What should I do if my child has a fever of 38 degrees?

Medically speaking, there are two explanations for children's fever symptoms. The first theory is that the fever may be caused by a certain disease and needs treatment because a severe fever may endanger your health. The second statement is that fever is not necessarily a bad thing, because fever can enhance children's immunity and promote rapid growth. So, what should I do if my child has a fever of 38 degrees?

1. Remove clothes to cool down

Many parents have a misunderstanding: as soon as their child has a fever, they dress him in more clothes, wrapping him up tightly. In fact, this approach is very unscientific. The child's body is running hot, and the correct approach is to take off his clothes appropriately to help him dissipate heat.

2. Physical cooling

(1) Warm water bath

Keep the water temperature between 27 degrees Celsius and 37 degrees Celsius. Bathing your baby with water at this temperature is more conducive to heat dissipation than using hot water. However, if a rash appears on the child's skin, it is not recommended to use this method to avoid breaking the rash.

In addition, you can also use warm water (the water temperature is between 37 degrees Celsius and 42 degrees Celsius) to wipe his whole body to cool down, or you can choose to soak his feet in warm water.

(2) Cold compress on the head

Soak a towel with cold water (20 degrees Celsius - 30 degrees Celsius), then wring the towel until it is half dry and apply it to the child's forehead. Change it after 3-5 minutes.

(3) Ice pack cooling

Placing ice packs on the child's forehead, sides of the neck, armpits and other places with dense blood vessels can lower the body temperature quickly. However, remember to wrap the ice pack with a layer of cloth to prevent your baby from getting frostbite due to the low temperature. This method is not recommended for newborns who are less than 180 days old. There have always been different opinions in the medical community about the use of ice packs to relieve fever in infants and young children. Some people believe that under the low temperature of the ice bag, the capillaries will contract violently, which is not conducive to heat dissipation. This method should not be used, especially for children who have symptoms of chills and prefer heat to cold.

(4) Alcohol wiping

Wiping the back and limbs with 20% ethanol has a cooling effect. But parents should note that this method cannot be used to cool down babies under 2 years old (alcohol can be easily absorbed by the baby's skin and cause poisoning). In addition, alcohol's powerful heat dissipation ability can also cause the baby's body temperature to become too low.

When wiping the body with alcohol, the parts to be wiped are very particular. You can choose the neck, armpits, groin, etc., but do not apply alcohol on the chest.

3. Drink plenty of water

Your baby will lose a considerable amount of water when he or she has a fever. Therefore, you need to drink more water. Replenishing water is also a way to lower body temperature. This method is suitable for fever caused by all reasons. To replenish your baby with water, warm boiled water is the best choice. In addition, freshly squeezed vegetable juice and fruit juice are also options. Attention! It is not recommended to drink cold water. Children often experience symptoms such as coughing and diarrhea, and drinking cold water can induce or aggravate these symptoms.