First aid tips: febrile seizures

Febrile seizures are seizures caused by having a high body temperature, but not necessarily any serious health issue. They’re also sometimes called fever fits or febrile convulsion. These seizures usually happen in children within 6 months to 5 years. They usually last for less than 5 minutes, and the child should make a full recovery within an hour.

If you see your child having a febrile seizure, you can do these steps in order to make sure that your child is in no danger:

1.  Protect your child from injury, and do not restrain them.

photo from: British Red Cross

You can do this by taking out any toys, blankets, etc. that might cause harm for your child when he has a seizure.

2. Reduce your child’s temperature.

photo from: British Red Cross

You can also turn on any fans, open any windows, or turn on the air conditioning in order to reduce the temperature in the room and lower the child’s temperature.

3. Once the seizure is over, you should help the child to rest on their side, with their head tilted back.

photo from: British Red Cross

Go to the next page to watch the video!

While febrile seizures may be scary, especially for a first time parent, they are usually not associated with any long term condition. However, if your child has frequent seizures or if their seizure lasts for a long time, it would be best to take your child to a doctor to see if the seizures might be caused by something else.

Here’s a video from the British Red Cross with instructions on how to take care of a child that’s having a febrile seizure.

Hopefully, these tips can prove useful whenever your child, or any child that you’re taking care of happens to have a febrile seizure. Remember, first aid can save lives.

READ: First-aid guide for moms: How to treat firework injuries

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