What are the physical methods for reducing fever in children?

Fever refers to a body temperature that exceeds the upper limit of the normal range and is a very common symptom in children. The normal axillary temperature of a child is 36-37℃. If the axillary temperature exceeds 37.4℃, it can be considered as a fever. Fever is actually a protective response of the body in fighting invading pathogens. It is a process in which the human body mobilizes the immune system to resist infection. However, excessive fever or long-term fever can affect the body's various regulatory functions, thus affecting the child's physical health. Therefore, children's fever cannot be ignored. So, what are the physical methods to reduce children's fever?

1. Take a bath (but don’t have a cold, just a simple fever)

When the body temperature is 37 to 38 degrees Celsius: No need to rush to reduce the fever

Fever itself helps kill bacteria and enhance immunity, so there is no need to rush to reduce the fever when it is not too high. Blindly reducing fever often causes many adverse reactions. Due to the rapid reduction of fever and excessive sweating, it is easy to cause collapse and circulatory system problems.

2. Use a thick paper towel to absorb enough water and place a piece of it on the heart position of the forehead. Use a hot towel to wipe other parts.

When the temperature is 38 to 38.5℃: bathe the whole body with warm water and drink plenty of water

3. When the body temperature is above 39℃: use a cold water pillow

In addition to taking antipyretic drugs, you can use a cold water pillow to use the lower temperature for local heat dissipation. The soft cold water pillows currently on the market are very convenient and the temperature is not too low, so they can be used by older infants and children. However, it is not recommended for infants under 6 months old, because it is difficult for infants to turn their bodies, which may cause local overcooling and frostbite or hypothermia.

When the body temperature exceeds 40°C: Warm alcohol bath

Using warm alcohol to wipe the body can lower the temperature of the whole body. Please note that you must use "warm water" plus 70% alcohol, diluted in a 1:1 ratio. The diluted water temperature should be about 37 to 40°C, and then wipe the limbs and back. If you wipe directly with alcohol, the baby will feel very cold, very uncomfortable, and even convulse. After wiping, you can cover your body with a bath towel and wait for 5 to 10 minutes. When the alcohol is almost evaporated and the blood in the body circulates to the body surface, making the skin warm again, repeat it a second time. Repeat this about three times, and the temperature inside and outside the body will drop rapidly. Because it reduces fever quickly, this method is suitable for babies over 1 year old and can be used when the body temperature is above 40℃ and is difficult to reduce.

When shivering: add appropriate clothes

If your baby's limbs are cold and he or she is shivering violently (chills), it means he or she needs warmth, so cover him or her with an extra blanket.

When sweating: Take off clothes appropriately

If your limbs, hands and feet are warm and your whole body is sweating, it means you need to dissipate heat and you can wear less clothes.

What are the physical methods for reducing fever in children? The above content has given us the answer. The baby's body temperature may rise if the baby encounters respiratory infections, allergies, vaccination reactions, etc. However, the baby's body temperature center is not yet fully developed, and the mother cannot use medication indiscriminately. So when the baby has a fever or a high fever that does not go away, I hope the physical methods of reducing fever for children introduced above can help mothers. If the baby still does not cool down after using physical methods to cool down the baby, you still have to take the baby to the hospital for treatment in time. Do not delay the best time for the baby to see a doctor, so as not to endanger the baby's health!