Child fever and convulsions – what to do

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You Must Stay Calm!

Febrile convulsions are not harmful to your child

WHAT IS A FEBRILE CONVULSION?

Febrile convulsions can be absolutely terrifying to witness, but please be comforted in knowing that they are not harmful to your child. Febrile convulsions do not cause brain damage, or increase the risk of epilepsy or other seizure disorders.

A febrile convulsion is a type of seizure caused by a sudden rise in body temperature. We want to really emphasise that febrile convulsions are not caused by high temperatures, rather they are caused by the rapid spike in temperature. Most febrile convulsions will last for only seconds to several minutes.

9 THINGS YOU MUST KNOW DURING A FEBRILE SEIZURE

  1. Try & stay as calm as possible (we know how hard this first step can be).
  2. Call 000. If this is your child’s first febrile convulsion, please call an ambulance. If it is not your child’s first febrile convulsion, please follow your doctors advice.
  3. Keep your child safe, ensure they’re on a soft surface on their side or back.
  4. Start timing the convulsion & take note of what your child is doing (are just their arms jerking?, what is their mouth doing?, are their eyes flickering?)
  5. After the seizure is finished, ensure they are on their side until they are completely awake.
  6. If you think of it at the time, record your child with your phone as this will show doctors exactly what the seizure looked like and how long it lasted.
  7. Do not put anything in their mouth, including your fingers.
  8. Do not try to give them medications or place them in a cool bath to try to lower their temperature
  9. Do not restrain them. Febrile convulsions can be absolutely terrifying to witness, but please be comforted in knowing that they are not harmful to your child. Febrile convulsions do not cause brain damage, or increase the risk of epilepsy or other seizure disorders.

Febrile convulsions are more common than you might think – 1 in 30 children between the ages of 6 months to 6 years, will experience a febrile convulsion. 

HOW DO YOU PREVENT FEBRILE CONVULSIONS?

So how do you prevent or stop them? Unfortunately you can’t. Giving medicines such as Paracetamol or Ibuprofen, will not prevent a febrile convulsion – nothing will.

Please always follow your medical practitioners advice.

Kidsaver CPR & First Aid Training

Febrile convulsions is just one of the topics we cover in our baby & child first aid classes.  Book into a Kidsaver class today to learn more visit www.kidsaver.com.au