How Long to Compress a Fever Child? Check Out How to Do It Here

How long to compress a feverish child? (Freepik)

YOGYAKARTA - Compressing a child with a fever is one of the effective ways to help lower his body temperature. However, the selection of the type of water used must be appropriate, because the type of water that is not appropriate can reduce the effectiveness of the compress. Although many parents think that cold water is more effective for lowering fever, in fact, the use of cold water can make the child's body contract and shiver. In this article, it will also be discussed how long to compress a fever child. Check out the full review below.

Water Used to Compress a Fever Child

Reported from the Healthy page, the use of warm water is more recommended than cold or ice water. Warm water helps the body adjust the temperature slowly and prevent the body temperature from decreasing suddenly.

Warm water compress works by opening the skin pores. When the skin is exposed to warm water, the body will respond by releasing heat, so that the body temperature gradually decreases.

How to compress a child with a fever with warm water can also be done easily. You just need to dip a clean cloth into warm water, squeeze a little so that it is not too wet, then apply it to the Little One's body. Repeat this step several times during the compression process.

How Long to Compress a Fever Child?

The duration of compressing the child must also be considered to be effective. The ideal time to compress the child is about 10-15 minutes. This process can be repeated several times a day with a break between sessions.

Compress can be done on the forehead, armpits, or thigh folds which are areas with large blood vessels so that body heat can be released more easily.

Compressing for too long or too short can reduce effectiveness in lowering body temperature. If the body temperature remains high or there are other symptoms such as shortness of breath, rash, or the child is very weak, it is best to immediately take him to the hospital.

In addition to compresses, make sure your child gets enough fluid intake and rest time so that the fever recovery process runs more effectively and quickly.

How to Compress a Child

Before compressing the child, make sure the water temperature used is not too hot, or around 38°C. This temperature will keep his skin safe from irritation and feel comfortable for the Little One. Next, prepare a small clean towel with a soft material and high absorption.

The steps in compressing include the following:

Dip the towel in warm water. Squeeze the towel so that it is not too wet, but still moist. Place the towel on areas such as the forehead, neck, armpits, or hands. When compressing, you can rub with gentle movements. Avoid rubbing or rubbing the skin too hard so that the skin does not become red. After a few minutes, check the towel. If the towel has started to get cold, dip the towel again in warm water and repeat the steps above. Do it periodically until the temperature of the Little One's body begins to decrease.

Before you give a compress, it is important to know the normal temperature of the child so that you can determine when to take action to reduce the temperature. Keep in mind, too, that a warm compress only helps relieve a fever temporarily so that the child is more comfortable. If the fever does not go down or other symptoms appear, immediately consult a doctor.

So that's a review of how long to compress a child with a fever and the techniques that can be done. Hopefully useful. Visit VOI.id for other interesting information.