A fever is not a reason for huge concern until and unless it is very high. You don’t have to rush to a doctor every time your child has fever.
First of all it is important to understand that why your child has fever. Fever usually results from the body defense mechanism against some sort of infection. When the body temperature is high it produces more white blood cells which defend the body against the infection and stop the growth of the pathogen.
You need to contact a doctor in following cases:
- If your child has fever which is more that 101 degrees
- If the child is younger than three months
- If there are other symptoms such as skin
- discoloration and trouble in breathing accompanied by fever.
- If the fever lasts for more than three days
Here are some home remedies that can help in reducing the fever in children:
1. Giving Ginger Bath:
Ginger has powerful anti-oxidant properties which can effectively kill the bacteria responsible for causing fever in children.
With ginger bath, you child will sweat a lot that will eventually remove the toxins and body heat.
Here is what you need to do:
- Fill a bath tub with warm water
- Add two tablespoons of dry ginger powder in the warm water and stir well.
- Make your child sit in the warm water for 10 minutes
- Pat him dry after bath.
- While giving ginger bath to your child, make sure that the water doesn’t make any contact with the child’s eyes.
2. Give your Child some Chamomile Tea:
Chamomile Tea is the most effective home remedy to get rid of fever in small children.
You can make some tea and give it to your child in regular intervals. Here is the recipe to Chamomile tea:
- Boil some water in a pan
- Add few chamomile leaves and let them steep
- Strain the tea and add a little honey to it
- Make your child sip on this tea in small amounts 2-3 times a day.
3. Raisins:
Raisins are abundant in anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant properties. They can help in getting rid of the fever by fighting the infections.
- Take a handful of raisins, some lemon juice and half a cup of distilled water.
- Soak the raisins in the water for about an hour
- Crush them in the water and strain the liquid
- Add one tablespoon of lime juice to enhance the results
- Give this tonic to your child 3-4 times a day.
4. Rub an Onion:
Onion can effectively reduce the body temperature and get rid of body ache during the fever. The method is very simple and is quite popular among Indian mothers. You just need to slice an onion into two pieces and rub them into your child’s feet for a couple of minutes. Repeat the method 2-3 times a day and you will surely see a decrease in your child’s body temperature.
5. Apple Cider Vinegar Bath:
A lukewarm bath with apple cider vinegar can bring down a high temperature almost immediately. This remedy has been popular to cure fever since decades. Apple cider vinegar has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-oxidant properties which can quickly eradicate the harmful pathogen responsible for causing fever in your child.
6. Honey and Lemon Juice:
Lemon is packed with Vitamin C that boosts the body’s immune system and helps it in fighting of the infection.
And, honey will give the required nourishment to your child during fever. A combination of these two wonder foods will help in bringing down the fever effectively.
- Take one tablespoon of honey and add one tablespoon of lemon juice to it.
- Mix it well and feed it to your child twice a day.
7. Mustard Oil Massage:
Mustard oil is used in every Indian household because of it many health benefits. Along with some garlic,it can do wonders to cure your child’s fever.
- Take some mustard oil in a pan and set it on heat
- Once the oil is warm enough, switch off the flame
- Now add 2-3 garlic cloves and let it sit in the oil for half an hour
- Strain the oil and use it to massage on your child’s chest, feet and palms
- This oil will help in getting rid of body toxins and reduce pain too.
Let’s see some other quick remedies that you can try as well for your child:
- Use egg white on your child’s feet which can help in reducing the body temperature.
- During fever, your child can also suffer from dehydration which is a very common side effect. As your child sweats profusely and loses important minerals from the body, it is important that you give your child enough fluids throughout the day to compensate the lost electrolytes. Keep giving some healthy homemade soups enriched with herbs to your child in regular intervals.
- Feed your child in regular intervals and make sure that the diet is rich in protein, fiber and fluid.
- Make sure that you keep a cool and damp wash cloth on your child’s forehead while he rests to keep the body temperature down. Cold compress in known to reduce fever in children and even toddlers.
- Dress your child in light clothing to facilitate the loss of body heat.
- You can also include coconut oil in your child’s food because it has antibacterial and antiviral properties which can be effective against the infection
- If your child has cold along with fever, you can try giving him steam bath which can help in removal of mucus that is responsible for the fever.
- At last, it is important that you child gets adequate rest so that the body can dedicate the energy to healing.
