How to lower a child's temperature for a long time. How and how to quickly reduce a child’s fever at home: a selection of the most effective methods and folk remedies

Probably everyone has heard the following saying: “whoever hurts something, talks about it.” It is in full accordance with this that the topic of today’s article appears. Because during the period of exacerbation of all epidemics (flu, ARVI, etc.), the main problem in my life was one: what to do if a child has a high temperature? And how to relieve a fever in a child?

Precisely - in a child, because with adults it is easier - their body is much stronger, and their skin is thicker. Rubbing with vinegar or vodka is quite effective for them. Evaporation from the surface of the skin occurs very quickly, and a decrease in body temperature is observed just as quickly.

As for me, I actually have a super medicine for high fever. I guess that upon learning about it, many will simply fall into a stupor of surprise. But, what can I do, I was always there: in kindergarten, at school, and at college. And even at work, in the role of a strict boss. I was always inventing my own own ways to solve problems. And, by the way, usually these methods had a positive effect.

So here it is. To bring down high temperature, I drink a glass of some sour juice (for example, apple or grape) and eat it with my favorite sausage. Surprised? My temperature, however, drops, and quite quickly, in 90 cases out of a hundred! Agree, if from 39.5 it dropped to 38, we can say that this is a fairly effective personal remedy to relieve fever! 🙂

What should you do if your child has a high fever for several hours or even days? Of course, the doctor examined the baby, prescribed the necessary medications, even an ambulance came and gave an antipyretic injection.

But, firstly, medications do not suddenly help, and therefore the child’s fever lasts for several days.
And, secondly, even good remedies such as paracetamol or Nurofen, or Cefekon suppositories cannot be taken indefinitely. The interval between doses should be at least 6 hours.

But the temperature continues to rise, and 38.5 is already almost normal, in his position, when he can breathe a sigh of relief.

By the way, if a child has a fever over 39 (even up to 40.5) one of the main symptoms of any illness, this means that the body is actively fighting it. On the other hand, this indicates that the baby has a weak immune system.

Such a high temperature can lead to seizures and further complications. And the possibility of death cannot be ruled out (they say he burned from the temperature). That is why such a high temperature cannot be allowed, and we must look for all possible means to lower it. Therefore, we have to keep on hand all the ways to reduce the temperature.

A child has a high temperature, how to lower it - Dr. Komarovsky

What to do if a child has a fever and the medicine does not help, or is ineffective, or only works for a short time?

Body rubdown

The very first (and simplest) remedy is to wipe the child’s body with a damp cloth. Don’t think that the colder the water, the faster the temperature will drop. This is one of the biggest mistakes!

Firstly, this procedure is unpleasant for the baby. Secondly, it can also cause cramps. After all, the body is greatly weakened by high temperatures, and then you still have to spend strength and energy on natural (reflex) muscle contraction as a natural reaction to the cold! And a sharp drop in temperature is a huge burden on the heart and other hematopoietic organs - and it’s not far from coma!

Wipe the child's entire body, especially paying attention to the hollows - elbow, popliteal, axillary and inguinal folds, neck, behind the ears. In a word, wherever there are difficulties for free heat transfer.

Place a damp cloth (not hot, cool) on the baby’s forehead and temples. Undress him and continue rubbing until the temperature drops.

I want to warn you - sometimes you have to do rubdowns for half an hour or longer - if the body itself cannot cope with the high temperature, it needs help. We had nights during which we spent several hours drying the child! As soon as they stopped wiping, the temperature jumped again!

Note: Wiping should be with a soft cloth well moistened in water so that the evaporation from a hot body is sufficiently active. There is no need to rub water into your body. A child's skin is very delicate and thin, and repeated friction (especially against hot and dry skin) of a child can lead to injury. Movements should be light and gentle!

I know that many people add vinegar or even vodka to water. In this case, I suggest you remember that the skin small child It has large pores, and through it he not only breathes. Until recently, he fed through her, being in his mother’s belly! Therefore, absorption of both vinegar and alcohol through the skin can lead, in addition to fever, to poisoning!

Wraps

If the temperature still persists for many hours, you can resort to a radical method. This must be done carefully: just for a few minutes so that it baby heart Don't put too much stress on it!

You can wrap your baby in a wet sheet or diaper for just a few minutes. To keep your baby warm, cover him with a blanket. 3-5 minutes is enough, and immediately unwrap and transfer to a dry one, covering it again. Don't wrap it up too much. Look at the skin - if it is covered with “pimples”, it means he has a chill, and then you can cover him warmly.

Do not expect the temperature to drop instantly - the effect occurs in 10-20 minutes.

Drink plenty of fluids

If the child is already old enough to drink juices or tea with lemon, rosehip infusion or some sour berry, give him a drink. In general, you need to drink as much as possible during high temperatures! And vitamin C not only helps increase and strengthen immunity, it also helps normalize temperature!

The child has a high temperature, we are treating it with the placebo effect

There is one more thing good remedy. But it helps children who are already beginning to understand something and can draw their own conclusions. This powerful drug is called a placebo.

