A nightmare for many moms and dads, the villain of sleepless nights and a worry for first, second, third, and fourth-time parents… it is terrible, it comes suddenly and makes your baby irritable and fussy, it is FEVER!!

Imagine a family outing at grandma’s house, a very happy Saturday for everyone. Joana was 11 months old, about to turn 1 year, when I noticed she felt a bit warm with very red cheeks, even though she was out of the sun for a while already. The shock after using the thermometer: 39.4°C! Marcos and I almost panicked! So what now? I had never cared for a child with a fever in my life! What to do, what to give, oh my… we rushed to the hospital and the doctor’s diagnosis: NOTHING! How could it be nothing? Well, there are many common possibilities that could cause a fever like this in a child:

  • Flu
  • Cold
  • Teething
  • Sore throat

Fever is a defense mechanism of the body and a natural reaction of the body1. If the clinical examination finds nothing that could indicate an infection, it is appropriate to perform further tests, such as a blood test, to detect even the smallest infection, which is the cause of 99% of very high fevers, and in these cases, an antibiotic is needed. Fever has an incubation period, averaging 3 days, but with lower fevers it’s generally reasonable to treat at home with antipyretics like Dipyrone or Paracetamol and even Ibuprofen, as the tendency is for it to go away on its own. But for very high fevers, it is best to take your child to the doctor right away, as they know how to quickly and effectively lower the fever.

Moms and dads, don’t think it’s something impossible to manage, high fever does need to be controlled2, but knowing how to lower the temperature and staying calm is essential. From my experience as a mom I’m going to share my tips, which I picked up through countless sleepless nights caring for the little ones, so, how do you lower a fever?3

  • Give the antipyretic prescribed by the pediatrician at the correct dose and on schedule
  • Don’t give the child a cold bath, as it can actually further raise their temperature; the best is a lukewarm bath, never cold. The best thing to do is to apply alcohol compresses on strategic areas like the armpits, groin, and forehead.
  • Give your child plenty of fluids, if they’ll accept them. Hydration is essential to replace the amino acids the body uses up when the temperature is high.
  • If the child is active, let them play, it can actually be good for them, or if not, encouraging sleep is very helpful as the medication works faster, and when they start sweating it’s a sign the fever is breaking.
  • Don’t be alarmed if the fever takes a while to come down; it often happened that Joana’s fever only started to subside 2 hours after taking the antipyretic medication.

What did Joana have? Her fever was caused by teething. She always tended to have very high fevers, even with a cold or sore throat. Remember, children under 6 years old are naturally prone to have febrile seizures, so don’t be shocked if it happens, ok? It usually only happens when the temperature rises very quickly.

I hope I’ve helped in some way!

See also: Why Does Fever Occur in Children?

Photos: Lynda Giddens, Nathan LeClair