Lowering fever in babies and children: That helps now
In order to reduce fever naturally, bed rest, sufficient drinking and cold leg wraps are often sufficient. Antipyretics, on the other hand, should only be given if you have a high fever and as directed by your doctor. Find out here what measures you can take yourself to reduce fever.
If your child has a fever, it will feel tired and listless . As a mother, you will suffer with him and give him your full attention. However, fever is not a cause for concern, as it is a natural defense reaction of the body. At elevated temperatures, the metabolism is stimulated, pathogens can no longer multiply and die off. By taking appropriate measures, you can alleviate your child’s symptoms and lower the fever.
What to do if you have a fever
If your child has a fever, you should create an environment in which your child can calmly cure his fever. You should definitely take these individual points into account:
- Measure fever regularly: Check your child’s temperature at regular intervals. The measurement should always be taken on the same part of the body and at the same time of day, so that you can better compare the measurement results that you should write down. Some diseases are accompanied by typical fever courses. If you still need to see a doctor, your notes can help the doctor make a diagnosis. However, you should not disturb or even wake up your child by taking your temperature frequently. Find out here how to measure your child’s fever correctly.
- Bed rest: Your feverish child belongs in bed and needs rest. If you manage to lower the fever, your child will probably want to get up and play again quickly. Children often overestimate their strength, which means that symptoms of illness can return. You should therefore keep your sick child busy with quieter games and make sure that they recover sufficiently in between and do not overexert themselves physically.
- Drinking: Adequate fluid intake is particularly important for children and infants , since their fluid balance is not as stable as that of adults. Therefore, make sure that your child drinks a lot and offer him something to drink at regular intervals. Herbal tea, water or juice are best suited for this purpose . When sweating due to fever, children lose a lot of fluid. Without adequate hydration, the body cannot effectively fight the pathogens. As a rule, your child should therefore consume at least two liters a day.
- Eating: Children with a fever have little appetite. Offer your child easily digestible food such as broth or compote. However, you should not force your child to eat.
- Laundry: Make sure to change bed linen and towels regularly.
- Room climate: Make sure that the humidity in the room is around 70%. In overheated rooms, the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose dry out quickly and viruses have the best conditions for penetrating the organism. Set up humidifiers— our favorite: the Amazon Aroma Diffuser humidifieradvertisementcan produce up to 30 – 50 ml moisture per hour and can also be filled with essential oils, so that a pleasant scent is also created – or alternatively place damp cloths over the heater to improve the humidity. Also ventilate regularly. However, make sure that your child is well covered and that there is no draft.
Reduce fever with heat-dissipating measures
Some home remedies to reduce fever have what is called a heat-dissipating effect. This is the case, for example, in winding applications. They can have a refreshing and pleasant effect on your feverish child.
- Calf wraps: Well known and a proven home remedy for fever are calf wraps . Wet, cool cloths are placed around your child’s calves. They have a refreshing, soothing effect and dissipate the heat caused by the fever.
- Vinegar wraps : Vinegar wraps are also a cold wrap application. Vinegar has a refreshing and relaxing effect on your feverish child. With the vinegar wrap, cloths soaked in water and vinegar essence are placed around your child’s calves.
Reduce fever with sweat-inducing measures
A sweat cure supports and accelerates the fever. But make sure that your child drinks enough, otherwise his body will dry out. This is how you can make yourself and your children sweat a lot:
- Cold bath: A cold bath – our tip: the Pinimenthol cold bath for children from 2 years with eucalyptus oil (found at Amazon)advertisement– can alleviate your child’s symptoms. The scent of essential oils has an invigorating effect on your child and the warmth of the bath makes them sweat. After that it’s time to go to bed!
- Herbal tea: Herbs such as lilac, linden blossom or elder have a sweat-inducing effect. They help your child to break the fever and are therefore particularly recommended for reducing fever.
Reduce fever with medication
If your child is unable to sleep well because of the fever, you can give him an antipyretic. However, you should always consult your pediatrician beforehand, because not all active ingredients are suitable for children. Antipyretics are available in different dosage forms, as tablets, suppositories or as sugar-free juice. If the pediatrician has approved the administration, you can choose the dosage form according to what suits your child best. Find out here when a doctor’s visit is unavoidable and urgently needed if you have a fever.