A pressing question that probably worries all parents is whether to shoot down and when to do it?
An increase in temperature is a typical sign of any infectious disease. This is how the body produces the protein interferon - a substance that should defeat the disease. Thus, by lowering the temperature, we prevent the immune system from coping with pathogens on its own, doing a disservice to the child. Only too high a temperature (39-39.5 degrees) begins to have a negative effect on the body, which means it is an indication for the use of antipyretics.
But each child tolerates an increase in temperature individually: some babies may not feel much discomfort at 39 degrees, while others lose consciousness as soon as the thermometer rises to 37.5. This suggests that there is no one size fits all rule.
It is not the readings of the thermometer that should force parents to give their child medications. You should focus on his general condition: weakness, tearfulness, severe headache, chills and difficulty in nasal breathing - signals that the temperature can be brought down.
Remember a few facts to help you cope with panic and not overdo it when treating a cold or flu:
By lowering the temperature, we reduce the body’s natural resistance to infections, which means that in the future a child can get sick even from a weak virus.
Antipyretics, when used frequently, harm the stomach, kidneys and liver.
In most cases, the temperature rises to a maximum of 39.5 degrees. This is not critical for the body, but most bacteria and viruses will probably die.
You should not try to reduce the temperature to 36.6. One or two degrees will be enough for the child to feel better.
The high temperature usually lasts 2-3 days after the onset of the disease, after which ARVI subsides. But if the child’s body does not produce enough interferon, or the parents began to reduce the temperature too early, the chances of a quick end to the illness are significantly reduced, and it can last up to 7 days. Hence the saying: “Treated flu goes away in 7 weeks, but untreated flu goes away in a week.”
If you decide to use antipyretics, choose safe ones. Ibuprofen and paracetamol are equally effective in reducing fever, but the former should be preferred if the fever is accompanied by pain.
In order not to harm the child’s liver, paracetamol should be given to him for no longer than 2-3 days, strictly observing the daily dose corresponding to the baby’s age.
With ARVI, the fever most often goes away after 3 days. If this does not happen, it may be a signal of the development of a serious illness (bacterial infection, pneumonia). By constantly lowering the temperature, parents may not notice this important symptom, which can lead to serious consequences.
The fastest effect of the antipyretic will be if taken in solution. Candles act more slowly, but have a longer lasting effect. Young children are often given syrups diluted with milk or juice.
Remember that you must allow your baby's body to lose heat. Provide him with plenty of fluids, make sure that the air temperature in the room does not rise above 20 degrees.
The temperature of the drink should be equal to body temperature: this way the liquid will quickly enter the blood and prevent it from thickening.
Do not use ice compresses or wrap your child in cold sheets: this will reduce heat loss and sweat production, only lowering the temperature of the skin (but not the organs!)
Do not rub your child's skin with alcohol or vinegar: in addition to the high temperature, you will also add alcohol or acid poisoning, which can be deadly.
Call a doctor immediately if, along with the temperature on the child’s body; fever is accompanied by abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting; the temperature is not accompanied by other cold symptoms and does not decrease after taking an antipyretic drug.
Maria Nitkina
An increase in temperature in a child occurs when protective functions are activated, which respond to the occurrence of infection in the body. When the temperature rises to 37 °C, many viruses and bacteria die, at which time the immune system works more actively.
The center, which is part of the central nervous system, is responsible for thermoregulation in the body. High temperature is not an individual disease, but a symptom.
The following types of fever are distinguished:
1- infectious – occurs when various viruses and bacteria enter the body;
2- non-infectious – occurs during neuroses, physical activity, after vaccination and due to other reasons.
Fever can be white or red. If the baby is lethargic, the heartbeat and breathing are rapid, the arms and legs are cold, these are symptoms of white fever. It occurs due to vasospasm, you need to quickly rub the child, which will bring the blood vessels back to normal, and then begin to bring down the temperature.
Basically, the disease in a child begins with enlargement, and other signs appear later, so fever is more of a good sign than a bad one. An increase in temperature indicates strong immunity, and a special decrease in temperature weakens the defense, so there is no need to bring it down without important reasons.
There are three degrees of fever:
If small children under three years of age have a body temperature of 37, 37, 1 °C, then this is considered normal and you should not pay attention to it.
