you said. Thank you for the great tips and reminders.
my husband is getting better about letting them ride, but he still has this idea that you need to treat them immediately. my son often runs hot for a day and then is great – but if you treat the fever it is three mopy days.