A fever can induce distress, particularly if the fever is high or a child has the fever. Gaining prior knowledge on how to deal with it can relieve a lot of stress and provide immediate help dodging the probability of mishaps arising due to overlooking or lack of immediate attention.
This article is specifically curated to help you comprehend what is needed to be done to relieve your child’s high temperatures. So make sure you read it till the end.
If a fever occurs, you can take four typical courses of action to relieve them immediately.
Cool Packs Under the Arm
Placing a cool pack or damp cloth on the forehead is one of the most typical and effective ways to bring down the fever. But if the fever is extremely high, placing the cool pack under the armpit or in the groin area, where there are larger blood vessels, is recommended. Make sure you keep removing the pack every 10 to 15 minutes to avoid frostbite and wrap the pack with a piece of fabric to avoid direct contact with the skin.
Try Fever Reducers
Consumption of an antipyretic drug is an effective and easy way to reduce fever. They work instantly and get you to relieve within a span of four to eight hours.
Most of such antipyretics can be used for both adults and children, but the dosage highly varies.
Further, although antipyretic drugs like Tylenol can be used in children as young as 2 months and Advil in those as young as 6 months, it is better to contact a pediatrician before using any fever medication.
Take a Lukewarm Bath
A bath might sound absurd, particularly when the child is burning with fever. But a bath can help the body release its temperature, helping the child relax so they can sleep better. But make sure the water is lukewarm, and you take them out as soon as the water starts to cool. Otherwise, it can cause shivering that can increase instead of reducing the core body temperature.
Hydrate
Drinking tons of liquids is required to prevent dehydration during a fever. As a rule, the higher the fever, the more the body loses its water content, inducing the risk of dehydration. Dehydration during fever can lead to severe medical conditions, including seizures and a deadly drop in blood pressure. Therefore drinking water, chilled fluids, and even sports drinks are good choices to bring down a fever.
Bottom Line
Fever can be cured with over-the-counter medications like Tylenol or Advil, lukewarm baths, plenty of fluids, and cold packs if a fever is quite high.
However, make sure you never use alcohol rubdowns, ice baths, or consume more than prescribed medicinal dosage with an idea to get rid of them as soon as possible because this could worsen the situation, particularly in children. Besides that, when to call for a telemedicine doctor can be confusing since rules vary based on age. But when in doubt, make sure you seek medical attention without delay to be on the safe side.
