Children are never cute when they are ill. In fact quite the opposite happens; they become a fragile mess that scares even the bravest of mother. You are constantly checking their temperature, looking into their eyes, moving your hands over their body and worrying in all possible ways. Even after visiting a doctor, a parent or caregiver is never satisfied till a child returns to his/her lively self.
If you’ve ever found yourself with a feverish child in the middle of the night, you will understand the kind of panic that comes with it. You will even wish you were a medical doctor. Instead of panicking, or worse, leaving the child like that till morning, you can take a few steps yourself to reduce the fever before you’re able to get to a hospital.
Pain Relievers
Try giving the child some pain relievers meant for children. Children paracetamol is a good option. Don’t give any other medication prescribed for another ailment because it may be dangerous to the child, and except you are a doctor, that will be bad self-medicating practices.
Tepid Sponge Bath
A tepid sponge bath is done to manually reduce fever temperature on the body, most especially in babies and older children. You need a clean face towel or any clean piece of cloth, and a bowl of lukewarm water. Dip the cloth in water and squeeze out almost all of the water from the towel. Dab the towel all over the child’s body. Repeat this process till fever has reduced.
You can do a tepid sponge bath anytime a child has a fever or when there is a swelling on an immunization spot. Please remember that this is not a substitute for medical help; you should always visit a doctor for adequate treatment. Also, never leave a rise in temperature unattended to in a child. It may lead to convulsions and other serious complications.
About the author: Amina Salau is a writer and editor running The Illuminated Pen. You can find her online at www.theilluminatedpen.com and on Twitter (@_Aminah)
