In addition to giving children fever-reducing medication every 4-6 hours, bathing them correctly and safely also helps reduce temperature and prevent complications that could affect the child's nervous system.
Below are some guidelines to help parents understand how to bathe a child with a fever at home, provided by Professor, Doctor Pham Nhat An - Director of the Pediatrics Center at Vinmec Times City International General Hospital.
1. Causes of fever in children
There are many causes of fever in young children:
• Fever due to teething.
• Rosela due to bacterial and viral infections.
• Fever due to common cold.
• Fever due to hand, foot and mouth disease.......
2. Symptoms of fever in children
• The child's body temperature is higher than normal (Temperature > 38 degrees Celsius measured in the anus or temperature > 37.5 degrees Celsius measured in the armpit).
• The child is often fussy and irritable.
• Fatigue, breathing rapidly, eating poorly.
• Lethargic or irritable, panicked.
• Red rash around the body (in case of viral exanthem).
3. Should a child with a fever be bathed?
Many parents wonder whether a newborn with a fever should take a bath. Should a child with a rosela take a bath? In fact, many people think that bathing a newborn when they have a fever will make the child's illness worse and take longer to recover, so when the child is sick, they do not bathe the child. However, this is a misconception because when a child has a fever, the body secretes a lot of sweat. If parents avoid water and bathing the child, the child will feel itchy, uncomfortable, and susceptible to skin diseases: dermatitis, rashes, etc.
Bathing a newborn with a fever is one of the ways to help lower the child's body temperature quickly. When the child is clean and comfortable, their illness will resolve more quickly. Given the benefits of bathing, the answer to the question of whether a child with a fever should be bathed is definitely yes.
4. Cases when a child with a fever should not be bathed:
- When the child has just received a vaccination.
- When the child’s body is injured or has sores.
- When the child is suffering from a cold, frequent vomiting, or diarrhea.
- When the child is shivering.
- When the child has just finished eating
5. Instructions on how to bathe a child with fever
Step 1: Measure the child's body temperature
To make sure the child has a fever or not, continue to take the child's temperature before bathing to have a reasonable bathing method for the child.
Step 2: Preparation
Bathroom: Close the door to avoid drafts.
Bath water: When preparing bath water for the child, ensure that the water temperature is 2°C lower than the child’s body temperature (and maintain the water temperature consistently at the initial level).
Step 3: Bathing the baby
- Clean the head area: Mothers need to wash their baby's hair quickly. Use a soft towel to wipe the face, cheeks, neck, ears, and nape. Finally, use a clean towel to dry the baby's head.
- Clean the body area: Newborns with fever sweat a lot. If they are not bathed carefully, they are susceptible to skin diseases caused by harmful bacteria. When bathing, mothers can let their children sit in a basin or bathtub, using a shower to pour water over their bodies.
In the case of children under 6 months old, their skin is still thin and easily irritated, so mothers should not let their children use shower gel.
When the child is over 6 months old, mothers should use shower gel to clean the child's body (note that the shower gel is specifically for newborns, extracted from natural ingredients).
After bathing
Mothers use warm water to gently pour over the child's body to remove all the foam on the child's body. Finally, mothers use a towel to dry the child before dressing the child.
Use a soft cloth to clean the body and dress the child in cool clothes, if the mother does not want to bathe the child when the child has a fever.
Note:
- The bath time for a child with a fever should not be too long. Bathe the child from head to toe for about 5 minutes.
- In winter, the appropriate bath times for a child with a fever are from 9 to 11 AM and from 3 to 5 PM. In summer, the bathing times for the child should be from 8 to 10 AM and from 4 to 6 PM.
- After the child has finished bathing, the mother should provide plenty of fluids to help the child replenish the water lost during the fever. Along with bathing the child, the mother should also give fever-reducing medication to the child. Note that this medicine must be prescribed by a doctor, with instructions for use and specific dosage.
If the child has a fever with a rash, parents do not need to avoid bathing the child. Instead, to ensure the child’s safety during a fever with a rash, mothers should pay attention to the following when bathing the child:
• Bathe your child with warm water, or add a few grains of salt.
• Use a damp cloth to wipe each part of the baby.
• After bathing, parents need to dry the child before dressing.
• Parents can use diluted green tea or bitter melon water to bathe to help clean the child's body and cool the child's skin
• Do not bathe for too long and avoid strong winds so that the rash does not have a chance to appear
Overall, bathing provides many health benefits for children, but parents must know how to bathe their children correctly to achieve the best results. Additionally, parents should monitor their child’s symptoms. If they have a high fever, a rash with fever, redness, or convulsions, parents should take the child to the hospital immediately for timely treatment.
Children at any stage are susceptible to respiratory problems, respiratory infections and gastrointestinal infections, skin diseases... leading to mild to high fever. The Pediatrics Department at Vinmec International General Hospital is a facility that diagnoses and treats conditions commonly encountered by newborns and young children, such as viral fever, bacterial fever, ear infections, and pneumonia in children. With modern equipment and a sterile environment, the hospital minimizes the impact and risk of disease transmission. Additionally, the medical team is highly experienced and specializes in treating pediatric respiratory and infectious diseases.
• Prof. Dr. Pham Nhat An - Pediatric Center, Vinmec Times City International General Hospital, with 40 years of experience in examining, diagnosing and treating infectious diseases in children.
• Master, Doctor Mai Kieu Anh - Deputy Head of the Pediatrics Inpatient Department and Head of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Vinmec Times City International General Hospital, with nearly 10 years of experience in pediatric emergency and intensive care, is also a member of the Vietnam Pediatric Association.
The patients are treated in a sterile, closed environment, minimizing external impacts to support a quicker recovery process and reduce the child's hospital stay (<4 days). Parents can rest assured that their children will receive excellent care and treatment at the hospital.
If you need consultation and examination at any of the Vinmec Health System hospitals nationwide, please book an appointment through the website for service.
To arrange an appointment, please call HOTLINE or make your reservation directly HERE. You may also download the MyVinmec app to schedule appointments faster and manage your reservations more conveniently.
