Temperature in a child: causes and solutions

Most childhood diseases accompanied by an increase in temperature. In turn, this causes panic among parents. Especially if the child is still very small. Your temperature may rise even if the weather changes, you are tired, or you are stressed. Before giving him antipyretic medications or using other methods to bring down the temperature, it is necessary to determine the cause of the fever. In some cases, you need to call a doctor immediately.

What is the normal temperature for a child?

In adults, the normal body temperature is 36.6°C. In contrast, in children the normal temperature ranges from 36-37°C. Infants have an elevated temperature by an average of 0.3-0.4°C. During the first three months of life, the baby’s body temperature depends on the external environment and the child’s sleep. A daily fluctuation of 0.6°C is considered optimal. For older children, the run-up should not exceed 1°C during the day. Up to 5 years of age, a child’s temperature may rise to 37°C. In the absence of cough and runny nose, this is not considered a deviation from the norm. Try it on in the morning after the child has woken up and lay in bed for a while. Most likely everything will be fine.

Temperature is measured using thermometers. They are mercury, electronic and infrared.

Mercury thermometers are more accurate. The measurement error is 0.1 degrees. The measurement is taken in the armpit for 7 minutes or in the rectum for 5 minutes. This thermometer is dangerous because it contains mercury and can be broken or crushed.

Electronic ones are easy to use. Temperature is measured in the mouth, armpit, or rectum. After 3 minutes the thermometer will show the result. After the measurement, a beep sounds. Electronic thermometers in the form of a pacifier are sold for infants. After 4 minutes, such a thermometer will show the baby’s body temperature. The error of such a thermometer is much greater than that of a mercury thermometer: up to 1 degree.

The infrared thermometer is non-contact and ear-mounted. An ear thermometer can easily measure your temperature. Measurement time 5 seconds. But it has a fairly high price. Non-contact shows the temperature when you bring it to the skin. They do not have high accuracy. It makes it easy to control temperature fluctuations.

Causes of high temperature in a child

In the human brain there is a center responsible for thermoregulation. When it is irritated, heat transfer decreases. An increase in temperature is a protective reaction of the body.

During infections, bacteria enter the body, multiply and release toxic substances. Blood cells - white blood cells - fight harmful bacteria. When the temperature jumps to 39.5°C, the proliferation of microorganisms slows down. When the virus multiplies rapidly, the child develops a high fever.

If there is no infection in the body, then the causes of fever may be immune reactions. For example: injuries, burns, allergic diseases, psychological disorders.

Children easily overheat in hot weather, which can cause a rise in temperature. In infants, overheating often occurs due to wrapping when going to bed. When overheated, the baby becomes moody or lethargic. In hot weather, the child should be moved to the shade. Undress and give plenty of fluids. Wipe with water. Within an hour, the temperature should decrease without the use of medications.

Fever may be caused by teething. In this case, the thermometer readings do not exceed 38°C. The child puts everything in his mouth, his gums become inflamed. 1-3 days after the tooth appears, the temperature subsides.

In infants, it is difficult for parents to examine their throat. He himself cannot explain what worries him. Therefore, fever without pronounced symptoms can be observed in several diseases.

• Acute pharyngitis.  This is a disease that occurs mainly in infants. Rashes and small ulcers appear in the throat. It turns red.
• Herpangina. When infections on the tonsils and back of the throat, blisters appear, the child has a sore throat.
• Angina. Children over 1 year of age are susceptible to this infection, but it does not occur as often under 2 years of age. With a sore throat, ulcers and white plaque appear on the tonsils in the throat.
• With stomatitis, the baby refuses to eat, salivation increases and fever occurs. Blisters appear on the tongue and in the mouth. Doctors advise rinsing your mouth more often with a solution of furatsilin, a decoction of sage or chamomile. Sour, spicy and hot foods should be excluded.
• When earache and an increase in temperature, the baby may develop otitis media. If the child does not yet know how to speak, he will touch his ear, cry and refuse to eat. Treatment uses antibiotics in the form of drops, tablets or injections.
  

Is it possible to lower a child's temperature?