The purpose of placebo treatment is activation of the body’s own forces aimed at recovery.

For example, give your child plain water, acidified with juice or vitamin, and tell your baby: this is a very strong remedy to bring down a high fever. Once you drink it, your temperature will immediately begin to drop.

If the child has a high degree of trust in the words of an adult (and this usually happens), then the temperature indeed begins to drop quite quickly and successfully.

But there is one “but” in this method of treatment - adults. So convincing that he himself must believe that the power of persuasion can cure. Try it! And then the question: how to bring down a high temperature in a small child will cease to be a terrible and insoluble problem for you.

Body temperature in children can rise above normal for various reasons. Most often it increases against the background of a disease, viral or bacterial. Children from 6-8 months may begin teething, and this process is often accompanied by high fever and sometimes vomiting. While the baby is on breastfeeding, he has a fairly strong immune system, diseases bypass him. As the baby grows, especially after he goes out into public places ( kindergarten, playground, school), fever, runny nose, cough will become frequent unwanted guests in the life of a little person. At the first unpleasant symptoms, you should consult a doctor. But sometimes it is impossible to quickly get to the hospital when a child has a fever and you need to help him somehow.

Causes of high temperature in a child

Normally, an increase in body temperature is a protective reaction of the body to any infectious or non-infectious diseases or damage. Infectious agents entering the body produce toxins that cause an increase in body temperature. The body, in turn, also produces substances that contribute to fever. This mechanism is protective, since against the background of high temperature all metabolic processes are accelerated and many biologically active substances are synthesized more intensively. But when the fever becomes too severe, it itself can cause various complications - for example, febrile seizures. Why does a child develop a high temperature: infectious diseases (ARVI, “childhood” and intestinal infections, other pathologies); non-communicable diseases (diseases nervous system, allergic pathology, hormonal disorders and others); teething (this is one of the most common reasons in young children); overheat; preventive vaccinations. There are other causes of fever in a child. These also include many emergency conditions and acute surgical pathologies. Therefore, if your child has any increase in temperature (especially above 38oC), you should immediately consult a doctor.

How to correctly measure the temperature of a small child

Rules for measuring temperature in children: the child must have his own personal thermometer, which is treated with warm water and soap or alcohol before each use; during illness, the temperature is measured at least three times a day (morning, afternoon, evening); The measurement should not be carried out when the child is heavily wrapped up, crying or excessively active; high room temperature and taking a bath also increase body temperature; food and drinks, especially hot ones, can increase the temperature in the oral cavity by 1-1.5oC, so measurements in the mouth should be carried out an hour before or an hour after eating; temperature determination can be carried out in the armpit, rectum or inguinal fold - with any thermometers; measurements in the mouth are carried out only with the help of special dummy thermometers.

Temperature reduction methods

To reduce the temperature in children at home, medications, rubdowns, and folk remedies are used. The methods listed above should be used if the child’s condition is stable and there are no seizures. Otherwise, you should immediately consult a doctor. Each of the home methods for reducing fever has its own characteristics, however, when using any of them, it is important to adhere to several important rules:

the sick child should be kept in bed,
the air in the children's room should be cool, fresh,
When it is hot, the child should be dressed in light clothes from natural fabrics,
it's important to remember that frequent urination speeds up recovery, so the child should be given plenty of liquid, warm tea and compotes are suitable.

Some features of the use of various dosage forms: medications taken orally begin to act faster - 20-30 minutes after administration; the effect of suppositories occurs after 30-45 minutes, but lasts longer; if the disease is accompanied by vomiting, it is better to use suppositories; Medicines in suppositories are convenient to use when the child’s temperature rises at night; preparations in the form of syrups, tablets and powders contain flavorings and flavoring additives, and therefore often cause allergic reactions; if it is necessary to use different dosage forms of drugs (for example, syrup during the day, suppositories at night), choose products with different active ingredients to avoid side effects; reuse antipyretic medications are possible no earlier than 5-6 hours after the previous dose; in case of insufficient decrease in temperature, or its repeated increase in short time, you should not experiment - it is better to immediately contact a specialist for additional help.

Analgin (Spazmalgon)
Paracetamol (Panadol, Efferalgan)
Ibuprofen (Nurofen)
Viburkol suppositories

Medicines not used in children

TO medications that are not used in a child include:

Currently, drugs such as amidopyrine, antipyrine or phenacetin are not used as antipyretics due to the large number of side effects.
Medicines based on acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin) are practically not used in children because of their ability to reduce the number of platelets in the blood, cause bleeding, allergic reactions, as well as a very serious complication characteristic of children - Reye's syndrome.
Analgin and other drugs containing metamizole sodium as an active ingredient also have a large number of side effects, such as inhibition of hematopoiesis, severe allergic reactions, excessive decrease in temperature with loss of consciousness.

