Fever is not a disease but a symptom usually caused by a bacterial or viral infection. If your baby has a fever, it is a process that occurs very frequently to alarm of some type of viral infection, which usually disappears after a few days.
Taking your child's body temperature (rectally) and observing that it rises much more than 38 °, is a warning sign where parents should take the baby to a pediatrician so that you can specify what is the problem.
Why does my baby have a fever?
Most of the time that fever occurs in babies, it is usually caused by viral infections that usually disappear after a few days. In other cases, the presence of fever can be caused by something more serious, such as some type of infection such as ear, kidneys or bladder.
Fever is caused by an infection as we have reviewed, but because the body give this answer immediately for your fight. It is therefore. that many children are more susceptible to fever as a symptom of a specific condition rather than an infection.
An excess of clothing in newborns They may also get a fever from being too warm. Your body is not able to regulate body temperature as naturally as that of a child and its overexposure produces fever in response.
In febrile processes as we have pointed out, due to viral infections, fever it usually lasts between 2 or 3 days depending on the virus. The solution is to take medications such as ibuprofen or paracetamol for children to alleviate symptoms. If it is produced by a bacterial infection, the fever can last a few more days, where the baby it can be treated with antibiotics.
Vaccines can also present low-grade fever after they have been vaccinated. Teething too it causes reaching this state without rebounding to anything serious, as long as it does not reach or exceed 38 ° in temperature.
In some severe cases this symptom it can be a sign of a serious illness. There are certain blood and autoimmune disorders that are causing it, or caused by meningitis or septicemia, so it is advisable to supervise a specialist.
What can be done when the baby has a fever?
Surely the baby is very hot, in these cases you have to remove clothes and lighten it, it will help to lower your temperature. The room where the baby is should also be light, if it is too hot it is good to place a fan.
Act quickly. go to the pediatrician to derive the main reason that is causing it. In these cases it is applied when the baby is less than 3 months old and his rectal temperature exceeds 38 °. For children from 3 to 12 months and have a fever higher than 39 ° they should also go. In most cases it is usually prescribed paracetamol to be given every 4 to 6 hours. O ibuprofen every 6 to 8 hours, but only depending on the age of the baby.
As homemade measures you can immerse the baby in warm baths to lower the temperature. But you should never use cold water or scrub with alcohol. This type of warm bath with the mixture of medicines helps a lot to lower fever.
Ways to take the temperature
The home way to test your child for a fever is touching the forehead with the hand, but it can become doubtful. One way to be sure for sure is placing his lips on his forehead and detect if it is much hotter than your own lips. In this case, if it is detected, it is an indication of fever.
You can have it rectal temperature where it is taken through the rectum with a finger device covered with some lubricant. The temperature in the ear can be taken with the help of an infrared radiation device, although it is not advisable to use it in children under 3 months. Axial intake also works well with a digital thermometer.
Oral temperature It can also be taken with a digital thermometer, placing it under the tongue for 2 to 3 minutes and with the mouth closed. In very young children this system is complex to take the temperature. For this there are digital infrared radiation apparatus that take the temperature on the forehead, are very reliable and almost instantaneous.
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