Is it harmful for children to have a fever?

Many parents, when they find their children have a fever, will cover them tightly for fear that they will catch a cold again. In fact, this is wrong. The heat in the child's body cannot be dissipated, and it will be even worse if you cover them up. Many parents want to know most whether fever and hot head in young children are harmful to their health. We also consulted pediatric experts to hear what they say! We hope that through this article, everyone can gain some understanding.

Children's sweat glands are underdeveloped, so it is not easy to achieve the purpose of "sweating" by "covering up the sweat". For children, the more they are covered, the higher their body temperature will be, which can easily cause "heat syndrome" (that is, children will have a series of symptoms such as high fever, pale complexion, poor reaction, and difficulty breathing due to covering too tightly), and it can also easily induce high fever convulsions. Experts say that when children have a high fever, their limb circulation often deteriorates, and their hands and feet do not feel hot but rather cool. If the baby has cold hands and feet, is afraid of wind, and likes to snuggle in his mother's arms, he may soon develop a fever. Therefore, parents should not assume that their children’s hands and feet are cold because they are not dressed enough.

Warm water bath

Taking a bath can help dissipate heat. If your baby is in good spirits when he has a fever, you can give him more baths and adjust the water temperature between 27 and 37 degrees Celsius. Be careful not to give your baby a hot bath, otherwise it will easily cause vasodilation throughout the body, increase oxygen consumption, easily lead to ischemia and hypoxia, and aggravate the condition.

Are all fevers harmful to the body? Not necessarily

Image source: Huagai

Ice pack

You can go to the store to buy chemical ice packs, put them in the refrigerator when using, take them out after they turn from gel to solid, wrap them in a towel and apply them to the top of the baby's head, forehead, neck, armpits, groin, etc., and they can be used repeatedly. You can also make your own ice packs at home: fill a disposable medical silicone glove with water, tie a knot, and place it in the freezer. Freeze it into a solid state before using. If you feel the ice is too cold, you can take out the ice bag when it is half ice and half water, wrap it in a towel and apply cold compress to your baby.

Ice pillow cooling

When your baby has a high fever, you can make an ice pillow for him to use as a pillow, which is both comfortable and effective. Go to the hospital and buy an ice pack (not a hot water bottle). Pour the ice into a basin, break it into small pieces, rinse off the edges with water, put them into an ice bag, add 50 to 100 ml of water (do not fill it up, 2/3 full will be enough), expel the air, clamp the bag, wrap it with cloth or towel and place it under the baby's head and neck as a pillow. When the ice cubes melt, you can replace them and the baby's body temperature will drop soon.

It can be seen that the harm of fever and hot head in young children is still quite serious. It is hoped that parents will take physical cooling methods to treat their babies after discovering that their babies have a fever. Of course, it would be best if the temperature can be lowered. If you still feel hot after a period of physical cooling, you should be sent to the hospital, as it means the fever is quite serious.