Febrile Seizures
Febrile seizures
When your little one is sick, their body’s defence Febrile Seizures are when a child has a seizure when they have a fever. Around 1 in 20 children in New Zealand will have febrile seizures. It’s important to know a high fever doesn’t cause a febrile seizure, instead, it’s triggered by the same inflammatory reaction that also causes the fever. Once a child is unwell there is no way to prevent them from happening.
Febrile seizures are most common in children 6 months - 6 years, peaking at 12-18 months. Most febrile seizueres only last 1-2 minutes.
What to do if your child has a febrile seizure
- keep them safe - lie them on their side, remove any tight clothing around their neck
- take note of the time or start a timer
- call an ambulance if your child starts going blue or the seizure lasts more than 5 minutes
- most children will be sleepy or confused after a febrile seizure but able to be woken, this can last for up to 1 hour
When not to do
- don’t put anything in their mouth
- don’t put them in a cool bath or shower
When to seek help
- see your family doctor if your child recovers quickly after their seizure and is awake and alert.
See a doctor urgently
- they are difficult to wake
-
you are worried
When to call an ambulance
- the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes
- your child is having trouble breathing
- your child looks very unwell
- your child is not waking up and responding after the seizure.
Most parents will want to call an ambulance when a seizure starts, this is completely ok to do.