How to deal with baby's fever

1. How to deal with baby’s fever?

The clinical cooling methods mainly include physical cooling and drug cooling. Babies in the neonatal period generally do not take medication to cool down. It is best to take appropriate physical cooling first. When the cooling effect is not satisfactory and the body temperature exceeds 38.5 degrees, medication can be used to cool down according to the doctor's advice.

Commonly used physical cooling methods:

1. Cold compress method:

Specific operation methods:

Place a small towel or clean cloth Stack it into two to three layers, soak it in cold or ice water, twist it until it is semi-dry (subject to no dripping), and apply it on your forehead. It is best to use two towels alternately and do it continuously for 15 to 20 minutes. If you apply cold compresses to the armpits and groin at the same time, the cooling effect will be better.

Warm reminder:

(1) During the cold compress process, we should pay attention to the baby's skin. If there is skin irritation, chills, etc., we should stop using it immediately.

(2) In addition to ice towels, you can also use cold water bags, antipyretic patches or ice packs to cool down. The usage is similar to applying ice towels.

2. Warm water bath:

Specific operation method:

First apply a cold towel or ice pack on the baby’s forehead, which can not only help cool down, but also It can avoid constriction of blood vessels on the body surface and blood concentration in the head, causing congestion of blood vessels in the head. Prepare warm water at 32 to 34 degrees Celsius and two towels. Untie the baby's clothes, cover it with a large towel, expose one limb, and wipe the upper body first, from the neck to the back of the hands, from the armpits to the palms, and dry it with a dry towel after bathing. Then use the same method to rub from the bottom to the back, and finally rub the lower limbs. Wipe from the hip through the outer thigh to the instep, then from the inner thigh to the ankle, and finally from the back of the thigh through the popliteal fossa to the heel. After wiping one side, wipe the other side in the same way, and rub each limb and back for about three minutes. In areas where large blood vessels are concentrated, such as armpits, elbows, thighs and behind the knees, you can apply it for a longer period of time to improve the cooling effect.

Tips: Things to note when giving your baby a sponge bath to cool down

(1) The force should be even and avoid exposing the baby too much to avoid getting cold.

(2) The chest, abdomen, and back of the neck are more sensitive to cold stimulation and should not be wiped to avoid adverse reactions such as slowed heart rate and diarrhea. If the baby develops chills, pale complexion and other abnormal conditions, stop bathing immediately.

(3) After wiping with warm water, pay attention to dressing the baby well, but not too much or too thick, so as not to affect heat dissipation. Measure the baby's temperature 30 minutes after bathing. If the temperature drops below 39 degrees, remove the cold towel from the head.

3. Alcohol swab bath

For babies over one year old whose body temperature exceeds 40 degrees and cannot easily cool down, alcohol swab bath can be used. The method of alcohol swab bathing is the same as that of warm water swabbing. The difference is that the warm water of 32 to 34 degrees is replaced with diluted alcohol. The dilution method is to add 100 ml of 75% alcohol to the same amount of warm water, that is, half alcohol and half water. If you don’t have alcohol at home, just dilute it with white wine.

4. Taking a bath with warm water

Taking a bath can help dissipate heat. When the baby has a fever, if the baby is in a good mental state, you can give the baby a warm bath. The water temperature is adjusted to 37 degrees. Pay attention to the water temperature not being too high, so as not to cause blood vessels throughout the body to dilate, increase oxygen consumption, and aggravate the condition.

Experts remind: When there are rash diseases such as measles, it is not advisable to use physical cooling to avoid irritating the skin and affecting the development of the rash.

5. Pediatric Massage

(1) Qingtian River Water - also called "Tui Tian River Water", push from the wrist to the elbow bend.

(2) Lead the water to the Tianhe River - dip it in water and push it from the palm of your hand to the crook of your elbow.

(3) Hit the horse to cross the Tianhe River - from the wrist to the elbow, jump or tap.

These three methods can all reduce fever. For fevers caused by external wind and cold, if the temperature is below 38.5 degrees, Qingtian River water is generally used. Qingtian River water is very miraculous in reducing fever. Generally, after pushing for 5 to 10 minutes, the baby will start to sweat and the fever will subside.

2. Four kinds of foods can be fed to babies with fever

The following foods have the effect of auxiliary dietary therapy for babies with fever.

Mothers need to make flexible choices based on their baby's own situation:

1. Sugarcane pulp porridge: Wash fresh sugar cane and squeeze 100ml of juice, add 100g of japonica rice, add water to cook into porridge, and eat it 2-3 times a day.

2. Watermelon juice: Remove the seeds from fresh watermelon and squeeze the juice for your baby to eat directly. If your baby only has a fever and has no other symptoms, you can drink some watermelon juice to help cool down and diuresis.

3. Ophiopogon japonicus porridge: 30g of Ophiopogon japonicus, decoct the soup and extract the juice, add 100g of japonica rice. When half-cooked, add an appropriate amount of Ophiopogon japonicus juice and rock sugar, cook together into medicinal porridge, and take it in the morning and evening.

4. Lotus leaf porridge: Take one fresh lotus leaf, wash it and make about 500ml of soup. Add 100g of japonica rice and appropriate amount of white sugar to the filtered lotus leaf water to make porridge. Eat it every morning and evening.

Why does my baby have fever repeatedly?

Why does the fever relapse a few hours after it subsides? How low should the fever be? Under what circumstances do I need to go to the hospital again? If you still have the above questions, it means that you have not passed the course of dealing with baby fever. Come and catch up with us.

