Maybe fever starts with mild cold or pain, maybe with stomach upset in kids. Whatever be the cause, you have to know more about it and the symptom. Instead of blindly handing over medicines to your kids, home remedies for fever in children is the best way to deal with it.
You have to first discover what made them sick. There are enough medical treatments available but have you heard about the side effects of them especially on kids? Fever remains the most common concern for parents alarming them to rush to the emergency department. But before we rush into that, you must take a moment to understand the causes and symptoms of fever to help you understand the home remedies to cure fever in children.
What is Fever?
Fever has been defined as the rectal temperature in kids over 100.4 degrees F or 38 degrees Celsius. However, when you measure temperature on the other body parts, it is usually lower. Although with age, the threshold of defining fever would significantly change however will not vary more than 1 degree Fahrenheit plus or minus.
A lower grade of fever is considered usually when the body temperature is less than 102.2 F or 38 degrees Celsius. Although, fever is not life-threatening unless in severe conditions unless the ones which are extremely persistently high. Like for example, when the rectal temperature measured is greater than 107 degrees Fahrenheit or 41.6 Celsius.
For the babies under the age of 2 years, it is indeed worrisome and especially if the fever persists for more than a week. Fever indicates the presence of major illness in the body. However, fever can also be caused by the most common infection which is not usually very serious. Hypothalamus in the brain is the part which is responsible for controlling the body temperature.
The hypothalamus increases the temperature of the body when the body has to fight a foreign body inside. However, there could be many other causes of fever. Thus you must know how to reduce fever in child naturally.
Causes of Fever in Children
There are many causes of fever in infants that you must know. Although few of the causes are common, mostly completely different from the adults. Children fever causes vary depending on age.
- Any bacterial infection like scarlet fever or rheumatic fever. Both relate back to the strep throat. Infection in the era, throat, lung or skin also causes fever in the babies.
- Viral infection like influenza or also called as flu
- Reaction to vaccinations
- Illicit drugs
- Hyperthyroidism can cause fever in kids
- The kid could be ill due to overexposure to the sun or heat
- Allergies
- Any inflammatory diseases (usually rare) like juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
Symptoms of High Fever in Children
Symptoms of fever in children vary in each case. They could be also subtle in kids. When you observe any of the below symptoms, it is alerting as they might be suffering from fever.
- The child may be highly irritated
- The infant is unusually fussy
- The little one looks lethargic and is pale
- The baby is quiet and not energetic
- The baby’s body feels warm or hot
- The infant does not feel normal
- The baby is crying more than usual
- The kid exhibits the change in the sleeping cycle or eating habits
- The child has seizures
- The kid complains of feeling cold in the room where others are just feeling normal
- The body aches
- The kid has a lot of headaches
- When the child is sleeping more than usual or finding it difficult to fetch sleep
- The child has a poor appetite.
Home Remedies to Treat Fever in Children
The home remedies for children’s fever are the best option to cure it without any side effects. If you are looking for how to cure fever quickly, these are the best home remedies.
Ginger
Ginger is loaded with antibacterial properties that kill the bacteria responsible for fever in kids. The ginger helps in promoting sweating and expels the body heat along with impurities from the body. One of the excellent easy available things to treat the fever in children. Have the ginger powdered and add it in a warm water tub. Give your kid a bath in this warm water for 10 minutes until the child starts sweating. It helps to flush out the impurities from the body and you can repeat this process once a day to get rid of fever in toddlers and babies.
Raw Onion
Raw onions help in lowering the temperature of the body providing relief from body ache due to fever in kids. Slice the onions and rub them on the feet of the kid for 2 minutes. This process could be done twice in a day to lower down high fever in children. Onions act as a great source to attract germs to them.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is a great source to draw out the heat from the body. This helps to cure fever quickly in infants as well as toddlers. Mix 2 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a bowl of cold water. Soak a clean cloth in this for a minute. Remove and squeeze the excess water from the cloth and keep it on your kid’s forehead. Leave it for 2 minutes and then repeat the process for about 5-6 times a day when the baby has a fever.
Chamomile Tea
This tea is very useful since it helps in treating fever too. Chamomile tea as well is a great way to treat a sore throat, body ache and cough or running nose. This tea acts as the best remedy for dehydration too. You need to boil a cup of water and soak this Chamomile tea bag in the hot water for a minute and add a tablespoon of honey to it. Stir well and server. This can be had twice a day and helps to bring down fever in your child.