Hyperthermic temperature may occur in an infant for the following reasons:
Most doctors, under the guidance of the World Health Organization, do not advise artificially lowering the temperature if it is below 38.5 °C.
What temperature should be lowered:
Temperature fluctuations from 39 to 41 °C pose a threat to the life of a small person. If fever is present for a long time, it can negatively affect the nervous, cardiovascular systems, and kidneys. The water-salt balance deteriorates, dehydration and energy depletion occur. In extreme cases, cerebral edema, hypoxia, decreased blood pressure, and increased blood viscosity may occur. A body temperature of about 41 °C or more is deadly in infancy.
For infants, the temperature of 38.5 °C cannot be brought down with the help of medications, but you need to look at the baby’s behavior.
When is it necessary to reduce a child’s temperature? If it has risen to 37.5 °C, and he has an excellent appetite, good mood, normal stool, then it is considered acceptable at that age, unless she is always at that level.
The thermometer shows 38 °C, which means that the small organism is fighting the infection. As a rule, children eat well during this period, play well, and their arms and legs are warm. Kids tolerate it well, so there is no need to worry, but you need to give them more to drink.
If the thermometer shows 39 °C, the baby is lethargic, whiny, with difficulty breathing, and poor appetite. In such cases, convulsions are possible; the baby should be given an antipyretic and, if possible, call a doctor.
Children who have previously had convulsions or were born prematurely or have some kind of illness need to bring the temperature down to 37.8 °C artificially.
All children are individual, and in order to make the right decision on what temperature needs to be lowered before the age of one year, parents need to feel the behavior of their baby. We must learn to recognize what causes it and to what extent it is dangerous. There is no need to immediately feed your child medications; you can try to improve your well-being in other ways.
First, it is advisable to remove excess clothes from the baby; often an increase in temperature by a couple of degrees occurs due to the fact that the child is hot and has a lot of excess clothes on. Necessary be sure to take off your diaper, at increased temperatures this is an unnecessary thing.
Air baths. The room where the child is located should be well ventilated, with a temperature of 20–21 °C. Air baths have a beneficial effect on infants and quickly help restore the desired body temperature.
Water procedures. Bathe the child for ten minutes in water, the temperature of which will be one degree less than the baby’s body temperature, otherwise, if the temperature difference is greater, vasospasm may occur - this is very important. After water procedures, wrap the child in a towel and take it to a well-ventilated room. Older children can be wrapped in a damp sheet.
Rubbing with warm water and vinegar helps a lot, at the rate of one tablespoon of 9% vinegar per liter of water. You need to pay attention to whether there is fever, chills, whether the child’s body has a marble tint; if these signs are present, then wiping and bathing should not be performed. In these cases, immediately rub the child with a dry towel, wrap him up and give him hot tea.
There is no need to remove the heat with the intention give antipyretic drugs immediately. The most important component in the fight against high temperature is the drinking regime. Babies should be put to the breast more often, and older children should be given water, raspberry or linden tea with honey, compote. Various warm drinks will be beneficial. Good sweating is a sign that the fever is going away. If you sweat without wiping it off, be sure to put on other clothes.
If these measures do not bring results or the child has too high a temperature, antipyretic drugs should be used.
If there is a need for an antipyretic drug, then doctors prescribe for children:
- Paracetamol and drugs based on it(Panadol, Efferalgan) – relieves fever and pain. Children under six years old can take no more than three days, and after six years - no more than five days;
Ibuprofen (Nurofen) – lowers temperature, relieves pain and inflammation. Babies under six months old are not allowed to take it. There are no restrictions on the duration of use; you can take it for five days or more.
The medications listed in the list can be taken no more than three times a day.
Antipyretic drugs can be in the form of tablets, syrups, suppositories. Children under three years of age are more often prescribed rectal suppositories that do not harm the digestive organs. And they will also come in handy if the baby has a sore throat and does not want to take bitter pills.
Children should not use a drug such as Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), as it is prohibited by the World Health Organization and can harm the child’s body. Aspirin provokes the onset serious brain diseases, liver, bleeding in the intestines may occur. In extreme cases, ingestion of Aspirin into a child's body can be fatal.
