How to take care of a child when he has a fever
When a child has a fever, he or she may lose water from the body by sweating. Most fevers in children will go away after about 48-72 hours, do not need antibiotics, and can take care of children when they have a fever at home with ways to reduce fever. If the child is not in the category of calling the doctor, the most important thing for parents to do is not to reduce the fever but to observe and try to make the child as comfortable and comfortable as possible.
1. PROVIDE A LOT OF QUALITY
Fluids include milk, water… When a child has a fever, he or she may lose water from the body by sweating. Therefore, if the baby is still breastfeeding, the mother should actively breastfeed the baby with breast milk which is 88% water and also has antibodies and nutrients to support the baby during the fever period and fight the disease. For babies older than 6 months, besides actively breastfeeding, parents encourage their children to drink more filtered water, cool water, fruit juice, eat ice cream, eat yogurt, etc. Give your baby several times to drink, a little water at a time. If your baby shows signs of dehydration (dry lips, less urination), then give him cresol or coconut water (which is an easy-to-drink natural electrolyte) to rehydrate him.
2. Wear cool clothes and use air conditioners, fans, and air conditioners
Most of the heat will escape through the skin, so parents should not wear thick clothes, cover the baby, or warm the baby because it can be the cause of a higher fever. In the summer, the baby only needs 1 thin clothes and the room temperature is at a cool level (20-25 degrees). If in winter, parents should also adjust the air conditioner so that the room is not too cold, wearing a layer of long-sleeved clothes is enough because the baby has a fever and will need to get rid of the heat. If your baby is cold or shivering, cover her with a thin towel, not a thick blanket or extra clothes. Using the air conditioner does not make the child sicker, but only makes the child more comfortable, so use the air conditioner for the baby when he is sick, just let the temperature be suitable and the wind is gentle, not blowing directly on the baby.
3. WASH YOURSELF, BATH THE BABY RIGHT WAY
Wiping is usually not necessary in reducing fever because it only cools the surface of the skin while the body temperature stays the same. Cooling also causes the body surface to lose its temperature balance compared to the internal temperature, causing the baby to shiver, the body must be more active to balance the temperature between the two sides. Instead of wiping themselves, parents can bathe and soak their babies. Bathing is recommended rather than giving your baby fever-reducing medicine if your baby is allergic or intolerant to fever-reducing medications. If the baby is too uncomfortable and vomits after taking the medicine, it should be combined with taking fever-reducing medicine and wiping himself. You should apply soaking, and bathing when the child’s fever is higher than 40oC and the fever is checked after 30 minutes – after taking acetaminophen or ibuprofen still does not lower to help lower the fever better. To soak, parents let the baby sit in a basin of water, let WATER (29-32oC, you can check with your wrist that warm water is okay) about 2.5-5cm high. Then, let your baby sit in the pot, use a sponge or towel to soak the warm water in the pot, and squeeze it over your baby’s body, hands, and feet. The evaporation of water will make the baby more comfortable. Soaking in water will help the body drop 1-2 degrees after about 30 to 40 minutes. When bathing, or soaking the baby, parents do not use cold water because it will increase the baby’s body temperature. If your baby doesn’t want to take a bath, take her out, without forcing her. If your child is shivering, the water is too cold, which can make the fever worse, so get him out of the tub. Parents absolutely should not add alcohol to the water, the child can inhale the vapors which lead to a coma. It is not recommended to wipe yourself with lemon juice or other products even with warm water.
4. DO NOT FORCE BABY TO EAT
When you have a fever or illness, your body will be more tired and uncomfortable. Parents can encourage their children to eat and drink, cook easy-to-eat snacks such as porridge, noodles, and noodles, soup … for the baby, giving priority to cool dishes such as pickled fruits, and ice cream… to make the baby more comfortable. However, you should not force your baby to eat if he doesn’t like it, but encourage him to drink. When he recovers from illness, he will make up for it. If your baby is tired, refuses to eat, or is lethargic, take him to the doctor.
5. LIMIT OUTSIDE AND INCREASE REST
During a fever, your baby should stay at home and get plenty of rest. Parents should leave the baby at home, and let the baby move around the house, no need to stay in the same room. If it is imperative to go out, parents should wear a hat, and let the baby play in the shade if the weather is cool. During a feverish illness, what your baby needs most is comfort and rest, not fever. Therefore, parents should try to let their children be comfortable and rest as much as possible, not force them to eat, drink and wipe themselves for a while, then get them up to take medicine and check the temperature… If the baby is resting If possible, it is best not to disturb, let the baby rest.
6. Use antipyretic drugs
Fever keeps the baby from getting sick, so parents only really need to use the medicine if they cause discomfort, usually above 39 degrees, the body will uncomfortable. However, depending on each child, if the child has a fever from 38.3 to 38.5 but has symptoms of pain and discomfort, parents should also give the child a fever reducer. The drugs start to work after 30 minutes, and last 2 hours after taking them. Medicine will help reduce fever to 1 to 1.5oC. Antipyretics do not lower the temperature to normal body temperature unless the fever is not high before taking the medicine. You may need to give your child multiple doses of fever-reducing medicine because the fever will still go up or down until the illness is gone, but carefully read the instructions on HOURS BETWEEN MEDICATIONS, and do not give your child any more antipyretics. fever if there is not enough time between two doses of the medicine even though the child is still feverish after the last dose. If your child has a high fever and there is no sign of a fever-reducing response, take him to the doctor instead of taking many fever-reducing medicines because he can have a very dangerous OVERDOSE. If your child is sleeping, do not wake him up to give medicine, let him sleep to rest is better than taking a fever reducer. When the baby sleeps, it means that the baby is not upset and is gaining strength. If your child has a fever and shows signs of lethargy – do not sleep, and take him to the hospital right away.
7. TREATMENT WHEN BABY HAS FEELING CORRUPTION
Parents should be calm, not shouting. CALM. DO NOT Scream. Febrile convulsions are usually benign and do not damage the brain, do not cause seizures, do not disrupt children’s behavior and cognition, etc. Therefore, stay calm.
Parents should let the child lie on his side on a flat surface, with no hard objects around, not close to the wall, not on the bed because the child may fall to the ground and hit his head against the wall. It’s best to have your child lie down on a mattress on the ground or another safe surface in the house.
After that, let the child lie on his side, do not put anything in his mouth, and do not try to open his mouth to squeeze lemon, lemongrass, or anything. Leave the baby’s airway open and do not try to hold the baby when he has a convulsion. Your child will not be bitten on the tongue during a seizure. The only thing parents need to do at that time is to observe the child and count the time. Children will usually have a seizure for about 1-2 minutes, if the child has a seizure for more than 5 minutes, take the child to the hospital immediately, the child may have to take anticonvulsant medicine. Observation will help you see clearly what the seizure is like to describe to your doctor, making it easier to diagnose and treat. There are many cases of parents panicking while their child has a convulsion, when the doctor asks what the symptoms and seizures are like, they can’t be described, making it difficult to diagnose and treat.
