whats the best way to get a baby's temperature down?

Question

I live in Gran canaria and my son had a high tempereture last night so i took him to the doctors as he is only 4 months old and they gave him a cold bath and i was made to leave him in cold water for 20 mins i was heart broken he screamed the whole time. I never heard of this in the uk is there any other way and does anyone agree that it is best not to put a baby in cold water for that long?

Answer 1

try giving calpol or baby paracetamol, nerofen can help but be cautios if ur child is asthmatic!! sponge ur child down with cool water, i know its hard but its for the best

Answer 2

Yes I agree with you, that does not sound right at all. Do you have a drug store where you could buy some Tylenol (acetaminophion) or Advil (ibuprofen)? It works fast and it is not harmful if you get the infant formula. If all they have is adult, then buy that and give a tiny portion to your baby, like 1/2 the dosage or less. I'm not a doctor, just a mom. Please don't take this as a doctor's instruction because it is definitely not. But it is dangerous to have a high temperature and I do NOT think immersing a baby in cold water for 20 minutes is effective, let alone safe.

Answer 3

Sponge The Baby Down With Luke Warm Water ,Never Cold Water.
(Cold Water Will CoolThe Child Down But Then His Little Body Will Work Twice As Hard To Heat Himself Up Which In Turn Will Make Him Hotter Don't Let Them Do That Again)
Fan too,In The Room Your Baby Is.
And If The Baby Is Old Enough Capol
*Please Read Instructions First.*
I Hope Everything Is Ok

Answer 4

I heard that it's dangerous to put a baby into cool water to bring a temperature down because it can cause the baby to over-compensate for the coldness by making him/her even hotter, so I wouldn't ever advise anyone to do this, although my mom did it with me and my brother when we were babies because of the high temperatures we had- but even then, she'd sponge us down with tepid water, not leave us sitting in a cold bath.

The best thing I found for my daughter was to give her the minimum dosage of Calpol for her age, and leave her in just her nappy. Although it broke my heart to do so, I didn't spend too much time cuddling her either, because I didn't want to keep her temperature high that way. We bought a fan for our front room, and we found that having this blowing cool air around also helped her to feel cooler.

Next time your baby has a temperature, please don't take him to that doctor, I don't think that he knows too much about children.

Oh, baby ibuprofen is good too.

I wish you all the best for the future!

Answer 5

It is not how hot the infant gets but how quickly the temperature rises or falls, so I would not put my baby into a cold bath. Simply strip down to either just nappy or nothing and put a fan in the room to circulate the air. Sponging can aid comfort but does nothing to improve the temperature.
Give calpol and nurofen at regular intervals to bring the temperature down and give plenty of cool fluids.
I ended up in hospital with my little boy after a convulsion due to a temperature as he had an ear infection, so I know how frightening this can be. Give him lots of loves xx

Answer 6

we never place an infant in cold water. It can cause shock. The water should be tepid, room temperature. Once the temp starts going down, he can be taken out and wrapped lightly. We give Tylenol, or acetaminophen and alternate with Motrin or Ibuprofen. They can be given every four to six hours. Fever under 102 is not dangerous, usually. Treat it with medication and monitor. If above 103 and increasing or not decreasing despite medication, then try a bath, or just simply sponge his off with tepid water. Try to hit his "hot spots". Under his arms, the groin area and his head. Then let it air dry. The evaporation will help bring the fever down. Some kids tolerate fever very well. My son and I both had the flu at the same time. His temp was 105 and he was running around playing mine was 102 and I was at deaths door, or so I thought.

Answer 7

The best way is to follow the doctor's instructions. When my daughter had 104 temp at the ER they put her in a tepid bath for 20 minutes. High fevers can cause brain damage or even death...the cold bath brings the temperature down quickly. Here's a question for YOU. Would you rather have your baby "suffer" through a cold bath, have his fever brought down safely or would you rather he suffer brain damage or
not be alive in the morning...it's your call.

Answer 8

Best not to put baby actually IN the bath.. The skin loses heat when the water evaporates, so sponging down with tepid water is actually more effective. You could speed this up by using a small fan to increase air flow over the body.
Can you get hold of lavender essential oil (essence)? Lavender is very good for reducing fever. Add it to the water for sponging. You can also use it neat (or almost neat) on the forehead or temples -it is the only essential oil you can do this with.

Answer 9

I would also leave him in just his diaper while around the house (unless it's very cold there. I'm in Canada so I don't know what your weather is like right now) Do not put him in a cold bath. You're lucky he didn't get hypothermia. We have baby Advil and Tylenol here. Not positive what you have there, but obviously a product that is similar. Read the directions on the pack of baby medicine used for pain there. A product with ibuprofen usually works best for a fever. Good luck and best wishes.

Answer 10

Calpol works best. Plunging your baby into COLD water will make him shiver which eventually make him warm again. The purpose of tepid sponging is to cool a large surface area.i.e. to mimick the body's natural cooling system: perspiration. The blood which has been cooled on the skin's surface will then be circulated back to the deeper tissues and organs in the body and so start the cooling process. Paramedics told me never to put babies into cold water, only tepid. Hope all is well now .XX

Answer 11

Lukewarm/tepid sponging, leave wet cloths in the armpits and groin, on the head. Change frequently. Cool fluids if babe will take anything. Panadol or tyelenol supposotories work faster and more efficently than by mouth meds. Have a rotating fan in the room but not directly on baby. Find out the reason for the raised temperature and treat.