Taking care of a newborn can be tricky as their immune system is weak and you need to constantly monitor their health. Whether it is indigestion or loose motion or fever – seeing your baby in pain can be distressing. Moreover, your baby cannot speak and so, you must understand the symptoms to offer the right cure on time. Fever is one such common ailment in babies and there can be different underlying causes. So, what should parents do when their babies develop a fever? How to reduce fever in a baby naturally when to take the baby to the hospital? In this article, we will tell you everything about fever in infants so that your darling baby is healthy and happy all the time.
Reasons Why Babies Get Fever
For both children and adults, fever can be a symptom of an underlying condition. Your infant could develop fever for various reasons such as:
- a bacterial infection
- a viral infection
- other medical conditions
- side effect of vaccination
Other causes of fevers in babies include respiratory problems like ear infections and cold. You should monitor every few hours and be mindful of signs of serious illness in infants.
The Link Between Teething and Baby Fever
It is a misconception that if your baby is teething, it can be feverish at the same time. Teething is a part of a baby’s development process, and it can be painful. However, there is no connection between teething and fever. So, if the high fever lasts longer than a day, opt for urgent care instead of dismissing it is a side effect of teething.
Signs of Fever in Babies
Before we discuss pediatric fever treatment, let’s find out how to recognize a febrile state in an infant. The symptoms include:
- Loss of hunger
- Dry skin
- Skin that is hot to touch
- Glassy eyes
- Lethargy or fatigue
- Crying frequently
- Paleness
While fever is accompanied by these symptoms, checking the body temperature range with the help of a thermometer is mandatory to be certain that your baby has fever.
Identifying Fever at Home
98.6°F/ 37°C is the normal temperature of the human body. There can be slight variations to this throughout the day. For instance, when a person wakes up, the body temperature is usually lower at that time. The temperature is on the higher side at noon and in the evening.
You can conclude your baby has fever if the body temperature of the baby exceeds:
- 100.4°F/ 38°C (when revealed through a rectal examination)
- 99°F/ 37.2°C or (when measured by other methods)
Note: Low-grade fever in children will not require visiting the doctor but monitoring baby’s fever at homeonce every 2-3 hours is crucial. For babies younger than 3 months old, a thorough check-up will be necessary to arrive at the cause of the fever and then begin the treatment.
Tips to Reduce a Fever in Babies
Although a slightly elevated body temperature in your baby (older than 3 months) will not require going to the emergency, you cannot sit idle. So, let’s see how to reduce fever in baby naturally without rushing to the emergency room.
1. Give a lukewarm bath
If the fever is mild and you don’t want to start fever reducing medications for infants, you can try giving the baby a bath. Most parents refrain from bathing their baby if they have fever. You will be surprised to learn that doctors claim this to be a safe home remedy.
You just need to make sure the water is not too hot and definitely not cold. Also, a baby cannot be left alone while bathing even for a minute. After giving the quick bath, dry off right away and dress the baby in a lightweight dress.
2. Offer plenty of fluids
Dehydration is among the major side effects of fever and so you must ensure that your baby gets enough fluids. If your baby is dehydrated, the urine will be yellow and there will be no tears when it cries. So, keep offering breast milk and water now and then. Once the baby is old enough to drink vegetable purees, soups, and fruit juices, you can give those as well.
3. Massage with essential oils
Essential oils provide a range of benefits but when it comes to using them to treat your baby’s fever, you should ask a physician first. If the doctor gives a green signal and if the baby is at least six months old, fever can be soothed by giving a massage. As essential oils are analgesic and immunostimulants, they have relaxing properties.
You have to mix 10 drops of the essential oil with hot and salty water and soak the feet of your baby in it. Alternatively, you can also massage essential oils on the back and the chest several times a day. Tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, lavender oil, and thyme oil are the most recommended ones for this purpose.
However, if you notice allergies on your baby’s skin after the application of essential oils, rinse immediately. Another thing that you should note is that these oils are extremely concentrated, and you must never use them directly. Always mix the essential oil with a carrier oil before massaging to provide deep relation to your feverish baby.
What to Avoid When Managing Infant Fever
A lot of parents around the globe rely on natural ways to reduce fever in babies. While there is no harm in doing that, you must not forget that babies are sensitive. So, do not commit the following mistakes:
- Don’t overdress the baby when its head is hot as the baby will be uncomfortable.
- Do not give fever-reducing medication that are consumed by adults.
- Don’t delay taking the baby to the doctor if the fever is persistent.
- Don’t stop the medication prescribed by your baby’s doctor unless the doctor suggests and don’t alter the dose on your own.
- You must never rub ice or alcohol on the baby’s body to bring down the temperature. You should also avoid using cold wipes as the child will start shivering.
How to Check Your Baby’s Temperature
To get the most accurate temperature, a digital multiuse thermometer can be inserted rectally. You must note that the rectal temp. is always higher than the temperature shown by other methods.
Clean the thermometer with soap and coat its end with some safe lubricant. Then remove the diaper or lightweight clothing from the baby’s bottom and lay them on their belly. Hold the baby in place and then take the temperature and do not insert more than 1 inch of the thermometer into the rectum. Don’t allow the baby to wiggle or move during the process as it can hurt the rectum. You can also read the safety guide of the thermometer to know more about rectal insertion. Once done, pull it out carefully to know the exact temp. Using a temporal artery thermometer is another option and it takes the temp. from a person’s forehead.
When to Seek Help from a Healthcare Provider to Cure Baby Fever
A recurring question that parents ask is when to call the doctor for baby fever. So, how will you figure that out?
When your child has a fever, at first, you can follow the above-mentioned home remedies and take their temperature. You should contact a pediatrician if:
- The baby is under 3 months old and the temperature rises.
- The baby’s age is between 3 months and 6 months and the rectal temp. is 102° Fahrenheit or higher than that.
- The baby’s fever lasts more than 24 hours or it keeps returning.
- The baby is fussy, weak, and sleeps most of the time.
- The body temperature of the baby does not go down even after giving medicine
- You notice other symptoms like poor feeding, vomiting, rashes, etc.
- The baby is extremely dehydrated (not producing spit or tears and the amount of urine passes is less than usual)
To Sum Up
We may conclude by saying that when it comes to babies, all parents are constantly worried about their well-being. The slightest sickness makes you panic as you don’t want anything to trouble your delicate baby. But now that you have acquired all the information about the nature of fever in newborns, the remedies as well as effective remedies, it will not be challenging to treat a fever at home and comfort the baby.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What are the safe ways to reduce fever in a baby at home?
Giving a bath in lukewarm water and increasing the intake of fluids are two common home remedies for baby fever. You can also give medicine after consulting a doctor and dress up your little one in lightweight, comfortable clothes.
Q. When should parents seek medical attention for a baby with a fever?
When the home remedies for baby fever fail to give relief to a baby, it is better to consult a healthcare provider. Seeking medical help is also advisable if the fever keeps returning and the baby appears to be in great discomfort.
References:
The information provided in our articles are based on research work of esteemed institutions and authors who are experts in their fields.
How to Bring Down Baby Fever: Tips, When to Seek Help, More (healthline.com)
[[Stressful increase in body temperature–hyperthermia or fever] – PubMed (nih.gov)
Signs and Symptoms of Fever – HealthyChildren.org
