Here Comes "SUPER MOM!"

So this morning (Jan 11th 2011) I was awaken by a crying baby in his crib. Just any other morning I brought him in bed with me and tried to put him back to sleep. Now on a normal morning he would fall back to sleep but not this morning. My 12 month old just tossed and turned- tossed and turned. Now the super mom instinct in me said "somethings wrong". So I pulled out the thermometer and checked his temperature and low and behold he had a fever. So I got the Ibuprofen and gave him his dosage and a juice bottle to wash down the medicine.

All of this mayhem this morning prompted me to write this posting on proper dosing and ways to "KNOCK" that fever out.

•Acetaminophen


Tylenol, Liquiprin, Tempra, Panadol, Anacin-3 and generic store brands are all acetaminophen products. Paracetamol is generally the form of acetaminophen sold in other countries. These products may be used to make a child more comfortable, but they do not treat the underlying illness. They may be given every four to six hours. Within one to two hours after taking the medicine, the fever is usually down by 2 to 3° F. The temperature does not always return to normal. Again, how sick your child seems is more important than whether or not the fever comes down to normal. If your child is resting comfortably, there is no need to wake him or her to give acetaminophen, unless your child is prone to febrile seizures.

•Ibuprofen

Children's Motrin and Motrin oral drops, Advil and generic ibuprofen products are available over the counter. One advantage of ibuprofen is the longer-lasting effect of six to eight hours of fever reduction. Some children who are not responding well to acetaminophen may respond better to ibuprofen.

•Aspirin

Aspirin is generally not recommended for children. This is because of the past association linking Reye's syndrome to aspirin usage in children with chicken pox or influenza.

Tips on giving medicines correctly

•Give a dosage according to your child's weight, not age.

•Always measure the medicine with a dropper, dosage cup or other accurate measuring device. Kitchen teaspoons used for cooking are not accurate.

•Acetaminophen or ibuprofen may be given with other medicines, such as antibiotics or over-the-counter cold medicines. Make sure the over-the-counter cold medicine does not already contain acetaminophen or ibuprofen, otherwise you could be giving your child a double dose. Do not give over-the-counter cold medicine to your child younger than 2 months of age unless instructed to do so by your doctor.

•Liquid medicines may be mixed in with soft foods or liquids. Chewables may be crushed and added to food, such as pudding, yogurt, applesauce and peanut butter. Mix the medicines with a small amount of food or drink, so you can be sure the child takes it all.

•One teaspoon = 5 ml. or cc (milliliters or cubic centimeters).

2) Less clothing

Children should not be over-bundled when they have a fever, as this tends to raise their temperature. Dress infants in a minimum of clothes and use a light blanket if they have chills. Sometimes, an over bundled infant may have a slight elevation of temperature. If you suspect this, undress and retake their temperature in about one hour.

Degree of sickness

How sick your child seems is more important than how high the fever is running. To assess how sick a child is when he or she has a fever, give an appropriate dose of acetaminophen or ibuprofen (see chart below), and see how he or she is behaving about one to two hours after the dose. The fever may not necessarily return to normal but is often lower. Keep in mind that some children can be seriously ill without any fever.

The behaviors listed below probably indicate that a baby or child is not seriously ill.
•A baby will coo, make eye contact, smile or reach for an object.

•A toddler will pay attention to activities, smile, walk around to get things.

•An older child will engage in quiet activities like coloring or reading.

The behaviors listed below may indicate a serious illness despite fever reduction.

•A baby is not making eye contact, continuously cries and cannot be comforted.

•A toddler refuses to play, cries inconsolably, moans, appears very weak, turns away and stares repeatedly, or is very hard to awaken if sleeping.

•An older child refuses to talk and won't interact or is unable to get out of bed.

•The child keeps falling asleep without periods of activity; remember, sick children do tend to sleep more.

How to treat infants fever naturally:

Put your baby in a lukewarm bath. During the winter, make sure the air temperature is at least 72 degrees so they don't get chilled coming out of the water

Dress your baby in a light layer of clothing. If they get too cold, add another layer and subtract layers to make them comfortable


Make sure they drink lots of fluids. If they don't want to drink, this could be a sign of something else, and you might want to call your doctor.


Give them a teething ring from the freezer. A fever can be caused by teething. A cool ring will help them feel more comfortable and ease their gums

OLD WIVES TALES:

Rubbing Paste


It is widely believed that using garlic, onion, potato or egg white helps to bring down fever. You can try any one of the below mentioned home remedies to reduce fever naturally.



Make a paste of fresh garlic cloves, and apply around ¼ inch of the paste on a gauze bandage. Smear some olive oil on the feet of the child to prevent any irritation from the garlic. Apply these pads with garlic paste, on the soles of your child's feet and hold them in place by wrapping it with gauze bandage. Make sure you don't completely cover the feet of the child as some open space is required to allow the heat to escape. You can leave these pads on overnight.

You can also try a remedy with egg whites to reduce fever in infants. Take two washcloths, dip them in egg white and cover the soles of your child's feet with these cloth pieces, and hold the cloth in place by wrapping with gauze. Egg whites have an amazing capability of instantaneously bringing the body temperature down. Egg whites are extremely effective for bringing down fever but if you don't have eggs, you can also make pads of onion or potato paste. Like garlic pads, use gauge to wrap these pads around your child's feet.

These were the measures you could use to reduce fever in children naturally. Also let the child rest and don't allow him/her to move too much, as movement raises the body temperature.