Sometimes, when the recommended antipyretics are powerless, you need to call an ambulance. Doctors will help the baby by giving an injection of a lytic mixture, which includes: analgin, diphenhydramine, papaverine. But this is only in rare cases.
Among the parents who self-medicate, there are fans of the needless use of antibiotics, even in the form of an antipyretic. Antibiotics are designed to fight bacterial infections, but for viruses they are useless and harmful. Using them is a huge mistake; antibiotics have their own functions, but lowering the temperature is not such a function.
Fever needs to be eliminated only if it brings discomfort or suffering to the baby. Adults should know that what makes their baby sick is an infection or a virus, but a low temperature that fights antibodies that try to harm the body.
During this period, interferon is not produced, which is essential to fight viruses. Side effects may include complications on the liver, kidneys, stomach, and heart. There is a possibility of an allergic reaction in the form of burning and swelling.
A temporary improvement in well-being may not be true; it may hide one of the complications of ARVI - pneumonia.
Taking medications has not only benefits, but also harmful effects on the child’s body.
If a child has a disease such as diabetes, it is prohibited to make decisions independently. Everything should be on the recommendation of a doctor; any uncontrolled use of medications can lead to death.
You should immediately go to the hospital if your child has not gone to the toilet for more than six hours - this is a sign of dehydration, which can lead to blood thickening.
As a result, in order to make the right decision, it is necessary to assess the severity of the disease and the condition of the baby. It is sometimes very difficult to do this on your own, so there is no need to self-medicate, but it is better to always turn to specialists.
First a symptom that signals that a child is sick is fever.
For any disease, you must try to identify the root cause as quickly as possible, then observe how high the temperature rises in the evening or at night, and only then determine for yourself how to bring down the child’s temperature and prescribe the correct treatment.
Related publications: how to measure a child's temperature, P low body temperature in a child, How many days can a child have a fever?
Fever (increased temperature) occurs in children as a general protective reaction of the body to a particular disease. In newborns, the body temperature in the armpit is slightly higher (37-37.5C). And by the time the child reaches one year, it will stabilize within the adult norm of 36.4-36.8C.
Fever can occur in cases of diseases, both infectious and non-infectious. An increase in temperature signals to us that something is wrong with the baby, and some changes have begun to occur in the body. You can effectively reduce a child’s temperature only by accurately determining the nature of the illness, and without the help of a specialist this is practically impossible.
An increase in temperature depends on the individual and physiological characteristics of the baby, and can occur with hormonal diseases, mental disorders, poisoning, and stress. Fever often occurs after a child has suffered physical injury. In some children, a sharp increase may be associated with short-term overheating in the sun without a hat.
Doctors recommend that each family member have an individual thermometer. This is especially true for young children. In order to understand how to bring down a child’s temperature, you need to determine what limits are considered normal for your baby.
If your baby gets sick and the temperature starts to rise, don’t rush to bring it down. Be sure to measure three times a day and write down the indicators to understand whether there is an upward trend. In addition, using such a diary, the pediatrician will be able to determine how the treatment is going and how serious the disease is.
When to lower a child’s temperature can be determined by observing how often it rises above 38C. If such cases are isolated or short-lived, then there should be no cause for concern. This means that the baby’s body copes with the disease on its own. Try not to take measurements when the baby is covered with a blanket - in newborns, the body temperature is always slightly elevated if he is wrapped up. The same applies to the state when the child is scared or crying.
Temperature is most often measured in the armpit. However, if you need precise measurements, you can also measure in the rectum. Typically, the results differ by 0.5-10 upwards. This method is practiced only when measuring the necessary indicators in infants. If the baby has reached six months of age or older, he will successfully turn out and allow you to complete the procedure.
Some parents, not knowing what to do if their child has a fever, analyze and compare the armpit measurements with the oral ones. Measurements in the mouth are not always accurate, even if they are taken using a special dummy thermometer.
Start lowering the child’s body temperature only if the thermometer readings exceed the normal mercury readings by 1.5-2C. If the fluctuations are insignificant, this can be attributed to the individual characteristics of the child’s body, his physical and emotional arousal, or slight overheating of the body on hot summer days. To obtain accurate results, keep the mercury thermometer in the armpit for 7 to 10 minutes.
