Question
The baby has a fever accompanied by dry cough, hot head and hands, but cold feet. The fever started yesterday afternoon and continues today, possibly caused by catching a cold breeze. I don’t want to take the baby for intravenous injections. How should I care for them at home?
Answer
When caring for a feverish child, the first step is to control their body temperature. Don’t let them get too hot. Children under one month old cannot take fever-reducing medicine. They can only use physical methods to lower their temperature. Therefore, they should be unclothed and, if necessary, the room temperature can be adjusted with air conditioning, but not directly with the wind. Use a towel dipped in warm water to wipe their body and take a warm bath. Older children can take medicine, but it should be consumed when the temperature is above 38.5℃. If the child only has a slight fever without other discomforts, there is no need to quickly lower their body temperature, especially if the cause of the fever has not been determined.