It is every parent’s worst nightmare – at the end of a long day when you have tucked your children into bed and are just about to turn in for the day, you hear a faint whimper and a cry coming from your child’s room. You walk in to see what’s happening and touch your child’s forehead only to discover that it is burning hot! The thermometer clearly beeps that the fever is over a 100 degrees.
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While we all know that a fever is the body’s way of fighting an infection, logic and reasoning seem to go out of a parent’s the minute we see our child’s discomfort. Even doctors advise giving medication to bring down the fever if it goes above a 102 in kids over 4 years old and a 101 in kids less than 4 years old.
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So be informed and have some tips ready in your arsenal to fight a fever before you reach for that acetaminophen. But also keep in mind to let your doctor know what is happening especially if the fever hits a 104.
Here are some things to try to keep your child comfortable when he/she is running a fever.
1. Cold Compress Take a bowl of cool tap water and dip a thin washcloth in it. Wring it out and apply the cloth to the forehead, armpits, and neck for some relief to your child. This method will help bring down the high temperature. Do not use very cold water or add ice cubes to the water. This may force the internal body temperature to rise. Make sure to repeat this every few minutes and dip and wring the washcloth when it feels dry and warm to the touch. 
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2. Dress lightly Just because your child has a fever does not mean that you need to bundle him/her in several layers of clothing. Dress them in comfortable cotton clothing in a single layer. This will ensure they are comfortable and will also help bring the body temperature down gradually.
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3. Encourage the intake of liquids Make sure your child is sipping fluids at regular intervals. When a child has a fever they are averse to eating or drinking anything, so please ensure that you are feeding them sips of water regularly. You can even give them some juice with added glucose to help them keep their strength up. With younger children less intake of fluids will immediately translate into dehydration so make sure to keep a watchful eye on their fluid intake. You may also like: Immunity boosting foods you must know about
4. Keep the room temperature comfortable Do not keep the house too warm or too cold. We tend to think that if we make the room too cold our child will get the shivers and if we make it too warm they might sweat out the fever. Both are wrong. Make sure the room is comfortable so that isn’t another thing that causes them discomfort.
5. Lots of rest Now is not the time to say no screen time and enforce those strict rules. If it means sitting in one place and resting, let them watch whatever they want.
Now’s the time for lots of rest and TLC.
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6. Basil, Garlic, and Ginger Some moms swear by these home remedies. With basil take the leaves and boil it some water. It is said to have medicinal properties and its antibacterial properties will help bring the fever down quickly. Just boil, strain, add some honey to it.
KSP Team
Mansi Zaveri
Parul Gupta
Janani S Koushik
