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Children experiencing fever at night often make parents panic and anxious. Fever can be interpreted as a body response by increasing body temperature above normal.
Normal temperature in children ranges from 36.2 oC to 37.5 oC which is measured using a thermometer. An increased temperature is caused by an infection caused by bacteria or viruses.
Well, don’t panic, you can do several things to reduce your child’s fever apart from using fever-reducing medication. Here are some treatments that can be done if your child has a fever at night.
- Always check your child’s body temperature
Parents are not required to check the temperature if the child is fast asleep and the temperature is not too high. However, this must be done if parents see their child looking weak.
- Don’t wear thick clothes
Parents should avoid wearing thick clothes on their children because it will only increase the child’s body temperature.
- Give the child to drink water
Drink lots of water or if the child is still a baby, give breast milk as often as possible to prevent fluid deficiency which is caused by the fact that when you have a fever, your body temperature rises so you release a lot of fluid.
- Keep the room cool
If your child has a fever, there is no need to turn down the room temperature, only parents can adjust the room temperature so that the child still feels comfortable.
- Warm water compress
According to the Health Service, warm water compresses are an effort to reduce fever and are useful for making the body more stable by removing heat from the body.
For warm water compresses, make sure it is not too hot, around 37oC. The location of the compression can be done on the forehead, armpits and both groin areas.
- Febrifuge
Parents can use paracetamol or acetaminophen to help reduce their child’s fever. However, for dosing, it is better for parents to consult a doctor first.
After providing initial treatment at home and experiencing no improvement in symptoms, you should visit the nearest health facility. The following are signs that need to be watched out for and immediately taken to the doctor, including:
- If you find signs of dehydration (appearing weak, restless, not producing tears when crying, rarely/no urinating in a day, decreased consciousness)
- If the child experiences continuous vomiting
- The child has a seizure
- Difficulty when breathing
- In children aged < 3 months with a rectal temperature of 38 oC or more
- In children aged 3-6 months with a rectal temperature of 38.33 oC or more, or high fever for more than 1 day
- In children aged 6 months – 1 year with a rectal temperature of 39.44 oC or more or high fever for more than 1 day
- Children of any age with a temperature of 40 oC or more
- If you have a history of febrile seizures
