Does your children's fever make you anxious?
Fever is frightening, but it is almost always a normal response of the body to an infection. Looking at how the child is doing helps more than looking at the thermometer.
When a child has a fever, it is common for adults to get anxious, check the thermometer every few minutes and worry that it will go too high. This worry is so common that it has a name: fever phobia.
What is worth knowing
Fever is not an illness but a defence mechanism. The number on the thermometer does not, on its own, show how serious the illness is. What tells us most is their general state: if they play, drink and look at us when the fever comes down, that is a good sign.
What we can do
- Offer drinks often.
- Do not wrap them up too much or cool them down with cold baths.
- Treat the discomfort, not the number, following the paediatrician's advice.
- Let them rest and keep a calm eye on them.
When to seek help straight away
If it is a baby under three months old, if they are struggling to breathe, if spots appear on the skin that do not fade when the skin is stretched, if they are very listless or hard to wake, if they have a stiff neck or if the fever lasts more than three days.
And our own anxiety
Children notice when we are nervous. Being clear about what to watch for and when to seek help lets us look after them more calmly. This text is for information only and does not replace your paediatrician's advice.