When – And When Not – To Worry About Your Child Running A Temperature

Don’t panic

In most cases, your child’s fever is harmless and will go away on its own in 72 hours². If it lasts longer, they should see a doctor². A low-grade fever that lasts ±48 hours is also common if your child has recently been vaccinated¹. You can usually care for them at home, provided the fever subsides in ±3 days³.

How to treat your child’s fever at home

• Give plenty of fluids³
• Don’t try to cool them down by undressing or sponging them down, as the fever is the body’s natural response to infection³
• Give paracetamol if they feel unwell or you can see they’re distressed³
• Don’t give other medicines, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, without speaking to your healthcare provider³
• Get medical advice if you’re worried³

How To Take Your Child’s Temperature

Find out the most accurate way of reading your baby or young child’s body temperature …

When should I worry?

1. If the fever lasts for more than 3 days².
2. If your child shows any of the following signs, seek medical help urgently as these could be symptoms of septicaemia or meningitis, which are both potentially fatal conditions^3,4:

• Stiff neck^3,4
• Rash^3,4
• Light sensitivity^3,4
• Unusually cold hands/feet^3,4
• Limb/joint/muscle pain (could be with stomach pain diarrhoea)⁴
• Blue, pale/blotchy/mottled skin, lips or tongue^3,4
• Agitated, confused or delirious^3,4
• Unusually weak, high-pitched cry³
• Drowsy and hard to wake^3,4
• Difficulty breathing/breathing fast^3,4
• Has a fit (febrile seizure) for the first time and can’t stop shaking³

Understand febrile seizure

A febrile seizure is a convulsion in a child that’s triggered by a fever⁵. They occur in young, healthy children who don’t display any signs of neurological symptoms⁵.

It can be frightening when your child has a febrile seizure, but they’re usually harmless and only last for a few minutes⁵. However, you must contact your healthcare provider as soon as possible after the seizure⁵.

Febrile seizures are the most frequently seen seizures in children from six months to five years⁶. The most common causes of febrile seizures are upper respiratory tract infection, urinary tract infection, and acute gastroenteritis⁶.

What should I do?

• Place your child in the recovery position⁷
• Stay with them and take note of how long the seizure lasts⁷
• Never put anything into your child’s mouth during a seizure – including medicine – as there’s a slight chance they might bite their tongue⁷
• Seek medical advice once the seizure ends⁷

Warning: Call an ambulance or get your child to the nearest hospital if the seizure lasts longer than five minutes, or is accompanied by vomiting, stiffness, breathing problems or extreme sleepiness⁵. Also consider it an emergency if the child is having a seizure for the first time⁷.

References

1. RADY Children’s Hospital San Diego. Staff overview. Fever and Taking Your Child’s Temperature. Available at https://www.rchsd.org/health-articles/fever-and-taking-your-childs-temperature/
2. Canadian Paediatric Society. Staff overview. Fever and temperature taking. Available at https://caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/health-conditions-and-treatments/fever_and_temperature_taking
3. NHS. Staff overview. High temperature (fever) in children. Available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/fever-in-children/
4. Meningitis Research Foundation. Staff overview. Symptoms Checker. Available at https://www.meningitis.org/meningitis/check-symptoms
5. Mayo Clinic. Staff overview. Febrile seizure. Available at https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/febrile-seizure/symptoms-causes/syc-20372522
6. Awariwar, M. & Panda, N.Y. Febrile Seizures in Children and its Association with Bacterial Infection – A Hospital based Study. Int. J. Contemp. Med. 6(10). 2019.
7. NHS. Staff overview. Febrile seizures. Available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/febrile-seizures/