What to do if your child suddenly has a fever at night

It is common for children to have a headache or fever, so parents should not worry too much. You should know that the more worried and afraid they are, the more likely something will happen to their children. What parents are usually most worried about is that their children will have a fever in the middle of the night, especially if the children often play outdoors. If they catch a cold, it is easy to cause a fever. So, what should parents do when they find that their children have a fever at night?

What causes children to have a high fever in the middle of the night?

There are many causes of fever in children, which can be roughly divided into the following three categories:

1. External factors

Children's body temperature is affected by the external environment, such as wearing too many clothes when it is hot, drinking too little water, and poor ventilation in the room.

2. Internal factors

Sickness, cold, tracheitis, sore throat or other illness.

3. Other factors

Such as preventive injections, including measles, cholera, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus and other reactions. Fever is only one symptom of the disease, not all of it.

What should I do if my child has a high fever in the middle of the night?

When it comes to fever, what matters is the impact and progression of the disease itself, but parents usually only see the appearance of the disease, such as fever, vomiting, and cough, and then they panic.

As a parent, the correct way to reduce fever should be:

1. Maintain good air circulation

If your home has air conditioning, maintain the room temperature between 25 and 27 degrees Celsius. You can place the child in an air-conditioned room or blow an electric fan around him to slowly lower his body temperature, which will make the child feel more comfortable. But if the limbs are cold and the patient is shivering violently, it means that the patient needs warmth, so he should be covered with a blanket.

2. Take off too much clothing

Don’t panic when your baby has a fever. Pay attention to other symptoms and overall condition before taking appropriate action. If your baby's limbs, hands and feet are warm and he is sweating all over, it means he needs to dissipate heat and he can wear less clothes.

3. Try a warm water bath

Undress the baby and rub the whole body with a warm water (37℃) towel. This will dilate the blood vessels in the baby's skin and release body qi. In addition, when water vapor evaporates from the body surface, it will also absorb body heat.

4. Use an ice pillow or a fever-reducing patch

It helps to dissipate heat, but it is not recommended for younger children because it is difficult for them to turn their bodies and the ice pillow can easily cause local overcooling or hypothermia.

You can also use a cooling patch. When the water in the gelatinous substance of the cooling patch evaporates, it can take away the heat and will not cause excessive cooling.

5. Drink more water to help sweat

To help sweating and prevent dehydration. Water has the function of regulating temperature, which can lower body temperature and replenish water lost in the baby's body.

6. Use antipyretics with caution

When the core temperature (rectal temperature or ear temperature) of an infant or young child exceeds 38.5℃, antipyretic solutions or suppositories can be used appropriately.

Antipyretics come in liquid form, tablets, suppositories and injections. Liquid forms are generally milder.

① The most commonly used are syrups containing paracetamol, such as children's Motrin syrup and children's Baifuning drops. Aspirin tablets are also effective in reducing fever. However, aspirin should not be used in certain viral infections, such as chickenpox or influenza, as it may trigger Reye's syndrome.

② Suppositories are inserted into the anus and absorbed by the rectum. They are effective quickly and can reduce fever even when children refuse to take medicine. They are very convenient. However, it is better to use small amounts. Frequent use can easily lead to excessive fever reduction, a sudden drop in body temperature, or repeated irritation of the anus, causing diarrhea.

③Giving antipyretic injections is the least safe because children may suffer from allergic shock.

The above method is how to deal with children’s fever in the middle of the night. Parents can learn from it. It is best to prepare some antipyretic drugs at home so that you can deal with your child’s fever in time. To avoid being in a hurry at that time, this antipyretic medicine should be a special children's medicine. Do not use adult medicine for children.