How to reduce heat in children naturally can be done by parents before seeing a doctor. However, parents need to pay attention to a few things before doing it.
Fever is the body’s natural immune response. If your child’s body temperature rises, it’s a sign that the child’s immune system is working well in fighting off viral or bacterial infections that cause disease. However, as a parent, Mother or Father must be worried if the little one’s body temperature starts to heat up.
Tips for Lowering Heat in Children
While following the treatment from the pediatrician, Mother and Father can also practice how to reduce heat in children naturally to help relieve the little one’s body temperature. Some ways to reduce heat in children naturally that can be done are:
1. Drink lots of water
When your little one has a fever, his body will try to cool itself by sweating. However, this can make the body fluid is reduced, even to the point of dehydration. The higher your child’s body temperature, the greater the risk of dehydration.
To prevent dehydration and reduce heat in children, parents can give their little ones lots of drinking water. Not only water, your little one can also be given fruit juice, formula milk, breast milk, or soup.
2. Cold compress
Putting a cloth or small towel that has been soaked in cold water on the Little One’s forehead can also be a way to reduce heat in children naturally. In addition to the neck, parents can also put a cold compress on the chest, groin, wrist, or armpit.
But Mom and Dad need to remember, that cold compresses use ice, cold packas well as ice gel directly on the child’s skin will cause the child to shiver or may injure the skin. So try to compress using cold water or wrapped in ice using a towel.
3. Take a shower or wipe with warm water
Taking a bath or wiping with warm water is one of the best ways to reduce heat in children naturally. Warm water can relax the body and muscles so your little one can sleep more soundly. While cold water can make your little one shiver and cause his body temperature to rise.
6. Wear light clothes
Avoid wearing layers of clothes on the Little One. It is better to give one layer of clothing that is a bit thin to reduce heat to the child naturally. If your little one is cold, give him a light blanket until he feels warm again.
5. Just rest
No less important in reducing heat in children naturally is to let them rest and sleep. Moving too much can increase your little one’s body temperature.
Fever to Watch Out for
Although referred to as the body’s natural reaction to fighting infection, fever in children should still be watched out for. Immediately take your child to the nearest pediatrician or hospital if he is in the following conditions:
- Infants aged less than 3 months with a body temperature of 38°C or more
- Infants aged 3 months or older with a body temperature of 40°C for more than 24 hours
- Infants aged 3–6 months with a body temperature of 38.3°C
- Infants aged 6 months and over with a body temperature of 39.5°C
- Children younger than 2 years with fever that lasts more than 24 hours
- Children 2 years of age or older with fever that lasts more than 3 days
- The child’s body temperature reaches 40°C regardless of age
- Fever accompanied by other symptoms, such as coughing, loss of appetite, tugging at the ears, fussiness, sleeping often or looking more sleepy, vomiting, diarrhea, pale or flushed skin, rash, infrequent or no urination, or difficulty breathing
If Mom and Dad are still worried when your little one’s body temperature rises, don’t hesitate to take him to the doctor. Doctors will help determine the cause of fever in children as well as provide appropriate treatment according to age and condition.