During fever, the body's defenses are activated. The process of tissue restoration is accelerated. At temperatures above 37°C, the body fights the infection and there is no point in fighting it off. Hot means good immunity. At the same time, interferon is produced in the body. It kills germs. On the second or third day of illness, the amount of interferon in the blood is maximum. If even with a slight fever the parents gave the child an antipyretic, the illness lasts longer. Recovery occurs around the seventh day.

Children's bodies are different. In some cases, babies do not tolerate even a slight increase in temperature. If the child plays calmly at high temperatures, then there is no need to worry too much. If there is a change in the baby’s behavior, when he experiences discomfort with a fever, or is capricious, you should consult a doctor. Some children may have seizures. If you have a disease of the heart, kidneys, or lungs, fever can cause deterioration in the functioning of these organs. In this case, you should not be guided by general recommendations, but listen to the advice of your doctor.

What temperature to lower in a child

For some parents, it is enough to touch their lips to the baby's forehead to understand that the child has a fever. A slight increase in temperature does not mean a mild cold. With pneumonia, the temperature may not exceed 38°C, and with ARVI, it can rise to 40°C. In any case, it is worth calling a doctor to clarify the diagnosis. If the thermometer shows more than 38.5°C, start reducing the fever without waiting for the doctor. In infants up to three months, the temperature is reduced to 38°C.

You should not wrap your child up. It must have heat dissipation. The room should not be too hot. It's better to ventilate the room. The child should be given plenty of fluids to drink to avoid thickening of the blood and causing sweating.

Dry mouth, refusal to eat, and excessive crying mean that an antipyretic should be given.

How to reduce a child's temperature

When a child has a fever, the baby needs to replenish fluid loss. Pathogenic microbes come out along with urine. Warm water should be given half a glass every half hour. If the baby refuses to drink water, then it can be replaced with rosehip decoction or cranberry juice.

• Pour raspberry tea for your child. It has an antipyretic effect.
• Wear light clothing. If there is a chill, cover with a thin blanket. You should change your baby's clothes in time if he is sweating.
• Turn down the batteries to make the air cooler. In this case, excess heat during inhalation will be spent on warming the air.
• Give your child medicine or use traditional methods.

Anti-fever medications for children

To bring down the temperature, doctors advise using suppositories, suspensions or tablets. The choice of drug depends on the age of the baby. The smallest children are prescribed candles. They are easy to use. From 3 months of age, Tsefekon or Efferalgan suppositories are used. For older children, it is recommended to use suspensions. They have a sweet taste. The most effective are Ibufen, Panadol, Paracetamol and Efferalgan. Before purchasing at the pharmacy, be sure to tell the baby’s age.

It should be remembered that the use of acetylsalicylic acid is contraindicated for a child before reaching the age of 12. When used before this age, the development of Reye's syndrome may be provoked. This causes damage to the liver and brain.

Antipyretics are given 2-3 times a day and no more than 3 days in a row. Before taking the medicine, you should read the instructions. Familiarize yourself with the composition and side effects. You cannot use several drugs at the same time.

If fever develops with spasm of the skin vessels (pale, cold hands and feet, marbling of the skin) after taking an antipyretic, rub the skin until it turns red and urgently call a doctor.

Reduce a child's temperature using folk remedies

When the effect of the antipyretic has not yet begun, other methods should be used to reduce the fever. In this case, rubbing helps a lot. It should be remembered that rubdowns are contraindicated for children under one year of age.

When using vodka, it is diluted with water in a 1:1 ratio. Wipe the child’s skin with a cloth soaked in the solution. Particular attention should be paid to the armpits, feet, palms and back of the knees.

Rubbing with vinegar also helps reduce your baby's fever. Water with vinegar should have a slightly sour taste. You should not use vinegar essence to prepare the solution.

With pale skin and cold extremities, rubbing will only worsen the situation.

A last resort at very high temperatures is to use a lytic mixture. In this case, an injection is given intramuscularly. The mixture contains “Analgin”, “Diphenhydramine” and “Papaverine” in proportions 1:1:1.

A cleansing enema of 1 teaspoon of soda diluted in a glass of water can reduce intoxication at high temperatures: six-month-old infants are given up to 50 ml of soda solution, after six months to one and a half years - up to 100 ml, after 2 years - up to 200 ml.

Under no circumstances should steam inhalations or hot compresses be used. This will only make the temperature rise.

If the temperature does not go down in any way, immediately call an ambulance.