How to reduce a child's high fever without medication

Ice compresses and rubdowns will help reduce a child’s temperature without pills. These methods are simple and effective, but have a number of contraindications. Thus, it is not advisable to use ice to combat hyperthermia in children under 1 year of age. The best way- wipe the baby with water, which will reduce body temperature. Rubbing with alcohol and vinegar is also effective, but doctors have conflicting opinions about them. Before the procedure of alcohol or vinegar wiping, it is recommended to consult a pediatrician.

With ice

Careful use of ice can relieve a child's condition during fever.

To prepare ice compresses, you will need ice, a bubble, cold water, a towel or diaper.
Contraindications: age up to 1 year
Preparation for the procedure: fill the bubble to half the volume with crushed ice, add cold water to 2/3 of the volume, tightly close the ice bubble and wrap it in a towel (diaper).
Performing the procedure: a bubble wrapped in a diaper is applied to the area of the crown, elbow joints, popliteal fossae, and groin. To avoid hypothermia, the compress is periodically removed; the time of continuous exposure should not exceed 5 minutes.
The procedure can be repeated after 15-20 minutes.

Rubbing with vodka and vinegar

It is necessary to take measures to reduce the temperature if:

temperature above 38 degrees;
have diseases of the nervous system (epilepsy, cerebral palsy);
previously experienced convulsions due to high fever;
there are problems with the cardiovascular system; the child is in a delusional state;
there is shortness of breath, heavy breathing, etc. You can quickly and effectively reduce a child’s high body temperature at home with vodka and vinegar.

To prepare the tincture, mix vodka, vinegar and warm water in equal proportions. Water is added so as not to burn the skin. After preparing the mixture, you need to take a piece of gauze or a piece of cotton wool, moisten it in the prepared product, squeeze it out, and then wipe the baby’s forehead and body. Care must be taken to ensure that the solution does not get into the child’s eyes. Many pediatricians are against rubbing a child with vodka and vinegar, as they believe that vodka, which penetrates the pores of the skin into the body, can cause poisoning. But, as the practice of many parents of young children shows, this is practically the only remedy that can reduce the temperature before going to the hospital or calling an ambulance. Vodka and vinegar can also be used to rub adults at high temperatures. It is not recommended to use the solution for children under one year of age.

Folk remedies for reducing fever in children

It is possible to reduce a child’s temperature using folk remedies if the child is over 3 years old, has no serious illnesses and generally tolerates high temperatures well. How to lower a child’s temperature at home if he is very small? You just need to give him as much fluid as possible. Infants can be given breast milk, and older children can be given warm water, compote, juice or tea with chamomile. The baby should drink a lot, since a lot of fluid is lost at fever, especially if there is vomiting or diarrhea.

Chamomile enema

In an effort to reduce the temperature of a child under 1 year old, mothers have a limited number of methods: as a rule, these are medications and enemas. The use of decoctions and other home recipes internally for children under 12 months is not possible. If you want to overcome a high temperature without medication, you should use an enema with chamomile infusion.

Preparation for the procedure: pour 3 tablespoons of chamomile into a glass of water, boil for 15-20 minutes, strain, cool, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

Performing the procedure: fill a clean rubber bulb with liquid (30-60 ml), remove excess air, lubricate the tip with Vaseline, insert the bulb into the child’s anus, carefully squeeze out the liquid.

Raspberry decoction

Drinking plenty of water and consuming raspberry decoction causes increased sweating, which reduces fever. After a good sweat, the baby will certainly feel better. You cannot replace the consumption of water and tea with raspberry decoction alone, however, a tasty and healthy drink will significantly diversify the composition of the liquid consumed. Raspberry broth is prepared according to many recipes, here are the most famous of them.

Ingredients: dry raspberries (2 tablespoons), a glass of water.
Application: pour boiling water over the raspberries, leave for about 30 minutes, strain. Drink 1 glass of raspberry broth 2-3 times a day.

A decoction of raspberries, oregano and coltsfoot

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons of dried raspberries, coltsfoot, 1 tablespoon of oregano, water.
Application: pour the mixture of herbs and raspberries with water, pour boiling water for 20 minutes, strain. Drink the decoction several times a day, 1/3 cup.

Oranges

Salicylic acid contained in oranges helps reduce a child's fever. Fresh fruits, decoction with peel, and juice effectively combat heat. To prepare a delicious, effective orange drink you will need: 100 ml orange juice, 100 ml lemon juice, 100 ml apple juice, 75 ml tomato juice. The listed ingredients are mixed and consumed immediately after preparation. You need to drink an orange drink 3 times a day, not forgetting about other liquids - tea, water.

