Don't Panic! Excerpted from the Complete Book of Baby and Child Care You needn't fear a fever in your child. Instead, take note of the following tips. What should you do if your child has a fever? First, stay calm-this may be easier said than done if your child is very young-and assess the situation. The actual height of the temperature is important, but equally significant are the age of your child and what else is going on. Before calling the doctor, determine if there are other symptoms such as coughing, runny nose, sore throat, rash or (in children who can communicate) pain in some location. Even more important is the way your child is acting. This will help you determine how urgent the problem is. A normal child will usually become somewhat irritable, less active, more clingy and less hungry when a fever is present. In a typical acute illness such as a cold, your child may act like her old self again when the fever subsides. With more serious infections, however, changes in behavior tend to be more profound. If significant behavioral changes occur, call your child's doctor immediately. Most acute illnesses that generate a fever in infants and children are caused by viruses and will disappear o their won, while some illnesses may involve bacteria that will respond to specific antibiotic treatment. If the fever persists for more than 24 hours, a call to your child's physician and possibly an office visit may help to determine the problem. In addition, there are some other general measures that may be helpful: Dress your infant or child in light clothing and keep her room at a comfortable temperature. Turning up the heat at home or bundling her up in clothes will not speed recovery, and doing so may actually keep her temperature elevated. If she is shivering, give her a light blanket for comfort. (Remember, shivering is a process that will raise the body temperature.) Give your sick child fluids of all kinds. Appetite is typically reduced during an illness where fever is present. Large or fatty meals should be avoided, because fever tends to slow movement of food through the digestive tract. Keep activities on the quiet side, because vigorous exertion might increase her temperature. If the illness is potentially contagious (and most viruses are), she should be kept away from other children or anyone whose health might be jeopardized by an acute infection. Sponge bathing an infant or child to bring down a fever is not necessary, except in unusual situations (such as heatstroke) where temperatures exceed 106 degrees F. Sponging, however, might help her feel more comfortable, especially if her temperature is higher than 104 degrees F. It is helpful to give a dose of acetaminophen or ibuprofen at least 30 minutes before doing so to lower the set oint of your child's thermostat. (Otherwise, she will simply shiver back to her original temperature.) Set the child in an inch or two of lukewarm water-85 to 90 degrees F, which should feel just slightly warm to the touch. Do not use cold water, which will make her shiver (and thus raise her temperature), and do not use rubbing alcohol, which can be dangerous when absorbed through the skin or inhaled. Use a sponge or washcloth to keep body surfaces wet for 30 to 45 minutes. During that time she will lose heat as water evaporates from her skin. You do not have to bring her temperature down to normal-lowering it a couple of degrees will help her feel better. This column, excerpted from Focus on the Family's Complete Book of Baby and Child Care, is used with permission of Tyndale House Publishers. It may be copied in its entirety without permission for noncommercial use. Want to see more? Click to review other excerpts. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright � 1998, Focus on the Family. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