The first symptoms that the baby is sick are ailments associated with an increase in temperature. In this case, you must immediately contact a specialist who will correctly diagnose, prescribe appropriate treatment, and determine the regimen according to which certain medications should be taken.
What temperature should be lowered in a child? The World Health Organization does not recommend starting to reduce slightly exceeded thermometer readings. Doctors strongly advise against giving antipyretic drugs to children if the temperature has not reached 38.5-39C, leaving the body the opportunity to fight the disease on its own.
The only exceptions are underdeveloped, premature children or babies with certain risk groups, in whom the increase is accompanied by seizures, as well as newborns whose age has not reached 2-3 months. In all such cases, only a doctor can determine when it is necessary to reduce the child’s temperature.
What to do if a child has a temperature of 38, but the condition worsens sharply, the skin becomes pale, and muscle pain appears? Start taking antipyretic medications immediately! Fever with such manifestations can significantly disrupt the functioning of internal organs, respiratory and cardiac activity.
What to do if a child has a temperature of 38, but there are no indications for the use of an antipyretic yet? First of all, it is necessary to provide the child with comfortable, cool conditions. It is not recommended to wrap and warm the baby’s body with such a fever. In addition, you need to remove all warm clothes from the child, take the heater out of the room, remove warm blankets and ventilate the room so that the average temperature in it does not exceed 200C. The heat must move away from the body so that the baby does not get heatstroke.
Is it possible to wipe a child with vodka when he has a fever? Doctors have recently answered this question quite unequivocally - no. Such rubbing can lead to an increase in skin temperature, and as a result, an increase in overall body temperature. A child's temperature can be reduced by offering the baby as much fluid as possible.
Drinking plenty of fluids will prevent dehydration, because in extreme heat, fluid is removed from the body through the skin many times faster. Water, diluted fruit juices and herbal teas significantly improve your well-being. If a child refuses to drink for 3-4 hours in a row, it is necessary to immediately inform the attending physician about this.
The temperature can be brought down without medication, by wiping. The only thing that needs to be taken into account is the absence of seizures and chronic or acquired neurological diseases. The water for wiping should be close to the baby’s body temperature; it is not recommended to use too cool or hot water. It is also not recommended to wipe the body with alcohol or alcohol infusions, as this can lead to a reverse reaction in the body.
Begin wiping by preparing water at the required temperature and three sterile cotton napkins in a bowl. Undress the baby and place it on your lap, after covering it with a clean terry towel. Soak one of the napkins in water, wring it out and place it on the child’s forehead, alternately wipe the baby’s body with the other two, wetting them as they dry. Repeat the procedures until the fever begins to subside. If the water becomes cool over time, add hot water to it, maintaining the temperature required for the child.
The first question that worries parents when they have a fever is what to do if the child’s high temperature persists?
Having determined the threshold at which the child’s body can overcome extreme heat on its own, it is necessary to prevent it from being exceeded. If a child’s temperature rises to 38.50C or higher, give the child an antipyretic and take a control measurement within an hour.
Pharmaceutical suppositories and syrups are very good antipyretics for young children.
Before lowering the temperature of a child 3 years old or younger, be sure to consult a pediatrician. It is important not only the specific appointment of a specialist, but also the number of medications taken. For children at this age, taking an antipyretic should not exceed three times a day, no matter how high the temperature rises.
If a child’s fever does not go down, and the condition is aggravated by the appearance of seizures, immediately call an ambulance. Before the team arrives, be sure to warm your baby’s feet by putting on socks or covering his feet with a blanket. A cabbage leaf applied to the forehead is a great way to relieve cramps due to fever.
It often happens that an increase occurs suddenly. How can you lower your child’s temperature and alleviate his condition without wasting time before the doctor or ambulance arrives?
The mechanism of thermoregulation in children is a very delicate and sensitive system. Therefore, changes in body temperature in a child under 3 years of age are a normal reaction of the body to pathogens that have entered it, changes in ambient temperatures, excessive fatigue, and so on. What temperature, in fact, should be brought down in a child at 3 years old, and which is better not to touch?
Fever most often means that an infection has entered the body. Often the disease begins with the first symptom - the mercury column creeps up. But this is a great sign. It means that the body’s fight against the “interventionists” has begun successfully. And the reaction of a healthy immune system is not a reason for panic, but, on the contrary, a reason for joy.