Consequences of high fever in a child

One of the most common complications of high fever in a child is febrile seizures. They usually occur in children under 6 years of age with a temperature above 38oC. Often this reaction to fever appears in children with diseases of the nervous system. Signs of febrile seizures in a child: convulsive muscle twitching, which can be either pronounced (with throwing back the head, bending the arms and straightening the legs) or small, in the form of shuddering and twitching of individual muscle groups; the child stops responding to his surroundings, may turn pale and blue, and hold his breath; often, convulsions may recur during subsequent increases in temperature. When the temperature is high and the child has convulsions, you must immediately call “03”. Urgent measures at home will be: lay the child on a flat surface and turn the head to the side; if there is no breathing after the end of the convulsions, begin giving the child artificial respiration; you should not try to insert a finger into a child’s mouth, a spoon or other objects - this will only cause harm and injury; You should undress the child, ensure the room is ventilated, use rubbing and antipyretic candles to reduce body temperature; You should not leave your child alone during an attack. Children who have had seizures need observation by a neurologist, as well as a full medical examination to exclude the onset of epilepsy. Therefore, you should not wait for your child to have a high fever for a week. Contact your doctor promptly for diagnosis and treatment. Before use, you should consult a specialist.

The use of antipyretic drugs will temporarily reduce the baby’s body temperature, but will not cure it. Parents should remember that lowering the temperature is not a cure. With a sore throat, especially a purulent one, it is very difficult to bring down the temperature in young children. First you need to get rid of inflammation in the throat. At home, you can prepare a solution of baking soda and salt for your child and let your child gargle. For small children under one year old, you can (as a last resort) wipe the mouth cavity and the edge of the neck by wrapping a piece of gauze around your finger and moistening it in water and soda. The product is effective, but it must be used with great caution. Sometimes body temperature can be a symptom of a dangerous disease, such as pancreatitis, appendicitis, etc. Therefore, if it is accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, pain in the stomach or navel, you should immediately consult a doctor.

If your 1-year-old baby gets sick and has a temperature of 38 or higher, it needs to be lowered with the help of medications. Do not wrap your child up and let him drink plenty of fluids. If you cannot lower the temperature yourself, call an ambulance.

High temperature is always a signal of changes in the functioning of the body. Children 1 year of age and older are at risk of contracting viral diseases, colds, and other illnesses. In a 1-year-old child, the normal body temperature is considered to be 36.5-36.9 degrees. At this age, it is quite acceptable when you can see readings of 37.3-37.5 on the thermometer. In this case, there is no need to try to bring down such a temperature. But if a one-year-old child’s temperature rises to 38, this means the beginning of an inflammatory process in the body, or the baby is too tired. Many mothers do not know what to do if their 1-year-old baby has a temperature of 38 degrees or higher for a year. In this case, there is no need to panic, but you need to act immediately.

If a one-year-old child has a temperature of 38 or higher

Many people are accustomed to the fact that a high temperature appears during a cold or other viral disease. But without symptoms, the temperature can rise to 38, not only in a one-year-old child. This indicates the presence of a hidden inflammatory process or severe fatigue. Currently, children's doctors disagree about the artificial reduction of high fever. Some say that at high temperatures the body independently begins to fight inflammation and the virus, and you need to wait a while. And shoot down only when the thermometer shows 38.5 degrees. Others say that it should be shot down at 38 degrees. In each case, you need to look at the condition of the baby. With a sharp increase in temperature, you can start to knock down even at 38 degrees. If your baby has a high fever that lasts for a long time, you need to contact your local pediatrician or call an ambulance.

How to reduce a high temperature in a 1 year old child

Body temperature can rise at different rates. Sometimes it’s slow, 1-2 degrees over a few hours, but sometimes it’s very fast. Parents start to panic when their one-year-old child has a temperature of 39 and they don’t know what to do. At such moments, babies should not be wrapped up, but rather undressed to cool the body. You can wipe the body with a towel soaked in water at room temperature, and you should also give plenty of warm liquid to drink. Pharmacies sell various antipyretics. Many mothers know that you can give a 1-year-old child a medicine based on paracetamol or ibuprofen for fever. For example, Panadol or Nurofen. These products are available in different forms: syrup or candles. The candles do not contain unnecessary components in the form of sweeteners and dyes, but not every baby will agree to use them. Then you can give sweet syrup. If the temperature does not subside for a long time, you need to contact medical care to specialists. And it’s better to find out in advance from your local pediatrician how you can lower the temperature of a one-year-old child.

Fever in a child is always a good reason for parental concern. And if we are talking about a baby, then excitement can develop into real panic. In fact, fever and fever are quite common symptoms of many diseases. Today we will tell you how to quickly and effectively cope with high body temperature in children of different ages.

Causes of fever in children

An increase in temperature occurs when a child’s body is exposed to viruses, toxins or bacteria. Immune cells, in response to the penetration of a “pest,” release pyrogens – special substances that cause the body to heat up from the inside. This is provided by nature for a reason, because the immune system works much more efficiently when the temperature rises to 38°C. But if the temperature begins to rise to 39°C and above, there is a load on the cardiovascular, nervous and respiratory systems.

High temperature in children (from 37°C to 40°C) occurs in the following conditions of the body:

development of bacterial/viral infection;
eruption of baby teeth;
overheating;
heat stroke;
strong emotional experiences;
fright, prolonged stress.