Lemon Juice and Honey
Honey and lemon as a combination are great for the immunity of the child. Honey that provides nourishment along with lemon acting a great source of vitamin C helps to improve the resistance power in the kid. It is a highly effective method for fever in kids. Follow this simple process of mixing 1 tablespoon of honey with 1 tablespoon of lemon. You can always add ginger to it due to its antibacterial properties. Let your kid consume this mixture twice a day for quick recovery.
Mustard Oil Infused with Carom Oil and Garlic Massage
The garlic and carom have excellent healing value. Thus infusing it in a ¼ cup of warm mustard oil works miracles. Cut the garlic or crush them lightly and then mix them with the mustard oil and heat together. The oil needs to be heated slightly and not burnt. The garlic turns brown in color when heater with it and then you must remove the oil. Use this oil to rub the baby’s feet and chest. Cover the feet with socks once done. Likewise, adding carom seeds to the mustard oil and heating it until the seeds turn just brown, do not let them burn.
Mustard oil has a warming effect on the body and with the garlic and carom having anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties; it helps to release the congestion giving your baby a much-needed relief. This is one of the best baby cough remedies 4-month-old or elder.
Garlic and Carom Seed Fumes
Garlic has a lot of medicinal value in it and it has powerful anti-bacterial properties. Carom seeds also work great to kill the virus and bacteria. The combination of the above two can be pretty powerful and acts as a strong weapon to kill the virus and work against cold and congestion.
It is very simple to put together- take 2 or 3 big garlic cloves and add a tablespoon of carom seeds on a pan and dry roast it for a few minutes. Let it cool for a while and then once done, you need to put it in a cloth and make a pouch of it. Use any clean and dry muslin cloth, a handkerchief works best here.
Place this pouch near your baby cradle or cot where the baby sleeps. (Do not put it very close to the baby to risk it from putting it in the mouth and choke) The smoke emanating from this combination of garlic and carom seeds would help the baby to open the blocked nose and provide relief from any congestion. This pouch under the kid’s feet as well as effective. These acts as a baby cough remedies for 3-month-old even or lesser.
Egg White
The eggs are very helpful in reducing body temperature especially the egg white. When the kid is suffering from a high temperature, using this remedy really helps in lowering the temperature of the body. Taking 3 egg whites in a bowl and beat it, dips a clean cloth and leave it for a minute. Cover the feet of the kid with the washcloth and put on the feet of the childlike loose sock and leave it for an hour about. You can repeat this process over the day to bring down the temperature.
Saline Water
The saline drips treat various symptoms of fever like nasal congestion or running nose. It helps the kids to reduce the fever and breathe better with a nice comfortable sleep at night. You will need to take a pinch of salt and add warm water to it. Stir well and let the salt dissolve completely. Adding the solution into the eyedropper, put 2 drops in each nostril of the kid. Let the child rest for a few minutes. You must follow this home remedies for fever and cold to give relief to kids suffering from fever.
Other Tips on How to Cure Fever Quickly at Home
There are a few more things to be sure of apart from the above home treatments for fever in kids.
- Giving a sponge bath to your child helps the body to reduce temperature and relaxes the baby instantly.
- Gargle with warm salt water. If your child is old enough to understand how to gargle rather than taking in the water, this acts as a great way to flush out the pain and sore throat.
- Provide a lot of fluid to the child. Fluid intake is mandatory via fruit juices or soup to recover sooner from fever.
- Avoid rubbing alcohol or ice or cold water on the kid’s body.
- Keep a look for dehydration symptoms.
- Coconut oil is a great source of nourishment. Give your child some immunity to coconut oil consumption.
- Monitor the kid for any life-threatening illness.
- Never overdress the child when in fever, instead keep them indoors and allow them to rest under a blanket. As their fever goes down, they sweat and you do not want them to keep sleeping in drenched clothes.
You Must also Know When to Visit Tthe Doctor
- When the kid is younger than 6 months of age has a high fever
- The fever of your kid is unable to be controlled with home remedies
- If the child is vomiting or has diarrhea, he/ she could get dehydrated.
- The kid has already seen a doctor and still, the condition does not look to improve or is only getting worse or new symptoms have developed.
Although you being their caretaker or parent would have done your best in taking care of the child, sometimes it is a smart choice to take them to the emergency department for quick treatment. Especially in the conditions of dehydration or seizure, you must quickly take them to the emergency room. Also in cases like the breathing is slow, or shallow or the child has fallen unconscious or any other such symptoms have to be dealt with swiftness.
