What causes high fever in babies? What to do when the baby has a fever? Which antipyretics should be given to babies? Is it harmful to give antipyretics to babies… Our article on What You Need to Know About Fever in Babies
High Fever in Infants
Let’s first define fever: Fever is defined as an increase in body temperature above the daily periodic variation. So, what are the symptoms of high fever and how can you tell if the fever is going down? Chills and shivering indicate that the fever is rising, the pink appearance of the child indicates that the fever has peaked, and sweating indicates that the fever is falling.
High fever is common in babies for different reasons. Fever, which is an indicator of the body’s fight against disease, can harm the baby when it rises above 40 degrees. For this reason, it is necessary to be calm first, then try the first measures you can apply at home and go to the health center immediately for fever that does not go down. Let’s examine the issue of high fever in babies by dividing it into subheadings…
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What should the temperature be in babies?
As in adults, young people and the elderly, we see that fever rises in babies for different reasons. fever above 38 degrees is considered high for babies. a fever of 40 degrees and above is considered a dangerous limit. So, when the baby’s fever shows 38 degrees and above, you need to act carefully to take the situation under control. So, why does the baby’s fever rise and what should you do?
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Why do babies get fever?
The answers to the questions of why babies get fever and why babies’ fever does not go down are often wondered. Fever occurs when fighting viruses or infectious diseases. This is a normal reflex of the body. However, it is important to keep it under control. The causes of high fever in babies can be listed as follows:
- Upper and lower respiratory tract infections (seealso the articleNasal Congestion in Babies !)
- infections in the gastrointestinal tract with diarrhea and vomiting
- Urinary tract infections mostly seen in girls
- Middle ear inflammation
- Pneumonia
- Meningitis
- Rheumatic diseases
In addition to the above, children may have a mild fever, usually after vaccination. Babies may also have fever during teething.
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How to Measure Fever in Babies?
Tomeasure the baby’s temperature, first of all, prefer the armpit. Because the armpit will give the best result. The recommended body parts for temperature measurement in infants and children are shown in the table below:
Suggestions for the Most Accurate Temperature Measurement Place According to Age Age of the child 1. Option 2. Option 3. Option Newborn to 6 years of age armpit rectal over leather 6 years and older armpit ear over leather -
Is it necessary to see a doctor when babies and children have a fever?
First of all, there is no need to go to the health center immediately in case of fever. However ,if the baby’s fever does not go down, if there are some conditions accompanying the fever, it is important to go to the health center. So, which are these conditions?
- in babies under 3 months of age, when thefever rises, go to the doctor without waiting!
- If you notice a skin rash with fever, you should also go to the doctor immediately.
- It is important to go to the doctor if there is coughing, wheezing, ear pain, abdominal pain, sore throat, persistent vomiting, frequent diarrhea, burning during urination, change in urine color and feeding difficulties.
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What to do to reduce fever in babies?
There are some things you can do on your own to bring down a baby’s fever. But if the fever is very high (more than 39 degrees Celsius) or does not go down, or in the case of a baby under 3 months old, you should go to the health center quickly. Now, let’s list some tips to reduce a baby’s high fever:
- Take off his/her clothes, remove everything if necessary, depending on the ambient temperature
- Give him a warm shower.
- Taking him out on the balcony for a while in a light windy or cool weather can also help to reduce the fever.
- if older than 6 months, give water
- Take his temperature often
- Put a wet cloth on his forehead
Mistakes Made to Lower the Fever of Babies
There is a lot of misinformation that has been passed down by word of mouth but sometimes causes serious health problems for babies. If you encounter the following suggestionswhen your baby has a fever ; don’t do it!
- Do not put the baby directly under cold water!
- Do not wrap the baby in a wet sheet!
- Do not dress, cover or raise the room temperature because the baby is cold!
- Do not force feed the baby!
- Do not use aspirin as an antipyretic!
- Do not rub with vinegar water. Vinegar prevents the fever from leaving the body.**
High fever in babies is a common condition. Many parents search and search for answers to their questions with titles such as what to do when the baby’s fever rises, how high should the fever be in babies, howmanydegrees should the baby’s fever be, when the baby’s fever should go to the doctor, which is the best baby fever reducer. On the other hand, the information pollution on the internet also gives concern about the accuracy of the information received on such a sensitive subject. As Lansinoh, we would like to emphasize that we share the right information by examining academic articles. At the end of theWhat You Need to Know About Fever in Babies article, we also share the sources from which we get the information in this content; so that you can refer to them for more detailed data..
*Bahadır Gülbulak, High Fever in Children, METU Health and Guidance Center ,
**Dr. Hilal CANDAN, Approach to the Febrile Child, Family Medicine – Ankara
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