Often, sudden fever is the first symptom of a serious illness (meningitis, pneumonia, etc.). It may be accompanied by warning signs:

Lethargy, inactivity, sleepiness.
A rash in the form of blue “stars” and bruises appeared on the baby’s body.
The child has stopped urinating or has become very infrequent; the urine has become dark shade; the appearance of seizures.
Impaired breathing (too frequent or rare), too deep or, conversely, superficial.
The child's mouth smells of a specific odor (acetone).

If you notice the presence of one of the above points in your child, you should immediately call an ambulance.

On a note! If there is any increase in temperature in a child under 6 months, you should immediately consult your doctor.

What temperature should be lowered in a child?

A frequent question from young mothers: when can children lower their temperature?

Pediatricians have established the following temperature limits, depending on which a decision is made to reduce the thermometer readings to optimal values:

mild fever – from 37°C to 38.5°C;
moderate heat - from 38.6°C to 39.4°C;
high fever - from 39.5°C to 39.9°C;
life-threatening fever – 40°C and above.

Doctors do not recommend giving antipyretic drugs up to 38°C if the child’s health is stable. You can bring your temperature down to this level without medication: wet compresses and light rubbing of the skin will come to the rescue. The child needs to be kept cool, drink plenty of fluids and rest.

Note! If the measures taken do not bring results, and the child’s fever does not subside within two hours, then it is necessary to give a medicine to relieve the fever, prescribed by the local pediatrician. If there is a sharp increase in the thermometer readings or “jumps” in temperature from 38°C to 39.5°C, regardless of the baby’s age, immediately call an ambulance.

Don’t panic – a healthy child has a fever

Sometimes an elevated temperature can be noticed in a baby who has barely been born. The thing is that in a newborn baby, the mechanisms of thermoregulation are not fully formed, so the body temperature in the armpit can reach 37-37.5°C. In the evening, the temperature is usually higher than in the morning - new mothers should take this into account.
Temperatures above normal during teething are a common occurrence that worries parents. But in this case the fever does not rise higher than 37.5°C, so to alleviate the child’s condition, you can stick to home remedies: more fluids, less warm clothes and no diaper at least while you are awake. If signs of fever appear (as well as signs such as nausea, vomiting, reluctance to drink) and the temperature rises, you should consult a doctor.
There are also situations when a healthy infant for no apparent reason, the body temperature begins to rise, and quite significantly. This may be due to overheating (especially at low humidity in the room). This is possible when the mother diligently wraps up the baby and does not open the window in the children's room during the day. As a result, when changing a diaper, she discovers a hot baby who is breathing heavily and the divisions on the thermometer exceed 38°C.

Remember: a child should be dressed only 1 layer warmer than himself! Don't focus on your baby's cool hands and feet. If the baby has warm elbow and popliteal folds, as well as the back, then he is comfortable and does not freeze.

Let's go down: 4 steps to reduce fever without drugs

There is a special table of upper normal temperatures for a person depending on age:

If a child has a fever, then the temperature must be reduced as quickly as possible to 38.5°C (rectal - to 39°C). What you need to do for this:

Create an optimal environment in the room where the child is located temperature regime. The room should be moderately warm (about 23°C), but with access to fresh air and well ventilated.
Choose appropriate clothes for your baby. If this is a child under one year old, then it is enough to put a thin blouse or a sleepsuit on him. While the child has a high temperature, it is better to remove the diaper: this makes it easier to control whether the baby is still urinating. Also, diapers retain heat, which is the basis for temporarily stopping their use while the baby has a fever.
Place a cool compress from a cloth soaked in water on the child’s forehead; it is also worth wiping the baby with water at room temperature. The baby can be placed in a bath with water appropriate normal temperature body (37°C). This will help to safely reduce the fever of a sore throat. Frequent rubbing makes it easier to cope with the disease. But rubbing with alcohol or vinegar is not recommended for young children - the skin of babies is very delicate and thin, it is easy for substances to penetrate through it, and in addition to the high temperature, the baby also runs the risk of getting poisoned.
Offer your child to drink a lot and often. If the baby is breastfed, then provide him with round-the-clock access to the breast. Mother's milk is a storehouse of immune factors that will help you cope with fever faster. If the baby is artificial feeding or has already grown up, then offer him plain boiled water. It is imperative to take at least a sip every 5-10 minutes to avoid dehydration.

Important! To check whether a child has enough fluid, count his urination - a baby who drinks enough water urinates at least once every 3-4 hours with light-colored urine. If your one-year-old baby refuses to drink fluids or is too weak to drink on his own, immediately consult a doctor again.

How to bring down a child's temperature: folk methods

At high temperatures, the main task of parents is to ensure that the child’s body has the opportunity to lose heat. There are only two ways for this:

sweat evaporation;
warming the inhaled air.

Will help relieve fever and improve the child’s health traditional methods, which are distinguished by their simplicity, safety and the ability to resort to them in any situation.

