A fever at 7 months is a phenomenon that usually occurs in young children and is mostly not dangerous. However, neglect or improper care can lead to serious complications.
Is a fever at 7 months dangerous?
Normally, a child's body temperature is similar to that of an adult's, 36.5-37.5 degrees. Because the baby's organs are still incomplete and the immune system is weak, children are more prone to fever than adults. If the mother touches the baby's abdomen or armpits and sees a high temperature, the child probably has a fever.
In addition, you can tell that a 7-month-old baby has a fever through many other signs. When a fever, the child's eyes are no longer flexible and lazy. The lips and cheeks are also redder than usual. To know exactly if your baby has a mild or severe fever, mothers should take the baby's temperature. A temperature below 38.5 degrees is a mild fever, over 39 degrees a high fever and over 40 degrees a very high fever.
Fever makes the baby tired, fussy, or sleepless
According to doctors, 7-month-old child with a fever is not a disease but a reaction of the body. When children are attacked by pathogens, the body will form a "protective army" to "fight". This "army" increases body temperature and causes fever. Therefore, fever is not a strange phenomenon for 7-month-old children, most of them are not dangerous.
If parents know how to take care of them properly, fever will go away very quickly. On the contrary, if you don't know how to take care of it, a mild illness can get worse. The best way, parents should be well equipped with certain knowledge about fever in young children to have a suitable direction.
The "naming" of the main reasons 7-month-old babies have a fever
A 7-month-old baby with a fever can be caused by many different reasons:
Common diseases: Common diseases in children such as rhinitis, pharyngitis, viral infection ... can cause the baby to have a fever. In this case, fever is often accompanied by signs such as cough, runny nose, rash ...
After vaccination: Usually after vaccination itself , children are prone to fever. This is not an ominous situation.
Teething: 7 months old is the period when the baby starts to teething. The teeth gradually popping up not only causing pain but also causing fever.
Having a dangerous illness: If the child has a high fever, over 38.5 degrees, parents need to be careful because the baby may have dangerous diseases. Pneumonia, malaria, dengue fever, meningitis ... are diseases that parents cannot underestimate.
Parents need to find out the causes of their fever so that they can take appropriate care
What should and should not be done when a 7-month-old child has a fever?
Most 7-month-olds with fever are not dangerous. However, this does not mean that parents can be subjective. Even if your child has a fever for simple reasons, you need to know how to take care of it. Because if not, the prolonged fever causes the baby to not eat well, sleep well, or cry ... Many parents, due to subjective psychology, think that their child is only a normal fever, so they do not take care of their children properly. That leads to serious complications. So what should parents and should not do when a 7-month-old child has a fever?
Things parents should do
The first thing you need to do when you see your baby has a fever is to lower your child's fever. Let your baby wear lightweight, cool, sweat absorbent material. At the same time, let your baby lie in a cool, ventilated room to cool down quickly.
Another good method to use is a warm compress. Use a cotton towel to soak in warm water, squeeze it dry, and then apply it to the child's forehead. Or use a warm towel to wipe the baby, the child's body temperature will decrease significantly. Note, should thoroughly wipe areas such as armpits, groin, neck ... so that the baby feels comfortable. If your baby is opposed to wiping, you put him in a tub of warm water, he will be more comfortable.
Applying a warm compress will help your child cool down more quickly
For a 7-year-old child with a fever, what he or she needs to drink is not water, but water. Fever causes the body to drain quite a bit of water due to the excretion of sweat through the skin. So, let your baby drink plenty of water.
Along with that, you also need to monitor the child's temperature regularly. Every 30 minutes to 1 hour, you should take your child's body temperature again. If the signs of fever do not go away, your baby has a fever, convulsions , get medical attention immediately.
Things that parents shouldn't do
In order to avoid the case that your child with low fever turns to a severe fever, mothers need to note the following:
Do not over-warm 7-month-old babies with fever. Many parents are afraid that their children are cold, so they find a way to warm their children. This inadvertently makes the baby's body temperature rise higher.
Do not leave your child in a place that is too windy or in a stuffy, pressing place. Lying in such a space makes the baby more uncomfortable and fussy.
Do not use cold water as a compress on a 7-month-old child with a fever. Also, do not put a cold towel on the baby's abdomen.
Do not arbitrarily use fever-reducing medicines for children without the guidance of a doctor.
Hopefully, through this article, parents have equipped themselves with the necessary knowledge to be able to handle 7-month-old babies with fever.
See more:
Newborn babies have eye pain - 5 common eye infections in babies
Is acute diarrhea in children life-threatening?
Symptoms of dengue in children and how to care for the sick child