Helping Children Fight Fever

Children can fight fever easily if they are made comfortable and immediate action is taken by parents. Here are some dos and don’ts which parents can follow.Seeing their child suffering from fever can make parents extremely tensed and nervous. Fever is not always a bad thing as biologically it is just the body scaling up its defence mechanism to fight an external infection. However, when fever is incessant and refuses to drop down in spite of giving medication then it is a serious cause of alarm. However, in most cases fever can be tackled using some simple dos and don’ts. Have a quick look at them.Take Care of Diet and NutritionFever is a time when the body is working overtime to fight against virus attacks. Consequently it becomes weak and listless. Proper diet and nutrition can help the body regain its strength and fortitude. An age old recipe for fever is steaming hot chicken soup that is delicious yet highly nutritive. You can give your kids a fruit platter with anti inflammatory fruits like strawberries, peaches and pears. Fruit juice is also a good option but take care that the juice should be home made and served at room temperature. Hydration is extremely important for sick children.Give Cool CompressesIf your child’s forehead is burning with fever then it might be very comforting to apply cool compresses. Take care that the compresses should merely be cool and not ice cold as they may produce an adverse reaction. Tear a clean rag into a rectangular shape and fold it to make a pad like structure. Now dip this pad into cool water, wring it to squeeze away extra water and then apply it to your kid’s forehead in order to bring down the temperature and provide bodily relief.Avoid Strenuous ActivitiesWhen your kid has fever it is best to keep him or her away from all types of strenuous activities. No exercise, no rough play and no staying up late should be some common rules that you should enforce on your kid. It is better to keep your kid away from school too as the infection may be contagious and can spread to other children. Alternatively, your kid who is an immune suppressed state could pick up infections from other kids and fall sicker.Avoid Exposure to Cold and DirtCover the ears, throat, head, hands and feet of your children as these are the areas from where your kid can catch a cold. Even when the fever is waning and your kid insists on switching on the fan, you should resist and use a hand fan initially. The trick is to let the body restore its immune system gradually before reintroducing your kid to normal pattern of life. Feverish kids are prone to cross infections so keep your kid in a clean apparently virus free environment.Avoid Over the Counter DrugsThere is a range of Over the Counter Drugs available to treat fever but not all of them work with the same efficiency on all kids and sometimes they can prove risky also. While OTC or Over the Counter Drugs are definitely a convenient option for helpless parents who are desperately looking for relief for their kids it is highly recommended that you avoid giving them to your child as it can prove dangerous. Instead of giving OTC drugs you can try home remedies which are safe. Do not give your child medicines without your doctor’s prescription just because you feel that the fever has shot up. In case of emergency, you must immediately get your child examined by your doctor instead of relying on OTC medicines.In case these measures do not work and the fever does not subside within a day, call your doctor immediately. Only a certified medical practitioner can diagnose and treat the root cause of the fever.How to help children fight fever? Why is it not safe to give over the counter medicines to children? What should parents avoid doing to help children deal with fever? Discuss here.