Avoiding dehydration

If your baby has a fever and refuses to drink even a little, then this is a direct path to dehydration, which can only be dealt with with IV drips. In order not to bring it to an extreme state, be sure to replenish the fluid deficiency in the baby’s body.

What you can give to drink:

infants: mother's milk, boiled water;
from 1 year: weak green tea, linden blossom decoction, chamomile decoction, dried fruit compote;
from 3 years: tea with cranberries/viburnum/currants, uzvar, mineral water without gas, etc.

If the fever is combined with vomiting and the fluid is not retained in the body, then to maintain the water-salt balance, you need to dilute the powder of the medicine Regidron according to the instructions and give the child a teaspoon.

Keeping you cool

If a child has a fever, then it is necessary to immediately rid him of clothes that retain heat, thereby overheating and increasing the baby’s painful condition. At any time of the year, ventilate the room for at least 10 minutes, introducing fresh air into the room where the child is resting. The flow of cool air has a beneficial effect on a small patient who has a fever. You can achieve this in the summer by temporarily turning on the air conditioner or fan (without directing the flow towards the child!).

Wet wrap

Wrapping with a wet cloth helps well in extreme heat, improving the child’s condition in the very first minutes. You can use plain water for wrapping. To do this, you need to moisten a soft towel or gauze in water at room temperature and carefully wrap it around the baby’s body. Then lay the child down, cover with a sheet and carry out the procedure for 10-15 minutes. After an hour, if the body reacts well, you can repeat the wrap. For better effect You can make a wrap with yarrow infusion - 4 tbsp. freshly cut leaves, pour 1.5 liters of boiling water, leave for 2 hours, cool. The healing composition must be used within 24 hours.

Important! This folk remedy can only be used if the child is “burning” and is very hot. If, on the contrary, the baby is freezing, this means that he has a vasospasm - in this case, the wrap cannot be carried out, but it is necessary to give an antipyretic.

Rubbing with vinegar

This is an age-old method of lowering body temperature. It can only be used in children over 6 years of age, and only with vinegar diluted with water 1:5. Use a solution of one part vinegar and five parts water to wipe the baby’s arms, legs, feet and palms. soft cloth. You can repeat wiping every 3 hours. If skin irritation appears after the procedure, do not resort to this method of relieving fever again.

Therapeutic enema

An enema helps relieve fever and reduces high fever by at least 1 degree during the first hour after the procedure. It is carried out in children over 1.5 years old. Simple solution for therapeutic enema: 1 tsp. chamomile herb is poured into 0.2 liters of boiling water and left for an hour. Then the infusion is filtered through cheesecloth and is ready for use. You can also use a saline enema solution, which is prepared quickly and is very effective: take 2 tsp per 0.3 liter of warm boiled water. fine extra salt and a few drops of fresh beet juice. Mix everything thoroughly and the solution is ready.

Taking a bath

A cool bath will help when the thermometer rises higher and higher, but there are no medications at hand. You need to fill the bath with warm water, but not hot - use a thermometer and make sure that the water is no higher than 37°C. Place your child in the water and gently wash his body with a washcloth. Be careful, touching can be painful in hot weather - in this case, just gently pour water on the child from a watering can. After 15 minutes of bathing, the body temperature will drop by at least a degree and the child will feel better. After the bath, just lightly blot your skin without wiping it dry - the evaporation of water will also additionally have a slight antipyretic effect. You can repeat the procedure up to 5 times a day.

You will also find people's councils on reducing high temperatures in the cheat sheet below.

Child's age	When to lower the temperature	Folk remedies for relief
From 1 to 12 months	Do not reduce the temperature to 38°C with medication, only with gentle home remedies. If the mark is exceeded, use the medicine as prescribed by your doctor.	Undress the child, remove the diaper, cover with a thin, breathable diaper. Provide your baby with enough fluids ( breast milk, warm boiled water, from 6 months. – children's herbal tea). Ventilate the room where the baby is located for 10-15 minutes; during this time, place the child in another room.
From 1.5 to 3 years	Temperature ranges from 37°C to 38.5°C within acceptable limits without the use of medications. If the limit is reached and home remedies do not help, it is necessary to take measures to reduce the fever with the drug.	At 1-2 years old, the baby is already able to drink on his own, so at high temperatures, offer the child plenty of fluids. Rosehip decoction is especially useful - it can be prepared in a thermos (3 tablespoons of berries pour 600 ml of boiling water) and given warm, slightly sweetened with honey. You can offer your baby to take a warm (not hot!) bath - 20 minutes is enough to lower body temperature by a degree.
From 3 years and older	The temperature is above 38.5°C, the child is sleepy, lethargic, “burning” all over and refuses fluids - it’s time to call a doctor and give an antipyretic.	Ventilate the children's room and humidify the air - dry air at a temperature makes it very difficult for a child to breathe. If you don't have a humidifier, hang towels soaked in water around your baby's crib. The child should have liquid available - drink 3-5 tablespoons every 10 minutes. water, fruit drink, tea or compote. Leave only light clothing (T-shirt, underwear) on your body. Limit the child's activity; in case of fever, bed rest and rest are important.

