What should I do if my eight-month-old baby has a fever of 39 degrees?

Colds are a disease that many people have experienced, and babies of a few months old are no exception. Generally, a cold will cause fever, cough and runny nose. So what should you do if your eight-month-old baby has a fever of 39 degrees? Generally, a fever of 39 degrees is considered a high fever. At this time, it is necessary to reduce the temperature in time. Since the child's body temperature is relatively high, physical cooling methods can be used first.

What to do if your child has a fever of 39 degrees

A child's fever of 39 degrees is close to a high fever. At this time, you should pay special attention to the child's mental state. If the child is no different from usual, and can still eat, play, clap his hands, sing and dance, then antipyretic drugs may not be necessary. You can use physical cooling to help the baby cool down. Common physical cooling methods are:

1. Warm water bath

Dip a towel in warm water (the water temperature should not be too hot to touch) and wipe the neck, armpits, and thighs for 5 to 10 minutes. You can also use a commercially available "cooling patch" (or a household ice pack) on the forehead to help dissipate heat and reduce temperature.

2. Take antipyretics

When the baby's axillary temperature exceeds 38.2 degrees, it is recommended to use professional children's antipyretic drugs such as ibuprofen (such as Motrin) or acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) to reduce the temperature in time. These two ingredients are children's antipyretic ingredients recommended by the World Health Organization and can reduce fever safely and effectively. However, there are currently misunderstandings about the use of traditional Chinese medicine to reduce fever and its efficacy is unclear. Using traditional Chinese medicine with other medicines may increase the risk of overdose. As for adult antipyretic drugs, they are not developed based on children's organ physiological functions and drug metabolism characteristics, and are also not suitable for children. The safe and correct approach is to give children single-ingredient children's antipyretic medicine and determine the dosage based on the child's weight.

3. Ventilation and heat dissipation

Ventilate more, pay attention to heat dissipation, wear loose clothes, and avoid wrapping yourself with a quilt. You can use air conditioning in the summer and control the room temperature at around 27℃. Remember to open windows regularly to allow air convection in the room.

4. Ensure moisture

Drink plenty of water and eat liquid foods, such as watermelon juice, to ensure that the body has sufficient energy and water.

5. Take off excess clothing

If your baby's limbs, hands and feet are warm and he is sweating all over, it means he needs to dissipate heat and he can wear less clothes.

6. Get enough sleep

Getting more sleep and ensuring adequate sleep can help you recover from the illness.

If the fever persists or even worsens after using the above methods, you should seek medical attention immediately.