When hyperthermia is reduced artificially, that is, with the help of drugs, the protection is weakened. In the absence of very compelling reasons, there is no need to lower the temperature of a child under three years old, of course, if the child feels relatively normal. At body temperatures above 37 degrees, viruses and bacteria slow down their reproduction; only at 38 degrees does the body begin to produce antibodies.
In a child under 3 years of age, even a slight increase in temperature is dangerous if there is a history of diseases of the heart, nervous system, urinary system, or kidneys. In this case, even 37.5 can be dangerous. This should not be done without consulting a pediatrician.
In other cases, if the child is generally healthy, whether to lower the temperature above 38 degrees should also be decided with the doctor.
You should urgently call an ambulance if your face shows signs of dehydration and other threatening symptoms:
What temperature should be lowered in a child at 3 years old? If the child is not very bothered by the fever and tolerates it calmly, then there is no need to rush to give medications. From the age of two months you can try to leave the temperature at 38 degrees. When there is an increased predisposition to convulsions, then antipyretics should be used at 37.5.
By hastening to lower the temperature, parents slow down immune reactions and the natural destruction of viruses and microbes by the baby’s body.
Children 3 years of age with fever can be helped without taking medications. First, try wiping your body with warm water.
Attention! Do not use vinegar or alcohol on children aged 3 years or younger! Its fumes are far from beneficial for your child’s respiratory system. In conditions of weakened protective functions of the body, the baby may become poisoned. For compresses, use regular water at baby’s body temperature.
Opening your baby up and rubbing his body with a damp flannel cloth will help reduce the fever as the water will cool and evaporate. Pay special attention to the places where large vessels pass - the bends of the elbow, under the knees, groin, neck, back of the head.
Don’t give anything hot to drink or eat; warming up from the inside will not cause the temperature to drop. But food and water should be warm, or at least room temperature.
Don’t let your baby, even if he plays well, be overly active - run, jump, it’s better to put him to lie down, or sit him down to rest. Through activity, the body generates additional heat.
Be sure to humidify the air in the room where the baby is. Ventilate the room, it is better if the air temperature drops to 18 degrees. You can go outside if there is no bad weather.
Remove your baby's hot clothes. But if an increase in temperature gives the child chills, then until it stabilizes, the child should be wrapped up and given water, tea, a decoction of dried fruits, fruit juice, and natural juice. When you have the opportunity to sweat, the body also lowers its temperature.
Remember! If the child has nothing to sweat with, the temperature will not drop on its own.
Giving your little one water during a fever is extremely important! Before the age of 3, dehydration occurs extremely easily. Mom must remember that her son or daughter should drink every 5 minutes.
Rosehip is a very diuretic substance. Therefore, if you give a child a drink with rose hips, he will begin to have increased urine output. For this, even more fluid must enter the body. Raspberries make you sweat. In order not to waste the liquid necessary for the life of the baby’s body, do not forget to replenish its reserves.
A cabbage leaf applied to the head helps relieve heat. The leaf will quickly wither, but will help cool the baby's body. After a few hours you can change the sheet.
Reviews from parents report that fresh grapefruit reduces fever. Naturally, it cannot be used before the age of 3 years, and even after, if the child is prone to allergies.
Reducing a child's temperature without consulting a doctor is dangerous. At the first signs of illness, call a doctor at home, and before that, use the non-drug methods described above. If the temperature jumps suddenly and very strongly, for example, to 39 degrees, and continues to rise, call an ambulance immediately. The baby doll needs urgent help!
When the temperature is under control, pay attention to the following facts:
What dosage of medicine to give to your baby - read the instructions carefully! Exceeding dosages leads to irreversible consequences!
Many childhood diseases accompanied by an increase in temperature. What should parents do in this case?
What temperature must be brought down in a child? When is it better not to interfere?
Elevated temperature is unpleasant, but positive symptom.
It indicates that the body is resisting the disease.
Another specificity of childhood is that immunity The baby is just developing it.
So that the immune response is strong, so that the body gets used to it energetically fight with adverse effects, you must not interfere with the natural processes inherent in the child’s body. Fighting the disease, he “overheats.” It `s naturally.
