How to reduce fever in children?

Fever and colds are very common for some children. Sometimes a child’s fever may make parents feel very anxious, and they don’t know what to do. In fact, fever is not a very serious condition. Unless the fever is as high as 39 or 40 degrees, you can just use some methods to reduce the baby's temperature. So, what methods can be used to reduce fever in children?

How to reduce a child's fever? If the child's temperature is not high and his mental state is good, physical cooling methods can be used, such as wiping with warm water or taking a warm water bath. If a child has a fever with an axillary temperature of 38.2℃ and physical cooling does not reduce the fever, he or she should be given antipyretics. If the fever is not reduced in time, the body temperature can easily rise to 39°C or above. If the medicine cannot be taken immediately at this time, it may cause convulsions. Patients with a history of high fever and convulsions are recommended to take the medicine earlier.

1. Wipe with warm water or take a warm bath: Wipe the child's head, armpits, limbs with a warm and wet towel or take a warm bath, scrub the skin more to promote heat dissipation.

2. Foot soaking can promote blood circulation, relieve discomfort, and lower the baby's body temperature. You can use a large basin or a small bucket to soak your feet. Pour 2/3 of the basin with water. The water temperature should be slightly higher than usual, based on what your baby can adapt to. When soaking the baby's feet, the mother can rub the baby's two little feet, which can not only dilate the blood vessels but also relieve the discomfort caused by fever.

3. Ice compress: You can use a small amount of ice compress appropriately and apply ice or cold compress on the baby’s head or large blood vessels. But be sure to wrap a layer of cloth around the ice bag to prevent local frostbite on the baby's skin, and babies under 6 months old should not be given ice compresses. There is still much controversy about the pros and cons of this approach. It is generally believed that ice compresses do more harm than good, because they may cause the capillaries in the baby's skin to contract, hindering heat dissipation and causing the body temperature to be higher. Especially if accompanied by chills or shivering, ice compresses should not be used.

4. Apply wet compress with a warm towel. Wipe the baby's limbs with a warm towel, or apply a wet towel to the forehead to help reduce fever.