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.