And now tips on lowering your temperature from your pediatrician. Watch the video:

Antipyretic drugs: table by age

From the first days of life until adulthood, only a doctor can prescribe medicine to a child. Therefore, answers to the questions “how to bring down” and “how to bring down” a child’s temperature should be sent, first of all, to the pediatrician. Keep in mind that many of the medications do not begin to act immediately, but after a certain period of time, which can take from 20 minutes to 1.5 hours.

Paracetamol The doctor prescribes it for children in two forms: suspension and suppositories. Most parents prefer it. The product helps to reduce the temperature not to the normal value of 36.6°C, but by about 1-1.5 degrees. A single “portion” of paracetamol is 15 mg per kilogram of a child’s weight. For example, if a baby weighs 4 kg, he needs to be given 60 mg of this drug.
Ibuprofen(the active agent in medications such as Nurofen, etc.) refers to “reserve” drugs. It is actively used by mothers of children after one year, but not of infants. It is not advisable to prescribe it to children under 4 months of age. Pediatricians also discourage the use of ibuprofen if there is a risk of dehydration, since this medicine negatively affects the kidneys. For a single dose, you need to take 10 mg of ibuprofen per 1 kg of the child’s weight.

On a note! The combination of ibuprofen and paracetamol in medicine is recognized as unsafe - the drugs have shown in practice that they can enhance side effects each other. If possible, stick to medications with the same active ingredient when treating your child, or take long breaks between taking different medications (at least 6-8 hours).

Panadol has proven itself well as a remedy for fever with sore throat, group, ear pain (otitis media) and ARVI. The bottle with the suspension is easy to use, the medicine tastes sweet, so kids take it calmly. The drug is used in children older than 3 months, before reaching this age - only as prescribed by a doctor.
Tsefekon D- a drug produced in the form of suppositories, it is based on paracetamol. Candles are convenient to use while the child is sleeping, as well as in case of dehydration (nausea, vomiting, inability to take liquids and food). Cefekon D has not only an antipyretic effect, but also an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect. The effect of the suppositories begins within the first 15 minutes, but also passes just as quickly, so a single use of the drug until the morning may not be enough.
Drugs that should not be used to reduce fever in children: ketoprofen, nimesulide and other drugs from the NSAID group. Under no circumstances should you give your child aspirin - it can cause damage to the brain and liver.

Child's age	Paracetamol	Nurofen	Panadol	Tsefekon D
newborn	–	–	–	–
1 month	in suspension (120 mg/5 ml) – 2 ml orally before meals, 3-4 times a day with an interval of 4-5 hours	–	–	in the form of rectal suppositories - 1 suppository of 50 mg 2 times a day with an interval of 4-6 hours
4 months 5 months 6 months	in suspension (120 mg/5 ml) – 2.5-5 ml orally before meals, 3-4 times a day with an interval of 4-5 hours	in suspension (100 ml) – 2.5 ml orally 3 times a day with an interval of 6-8 hours	in suspension (120 mg\5 ml) – 4 ml orally 3 times a day	in the form of rectal suppositories - 1 suppository of 100 mg 2 times a day with an interval of 4-6 hours
7 months 8 months 9 months 10 months 11 months 12 months		in suspension (100 ml) – 2.5 ml orally 3-4 times a day with an interval of 6-8 hours	in suspension (120 mg\5 ml) – 5 ml orally 3 times a day
1 year	in suspension (120 mg/5 ml) – 5-10 ml orally before meals, 3-4 times a day with an interval of 4-5 hours	in suspension (100 ml) – 5 ml orally 3 times a day with an interval of 6-8 hours	in suspension (120 mg\5 ml) – 7 ml orally 3 times a day	in the form of rectal suppositories - 1-2 suppositories of 100 mg 2-3 times a day with an interval of 4-6 hours
3 years			in suspension (120 mg\5 ml) – 9 ml orally 3 times a day
5 years		in suspension (100 ml) – 7.5 ml orally 3 times a day with an interval of 6-8 hours	in suspension (120 mg\5 ml) – 10 ml orally 3 times a day	in the form of rectal suppositories - 1 suppository of 250 mg 2-3 times a day with an interval of 4-6 hours
7 years	in suspension (120 mg/5 ml) – 10-20 ml orally before meals, 3-4 times a day with an interval of 4-5 hours	in suspension (100 ml) – 10-15 ml orally 3 times a day with an interval of 6-8 hours	in suspension (120 mg\5 ml) – 14 ml orally 3 times a day

Important! To lower the temperature to normal values, antipyretic drug therapy alone is not enough - it is necessary to combine them with more by safe means(by rubbing, airing, drinking plenty of fluids).

Tips for parents: what to do if your child has a fever

Always be attentive to your baby’s complaints about his well-being. Even if he mentions that he’s just hot, don’t be lazy to spend five minutes and look at the bar on the thermometer. Treatment started in a timely manner will help quickly identify the cause of the disease and prevent the development of the disease.

