Febrile seizures are something I like to cover as I think they are not discussed enough and can be very scary for parents / carers to witness. I have taught a number of parents that aren’t aware of them and as they are very common I think it is so important to know how to deal with them.
Febrile seizures are convulsions that can happen when a young child has a temperature of more than 38 degrees. They can happen at the beginning, during or after an illness and normally occur between the ages of 6 months to 5 years old.
They happen to approximately 1:20 children and they are usually harmless.
Signs and symptoms:
Arching of the back
Stiff arms and legs, may start jerking
Eyes rolling
Foaming at the mouth, may be blood stained if they have bite the side of their mouth or tongue
Blue tinge to lips
Treatment:
Ensure your child is in a safe place and move any toys or furniture out of their way.
Call 999 and if you can time the seizure.
Do Not put anything in their mouth!
While on the phone to the operator, start opening up windows/ doors to start cooling down the
room.
Stay with the child and wait for the seizure to finish.
Once finished we want to cool the child down slowly by striping them down to their nappy/ underwear.
Place them in the recovery position, monitor and wait for the paramedics to arrive.
It is completely normal for the baby/ child to be very tired after a seizure and it is fine to let them sleep as this helps our bodies recoup. Another thing to know is they can be very disoriented and this is normal as well. Staying with them and reassuring them will help. The main thing we can do is to stay as calm as possible. If you would like to know more about paediatric 1st aid please contact Jayne for more information via her email address Class information can be found HERE If you are in the Epson area and or perhaps looking for online classes they are run at the following times- 2 hour Online: * Sunday 24th April @ 10am-12pm - 2 hour In Person Venue: * Saturday 9th April @ 10am-12pm @ St John’s Church, Kingston * Saturday 7th May @ 10am-12pm @ Ruxley Church, Epsom - 2 hour In Person Home: * Flexible with dates and times and will work around your availability. Please let me know when it suits you or if you have some dates you have in mind. Call/Text 07841696313 Instagram Facebook Jayne, Daisy First Aid X