Top 10 Home Remedies for Fever in Babies

Is your baby battling a fever and you don’t know what to do? Fortunately, the temperature can be brought down with some effective home remedies. Keep reading to know more.

Video: 8 Best Home Remedies for Fever in Babies

Easy Home Remedies for Fever in Infants

Use these simple home remedies to relieve your baby’s discomfort.

1. Cold Compress

Place a damp washcloth on your baby’s forehead while she’s asleep. This is one of the best home remedies for high fever in babies. Doing this reduces your child’s body temperature and lessens discomfort.

2. Lukewarm Bath

Give your baby a gentle, lukewarm bath in a tub or sponge her with warm water. This method will reduce the temperature as the water evaporates off her body. Don’t bathe her in room-temperature water. This can cause a rapid and drastic temperature change and aggravate the fever.

3. Fluid Intake

Give your infant plenty of fluids when she’s suffering from fever. Water, juice, and yoghurt are good for her body.

4. Pick Suitable Clothing

If your child is wearing multiple layers of clothing, take off a few and let her skin breathe. Dress her in breathable fabrics like cotton and turn on the fan if required. If you are outside, however, avoid exposing her to the sunlight.

6. Onion Treatment

Onion is a common and versatile ingredient of Indian home remedies for fever in babies. It helps lower body temperature and relieves body ache caused by fever.

• Simply cut an onion into slices and rub 2 – 3 slices on your child’s feet for 2 minutes each.
• Do this for up to 2 times a day.

Other than rubbing, onion can also be consumed.

• Shred and grind onion, to make a juice.
• Feed this juice to your baby a few times, over the day.

7. Ginger Bath

Mix about two tablespoons of ginger powder in lukewarm water that fills your baby tub. Give your child a standard 10-minute bath in this water. The ginger helps induce sweating, which flushes out impurities. This is one of the most effective home remedies for viral fever in infants.

8. Mustard Oil and Garlic Massage

Similar to ginger, mustard oil and garlic when combined becomes an effective agent to promote sweating and help flush toxins.

• To prepare this massaging agent, take 2 tablespoons of mustard oil and heat it in the microwave oven for thirty seconds.
• Add one teaspoon garlic paste to this and mix well. The heat essentially helps mix the paste into the oil.
• Leave the mixture for about 2 minutes as it returns to room temperature.

Now, massage your baby with this mixture, giving prominence to their chest, back, neck, palms and feet.

As the massage also has a relaxing effect, this treatment is ideal to do just before your baby’s sleep time.

9. Egg Whites

Egg whites are the protein in eggs that helps nourish the yolk. It’s uniquely viscous properties makes it an effective absorber of heat, as it absorbs a high amount of thermal energy from its surroundings as it dries.

• Separate the yolk from the white of an egg and beat the egg white thoroughly, until it gets a smooth texture.
• Dip two small washcloths in the beaten egg whites for about a minute to get soaked.
• Gently wrap the soaked washcloths around your child’s feet and cover them with a loose pair of socks to hold them in place.
• Leave this for around an hour.
  

10. Lemon and Honey

Both lemon and honey are powerful immunity boosters.

• Mix some honey with lemon juice (squeezed from lemon but undiluted) and half a teaspoon of ginger powder
• Feed your child one teaspoon of this mixture twice a day.

Some Additional Tips

There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to fever in kids. Here are some important points you need to remember while trying to manage your baby’s fever.

• A fever comes about when the body’s natural immune system is fighting foreign bodies such as viruses or bacteria that have entered it. This fighting back, by the body, causes inflammation and a rise in temperature, which is what we observe as “fever”.
• Keep in mind that contracting fevers is a natural part of the human body’s development as each time it does so; its immune system grows stronger. A fever is not an immediate sign of a serious health fault, but when the temperature goes too high or is accompanied by other symptoms, it might be.
• A fever in an infant below 12 weeks of age is to always be taken seriously, however for children, who are older than 3 months, a fever that is lower than 39.5 degrees C (103.5 F) doesn’t require immediate medical attention unless accompanied with other symptoms.
• If your baby is displaying sluggishness, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhoea, improper feeding etc., accompanying the high temperature, then you will need to visit your doctor.
• Do not resort to self-medicating your baby without consulting a paediatrician. Ibuprofen is unsafe for children below the age of 6 months as it could have harmful side effects. Studies have shown that excessive Ibuprofen consumption is can cause harm to the digestive system and kidneys.
  
• Consult your paediatrician about the dosage of OTC medicines. Milder medicines, made specifically for babies, are available these days. Acetaminophen is the safest types of anti-inflammatory medication for infants.
• It is easy to let our fears carry us away. Sometimes, a fever simply just isn’t a fever but a rise in temperature due to being overdressed or in a warm room. Anything between 36 and 38 degrees Celsius (97 – 104 F), while high, still falls within the range of normal temperatures of the human body.
• Avoid using mercury-filled thermometers as they are a health hazard to you and your kids.
• Before using any thermometer on your baby, clean it with a disinfectant or alcohol and rinse in cool water.
• When using a rectal thermometer, lay your baby across your knees, facing down. Rub petroleum jelly to lubricate it. Insert it into your infant’s anal opening to a depth of ½ to 1 inch and hold it gently between your fingers while cupping their bottom, until the beep sounds, registering the temperature.
• If you’re using an oral thermometer (the one placed under the armpit), add one degree to the reading to err on the side of caution.
• Other types of thermometers, such as the forehead, temple and ear thermometers, while being convenient have been known to be unreliable, showing readings that are sometimes off by several degrees. Hence these are not recommended.
• While fevers are serious for children below 3 months of age, they are simply more frightening than dangerous for older children. Fevers are natural and help build up your growing baby’s resistance, so learn to take it as a part of the course.

As a parent, it can be worrisome to see your child battling a fever. If your baby’s fever refuses to subside, take him to your trusted paediatrician at the earliest.