It could be tough to be a first-time mother, especially when your baby gets sick. So if your kid has a fever and you don’t know what to do, today’s post is for you
We’ll answer some of the most asked questions like “Should I put socks on baby with fever?” or “How to dress baby with fever at night” in our article below.
Should I Put Socks On Baby With Fever?
Surprisingly, you shouldn’t put socks on your baby when they have a fever.
Their surroundings more impact the temperature of babies. Indeed, newborns up to 3 years old collect a large amount of heat from their exterior settings and may also shed a great deal of heat to the outside. This might result in incorrect temperature measurements that are either too hot or too cold.
As a result, any strategy that promotes heat escape via their skin may rapidly lower their body temperature. If your kid develops a high fever while their hands and feet are cold, do not wrap them with blankets or put socks on them.
This will warm them up even more and result in more sickness, exhaustion, or even severe seizures.
Should I Undress My Baby With A Fever?
As previously stated, a child’s temperature changes dramatically depending on the surrounding factors
Thus, if your child’s fever is exceptionally high, immediately remove their clothes to calm the heat. Then, retake the readings after a few minutes and dress the baby.
How To Dress Baby With Fever: What Should My Baby Wear To Bed With A Fever?
Although your first urge might be to wrap your poor baby in a blanket, this might only exacerbate his suffering. Instead, the kid should be covered lightly if the surrounding temperature is around 70°F to 74°F. Making the baby sweat is not an effective technique to lower the temperature.
Wrap him with a thin coat of soft, well-ventilated fabric, such as cotton. Many footie jammies can serve to reduce the heat. As mentioned above, the baby may get overheated if they are too clothed, causing his fever to rise.
Furthermore, you should know the difference between preventing a cold (which would signal his body to increase the heat) and stifling with clothes, which will keep the temperature from receding.
3 Tips To Treat Your Kids’ Fever Effectively
Keep Your Baby Well-Hydrated
A fever could lead your child to lose water rapidly and get exhausted. This could result in significant problems with discomfort escalating.
To prevent dehydration, make sure your baby is sufficiently hydrated by delivering drinks as needed. If there are symptoms of depletion, a rehydrating treatment such as Pedialyte might be used. In addition, feed the baby more frequently if you are nursing or bottle-feeding.
Use OTC Medications
So we have got to the most popular type of child fever treatment: over-the-counter medicines. If you choose to employ this strategy (which many do at some stage), you must be aware that you introduce potent compounds into your child’s body. However, when used correctly, they can be pretty beneficial in aiding recovery.
- When providing medicine to your infant, don’t take chances. Maintain a level of sobriety and thoughtfulness when tracking your dosages and quantities. Most drugs carry side effects, thus check the instructions and be aware of things to search for if an adverse response occurs.
- Acetaminophen (commonly known as Paracetamol or Tylenol) and Ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil) are effective OTC medications that are safe for your kid’s consumption (above the age of 6 months).
- Children below the age of 6 months should not take any medicine without the approval and supervision of a pediatrician.
- Always buy Infant medication (Tylenol, Motrin, Advil, etc.) for kids below the age of 12 months, and Children type for those above one year. Never try to modify an adult drug dosage for newborns or kids. Tags are essential!
- Children should never drink aspirin. It has been associated with Reye’s Syndrome, a life-threatening condition.
- Begin with paracetamol. If that doesn’t work as intended after about an hour, try giving the baby Infant’s Advil.
- According to studies, over 50% of all parents do not offer their kids the correct dose of medicine. Everything comes down to WEIGHT. Don’t employ age because it’s not precise.
If you don’t know how heavy your kid is (and they keep growing! ), measure yourself initially, then measure yourself while carrying your kid. Take the difference between the two to discover your child’s actual weight.
- Keep track of the medications you administered, how much to provide, and when to administer them. Don’t expect you’ll recall everything. Take precautions and jot down.
- To administer medicine, utilize measurement equipment. (Once again, no assumption!) Usually, we prefer something that fools the tongue, such as a nipple shape or a pump design that administers the medication fast and without messiness.
- Cold medications are not advised for infants since they have not been proven by science to be helpful. Yet, if your pediatrician recommends anything, make sure to inform him if your baby has fever drugs, as several cold treatments include acetaminophen. You don’t want to overdose on your baby inadvertently.
Avoid Obsolete Or Unproven Cures
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends avoiding alcohol baths or “starving a fever,” which might cause extensive trouble than help relieve the fever.
If you follow the word-of-mouth rubbing alcohol baths, risks are available. It will successfully reduce the temperature, but that isn’t always an excellent sign. It loses heat so fast that the body starts trembling, causing the body heat to increase.
Aside from this unfavorable long-term impact, there is also the risk of alcohol intoxication. A few of the rubbing alcohol dissipates, but most of it is retained, potentially leading to alcohol intoxication. The short-term advantage simply isn’t justified by the danger, notably when there are healthier options.
Don’t believe the famous saying, “Feed a cold, starve a fever.” Kids experiencing fever might feel less hungry than usual, but provide a nutritious, well-balanced meal when they like to eat. Well-nourished children may be better prepared to fight diseases.
It is also not advisable to offer your kid a cold sponge bath when you haven’t administered a fever reducer. Shivering might occur, and the kid’s body heat may rise as a result.
What to do if Your Baby has Fever – First Aid Training – St John Ambulance
Wrapping Up
Hopefully, now you have your answer to “Should I put socks on baby with fever?” and other related questions.
Although it’s expected that kids experience fever, and you can totally treat that at home, if you notice any abnormality, visit the pediatrician immediately.