Supplementary lesson 1: Why do babies have recurring fevers?

Many families have experienced this. They took their baby to the hospital during the day and the temperature dropped, but at night the baby had a fever again, and the family rushed to send the baby to the hospital. Why does my body temperature still rebound even after taking antipyretics? Shen Zhenyu, deputy chief physician of pediatrics at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, explained that babies have fevers because they are infected with bacteria and viruses in the body and develop inflammation. Even if the baby takes antibiotics or antiviral drugs, the inflammation will not disappear immediately, and the antipyretic drugs will only temporarily lower the temperature. Once the effect of the drugs wears off, the body temperature will rise again. In fact, this rise is not a bad thing. Shen Zhenyu reminds parents not to regard "fever" as the enemy. Fever is not a disease, but just a symptom. When a baby has a fever, the killing power of white blood cells in the baby's body will increase, while the activity of bacteria and viruses will decrease accordingly, which is beneficial to the baby's recovery.

Supplementary Lesson 2: How many degrees Celsius does the baby need to take antipyretics?

In some mother forums, you can often see mothers asking frantically, "My baby has a fever, 37.8 degrees Celsius. What anti-fever medicine should I take?" Shen Zhenyu explained that in fact, it is not necessary as soon as he has a fever. Take antipyretics immediately'. If the baby just has a common cold and fever, and if the body temperature does not exceed 38.5 degrees Celsius, physical cooling should be considered first. For example, you can take a warm bath for your baby, or wipe your armpits, palms, soles of feet, and thighs with alcohol to help cool down your baby. Wearing an antipyretic patch may not help your baby cool down, but it can make your baby feel more comfortable. Giving your baby more water, allowing him or her to sweat and urinate more, can also have a cooling effect. When the body temperature exceeds 38.5 degrees Celsius, consider using antipyretics.

Supplementary Lesson 3: Is it best to reduce fever to 36.5℃?

Many mothers have had this experience. After giving their babies antipyretics, they measured their baby's temperature an hour later and it was still 37 degrees Celsius or even above 38 degrees Celsius. Some mothers will question whether the fact that the body temperature has not dropped to normal means that the fever has not been completely reduced and further measures need to be taken. Shen Zhenyu explained that for babies to have a fever, it does not necessarily have to return to normal body temperature. In fact, it is ideal to return to 38 degrees Celsius. Because at 38 degrees Celsius, the body's disease resistance is strongest and it can mobilize its own immunity to kill bacteria and viruses that invade the body, and this temperature will not be too high to make children feel uncomfortable.

Supplementary Lesson 4: Why is the cooling effect not good when taking antipyretics?

Some mothers see that their babies have fever and give them antipyretics, but the body temperature does not change significantly. Shen Zhenyu explained that there may be many reasons for this. For example, sometimes antipyretics are opened for too long. Although the shelf life has not expired, the effectiveness of the medicine has been affected. In addition, almost all antipyretics achieve a cooling effect by making the baby sweat. Therefore, when giving your baby antipyretics, you should also let him drink more water to achieve the best antipyretic effect. If the baby does not want to drink boiled water, he can drink soup or drinks, which can achieve the effect of replenishing water.

Supplementary Lesson 5: Are injections more effective in reducing fever?

In pediatric outpatient clinics, we often encounter parents who ask doctors to prescribe fever-reducing injections. They think that taking an injection will make them better faster. In fact, this is not a wise choice.

It is understood that antipyretic injections still used in domestic clinical practice include aminopyrine, metamizole, etc. However, the use of these drugs has been banned in some developed countries because their fever-reducing effect is no better than oral drugs, but they have greater side effects. According to Shen Zhenyu, the pediatric department of their hospital rarely uses this type of drug in clinical practice, unless the patient's symptoms are urgent or the parents request it.

Supplementary Lesson 6: Under what circumstances should I take my baby to the hospital?

For most families, when a baby has a fever for the first time in his life, the parents have to take him to the hospital three times. Even families with doctors are not immune. Shen Zhenyu answered that it is normal for babies to have recurring fevers, and that rising body temperature again is not an indication to run to the hospital again. Compared with body temperature, parents need to pay more attention to the baby's mental state, specifically eating, sleeping and playing. If the baby cannot eat or drink water, you can go to the hospital for rehydration; if the baby is restless when sleeping, or is always groggy and tired, you need to seek medical treatment in time; children will not pretend to be sick, they are usually very If a favorite game or toy suddenly becomes uninterested or indifferent, it also indicates that the baby is in a poor mental state and needs to be diagnosed again by a doctor. In addition, children have more rash diseases, so if you find a new rash, you should seek medical treatment in time.

Supplementary Lesson 7: The higher the body temperature, the greater the probability of convulsions?

When the baby's body temperature exceeds 40 degrees Celsius, many parents will worry that the baby will have convulsions, leaving serious sequelae. Dr. Shen Zhenyu explained that when children under 5 years old have high fever, the incidence of convulsions is 5%, which means that 5 out of 100 children may have convulsions. But it does not mean that the higher the body temperature, the greater the probability of convulsions. Whether the baby has convulsions is more related to the baby's own constitution. If there are epilepsy patients in the family, or the baby's parents are prone to high fever and convulsions when they were young, the probability of the baby having convulsions will be greater than others. Parents should pay special attention when caring for them.