Before the list of tips, we recommend watching a short video on how to help a child with fever:

Don't lower your temperature prematurely

If the temperature does not exceed 37.5°C, and the child’s condition is satisfactory, then do not rush to give the child medication. Many pathogens die in the body at this temperature; this is a kind of immune defense that is provided by nature itself.

Remember the rules of behavior when sick

Mothers will have to deal with fever more than once during their children’s infancy, so it’s worth taking note of all the recipes in advance so that they are at hand at the right time. After all, when the baby is sick, there is no time to waste precious time reading forums - it is much better if the cheat sheets are always in sight (you can print them out and leave them in the medicine cabinet).

Have fever medications in your first aid kit

Age-appropriate children's fever medicines should always be in your home medicine cabinet just in case. Fever can occur suddenly, at any time of the day, and it is best if you are prepared to help your child by giving a fever-reducing drug as needed.

What should you not do?

Allowing a child at a temperature above 38.5°C to run, jump and otherwise exercise physical activity - for a speedy recovery, the child’s body needs peace and rest.
Wrap your baby in warm clothes, cover with a warm blanket - trying to get the child to sweat properly, you can achieve the opposite effect and provoke a new rise in temperature.
Forcibly measuring the temperature is no new stress for a sick baby. If your baby resists and is afraid of the thermometer, try measuring his temperature after half an hour. Sometimes children are afraid to measure their temperature rectally, in which case there is a reason to use another method of measurement.

It is known that children tolerate high temperatures much easier than adults. At 38-38.5 they are often cheerful and active. It is believed that a reading of 38 degrees is critical, after which medication should be taken. For a child under three years old, this is relevant, since when the body temperature rises by another half a degree, convulsions may begin. If the child is more than three years old, then it is possible to use only antipyretic teas - with raspberries, honey, linden blossom (in the absence of allergies).

Medications to help reduce a child's fever

The main drugs that can reduce a child's high temperature may include two active ingredients - paracetamol or ibuprofen. The first, according to doctors, is more preferable for infants. For example, Tsefekon suppositories can be used from as early as one month of age.

Medicines that can be used to knock down are in the form of suppositories or syrups. Rectal suppositories cause less harm to the gastrointestinal tract and act faster, therefore, when treating infants and at very high temperatures, it is better to use them.

In the form of a suspension, you can give your child Nurofen, Paracetamol, Ibufen, and Panadol for high fever.

Before using the drug, you should read the instructions and calculate the dosage in accordance with the weight and age of the child. When used to treat any medicines it is necessary to consult a pediatrician.

If a child’s fever is difficult to control, it is possible to use a lytic mixture consisting of Analgin, Papaverine and Diphenhydramine in equal proportions. The dosage is calculated according to age - for each year of the child, 0.1 ml of each drug.

It is better if such an injection with a lytic mixture is given by an emergency medical technician.

How to reduce a child’s high fever: folk remedies

If you don’t know what your child’s temperature is in the intervals between taking medications, you should turn to folk remedies. Since paracetamol and ibuprofen can be taken no more than once every six hours, they can become indispensable aids in treatment.

The well-known honey, raspberry and linden blossom reduce the temperature well only at low levels, therefore, if the number 39 appears on the thermometer, it is necessary to use stronger means, including medications.

Vodka and vinegar help to reduce a child’s temperature well.

The first mixture is prepared from water and vodka in a one to one ratio. The second one is a little more complicated, since vinegar essence in each home may have a different percentage of acid content. Already diluted vinegar should be diluted with water so that the solution tastes only slightly sour.

The prepared solutions are used to wipe the child's body. They most effectively help bring down a high temperature if you moisten a cotton swab in the places where large arteries and veins pass: the armpits and groins, the bends of the knees and elbows, the feet and palms, and the neck.

In no case should wiping be carried out if in the background elevated temperature The child has cold palms and feet, pale or bluish skin.

In this case, it is necessary to warm the limbs by rubbing them and wrapping them. After which you should definitely give the baby medicine and a warm drink.

At high temperatures, the body of a baby or an adult child is equally dehydrated. In the first case, the baby needs to be put to the breast more often, in the second, the baby should be given tea and water to drink in small portions.

A cold bandage on the forehead, which should be changed periodically, will also help cope with extreme heat.

If the temperature approaches 40 degrees, you must call urgently ambulance and try to reduce the child’s temperature to acceptable values before her arrival. In such cases, you can even use a cold bath.

A child with a high temperature should not be wrapped; it is necessary to ensure access of air to the surface of the skin. You need to open the windows to ensure coolness. The optimal temperature in a sick child's room should be 18-20 degrees. This will speed up the heat transfer processes.

There are many supporters and opponents of alternative medicine. Treatment methods for your child should be selected taking into account their effect on the baby’s body. If you can’t bring down your child’s temperature with one remedy, you can try another. Over time, you will find what suits you and your baby. However, when your body temperature drops, you should not forget about treating the underlying disease; be sure to consult your doctor.