If you bring down the temperature as soon as it has risen, the body’s efforts to fight the disease will no longer be needed. Now we are fighting, not the body itself. Immunity is not developed.
Therefore, if a child suffers from fever relatively calm, it does not exceed critical values (39 degrees and above) and does not last very long, it should not be knocked down.
Exceptions from this basic rule are the following:
In these cases, our intervention is necessary.
The child has 5-6 years and older The normal temperature is the same as that of an adult - 36 and 6.
In younger children it is less stable.
Temperature fluctuations within a few tenths of a degree and even a whole degree natural for babies.
Such differences in themselves should not be a concern. A running baby may be hot, but he is not sick.
Fever is a symptom of the disease only along with other symptoms(weakness, sneezing, pain, severe, difficulty breathing, redness of the nasopharynx, rash).
For children up to 5 years in some cases, the temperature is about 37 degrees, with fluctuations of up to 3-4 tenths in either direction. This is normal.
Infants may have individual deviations (for a particular baby, the temperature norm is different from the norm for other children of the same age): only a pediatrician can decide whether there is such a deviation.
It is better to focus on the general well-being of the child: in itself, a slightly elevated temperature in young children is not dangerous. However, a significant deviation from the norm, even in the absence of other alarming symptoms, requires immediate response adults.
Main reasons:
Sometimes the parents themselves can determine the cause. But if you're in doubt, it's better to do it quickly. call a doctor.
How to understand that a child has poisoning? Find out about this from ours.
Without a thermometer, this cannot be said for sure.
If the child hot forehead, red skin and the redness lasts for at least an hour, the baby is excited or, on the contrary, unusually lethargic, wants to drink all the time, you should put a thermometer on him.
A more reliable way to measure temperature in infants is a thermometer into the anus(but in this way you can measure the temperature with an electronic rather than a glass mercury thermometer), or you need to hold the thermometer under the child’s arm.
For infants (up to one year old) the critical point is - 38 degrees. With heat above this level, complications on the heart, nervous system, brain, kidneys, and dehydration are possible.
All these unpleasant consequences are possible only with prolonged heat, but it must be brought down immediately.
For babies older than one year, the critical mark is 39 degrees. The same complications are also possible if the fever lasts for a long time.
There are children who are characterized by individual intolerance to high temperature. They suffer greatly from it, are unable to sleep, can rave, complain, cry, become very nervous, and even panic. Some people start having seizures. Others find it difficult to breathe.
If there is obvious discomfort or serious condition of the child, adults are obliged to intervene and eliminate the causes of this condition.
Nowadays fever in children can be reduced at home exclusively with drugs. based on paracetamol or ibuprofen.
Paracetamol may be called Efferalgan, Tsefekon-D, Calpol, Panadol and just Paracetamol. There is no significant difference between these medications.
Ibuprofen is Nurofen, Monrin, Ibufen and actually Ibuprofen.
The use of aspirin and analgin is not allowed due to dangerous side effects.
Both paracetamol and ibuprofen are equally safe if you follow the dosage and intervals between doses.
Dosage:
Reception intervals:
Paracetamol is considered a milder antipyretic. Ibuprofen is stronger and more effective.
They can be alternated: give paracetamol, in 4-6 ibuprofen for hours, then in 6-8 hours paracetamol again.
The same drugs are available in the form of suspensions and rectal suppositories.
They act faster(20 minutes after use) than tablets (30-40 minutes after use).
With the correct dosage and intervals between doses, the age of the child does not matter.
The baby remains in bed only if the doctor has recommended bed rest.
Both walking and swimming for many diseases are risk. But if the weather is good, the doctor doesn’t mind, you can and should go for a walk to entertain the child. The depressed state of the baby does not contribute to recovery. If possible, he should live a full life even during illness.
Bathing a child in warm water is possible, and sometimes beneficial. But it is not advisable to delay bathing.
Baby is possible dip, then dry with a towel and take to bed. Sometimes swimming helps reduce fever.
If your baby’s temperature rises sharply, unexpectedly and quickly, call an ambulance immediately as soon as you notice it. Do not do anything until the doctor arrives.
Doctor Komarovsky about emergency care for fever in a child:
We kindly ask you not to self-medicate. Make an appointment with a doctor!