Question
My baby is five months old and has been having recurrent fevers recently. The other night at midnight, the baby suddenly started to have a fever, with cold hands and feet and a hot body. At home, I tried a warm bath and gave the baby some pediatric Chai Gui fever-reducing granules, but the body temperature did not drop. After that, I took the baby to see a doctor. The doctor examined and found the throat red and swollen, prescribed medication, and the body temperature did decrease slightly. However, by evening, the baby had another fever, refused to nurse, and had a bit of diarrhea. Especially when the baby is feverish, their hands and feet are cold; it’s only after the body temperature drops that their hands and feet warm up. I want to know what medication I should give my baby to completely bring down the fever.
Answer
There are many causes of infantile fever. In winter, with significant differences between indoor and outdoor temperatures, children are prone to respiratory infections, leading to coughing and fever. Nighttime low fevers may be due to infants having a high water content in their bodies; even slight dehydration can affect heat dissipation. Physical cooling methods can be adopted, such as rubbing the baby’s entire body with alcohol, especially on areas rich in blood vessels like the palms of hands, soles of feet, armpits, and inguinal groins. Medication for cooling is also an option.