Sudden situations often catch people off guard, so parents may appear panicked when their children have a fever in the middle of the night. At this point, parents need to remain calm and determine whether their child is suffering from a cold, tonsillitis, or a cold in the middle of the night in order to take appropriate measures. So, what should we do if a child has a fever in the middle of the night?
1. Measure body temperature
Parents, don't panic if your child has a fever at night. The first thing to do is to use a thermometer to test the child's temperature, see the degree of fever, and then take appropriate measures.
2. Physical cooling
When a child's body temperature is below 38.5 degrees, physical cooling methods can be used to help the baby cool down.
(1) Drink plenty of warm water, vegetable water, and fruit juice. Drinking more water and replenishing body fluids for babies is the most basic cooling method, and it is very effective and practical, suitable for all babies with fever. Do not give your baby cold water, drink warm water because babies often have gastrointestinal symptoms and cough when they have a fever, and drinking cold water can worsen these accompanying symptoms.
(2) Warm water bath, which means wiping the whole body with a warm water towel. This is a great cooling method and also suitable for all babies with fever. The temperature of water is between 32-34 degrees Celsius, and the wiping time should be more than 10 minutes each time. The key areas for wiping are the folds of the skin, such as the neck, armpits, elbows, groin, etc.
(3) Warm water bath: The water temperature is about 3-4 ℃ lower than the body temperature of the sick child, 5-10 minutes each time. Many parents believe that if their baby has a fever, they cannot take a bath. In fact, on the contrary, giving their baby a warm bath can help cool them down. Warm water bath is suitable for all babies with fever.
(4) Low temperature chamber method: Place the sick child in an environment with a room temperature of about 26 ℃ to slowly lower their body temperature. To allow its skin to come into contact with the outside air and facilitate cooling, it is necessary to wear less clothing. If conditions permit, air conditioning can be used to lower the room temperature. This method is suitable for infants under one month old, especially in summer. As long as the baby's clothes are open and placed in a cool place, their body temperature will gradually decrease. If the baby has a fever accompanied by chills and shivering, the low-temperature chamber method cannot be used.
(5) Antipyretic patches: Antipyretic patches are a new product in recent years and are very popular. In fact, the antipyretic effect is average and not as exaggerated as advertised. Stick a patch on the baby's forehead, the baby's head will feel more comfortable, and the parents' hearts will also feel better. It should be beneficial and harmless.
(6) Ice compress: A small amount of ice compress can be applied appropriately, such as on the forehead, sides of the neck, armpits, groin, and other large blood vessel areas of the baby. But it is important to wrap a layer of cloth around the ice pack to prevent local frostbite of the baby's skin, and babies under 6 months old should not be frozen. There is still much controversy over the pros and cons of this method. It is generally believed that ice cream has more disadvantages than advantages, as it may cause the contraction of capillaries in the baby's skin, hinder heat dissipation, and increase body temperature, especially when accompanied by chills and shivering. Therefore, ice cream should not be used.
(7) Alcohol bath: This method has been abandoned. Babies have thin skin and strong alcohol penetration, which may be absorbed into the bloodstream through the skin. Moreover, alcohol baths can also irritate the skin, causing capillary constriction, hindering heat dissipation, and increasing body temperature.
3. Taking antipyretic medication under the guidance of a doctor
Some fever reducing drugs that are suitable for children and have high clinical safety should be prepared at home. If the baby's body temperature still exceeds 38.5 ℃ after physical cooling treatment, medication should be used to reduce fever. If a child's fever does not subside after taking antipyretic medication and their mental condition is not good, they should immediately seek medical attention at the hospital to avoid delaying the baby's condition and causing other complications.
