not bringing down babies fever

m in Israel

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 1:48 pm

chani8 wrote:

That link was perfectly helpful. Thank you!

Thank you all for teaching me something new today! Smile

No problem Very Happy

It was actually new to me when I first had children, too. Growing up I always thought that fever was just a symptom, too.

smss

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 2:04 pm

amother wrote:

please do not give echinacea and herbal teas to your 7 month old baby to help him/her fight the fever!!

my pediatrician says elderberry tincture is safe for babies over 6 months. note that it should be the glycerin tincture, not one made with alcohol and not the syrup that contains honey.

I was not sure about echinacea but googled and found this from dr. sears: http://www.askdrsears.com/topi.....nacea he says it can be given to babies over 6 months.

curious where you heard that these herbs are not safe for a 7 month old?

Mama Bear

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 3:08 pm

If the baby is crying or in pain then definitely give him tylenol!
I feel guilty if I dont give a sick child a fever reducer to help them feel better. I know how crappy I feel when I'm sick, why would I want my child to feel that way?

smss

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 4:42 pm

Mama Bear wrote:

I would agree with that but IME that's not always the case. most of the time when my babies have fever, they are ok as long as they are being held, and they take longer to fall asleep but once they do sleep more than usual, which is a good thing while sick. I'd rather do some extra holding and comforting than reduce a fever and prolong the illness.

m in Israel

Thu, Nov 20 2014, 4:52 pm

smss wrote:

This exactly. I always feel guilty giving them tylenol because I feel it is just an easy way out for me. When they are feverish they want to cuddle more and just nurse more, and once they take the tylenol they are "back to normal" and don't need as much TLC. I know it is better for them to not have the tylenol, but sometimes, especially if it in the middle of the night, it is not so easy for me to just snuggle them for so long. . .

chani8

Fri, Nov 21 2014, 1:46 am

Mama Bear wrote:

I'm totally with you on this one, Mama Bear. But apparently, I learned from this thread, that by taking down a low-grade fever, we're slowing down the healing process, specifically when it's a fever from a virus.

I will still give pain reducer when I know what's causing the fever, like teething or ear ache, etc, because why should I let my child suffer with the pain.

chani8

Fri, Nov 21 2014, 1:58 am

smss wrote:

Excellent info, thanks! Here in Israel, my russian pediatricians and our Health Clinic Maccabi, are natural-health conscious and they support using herbs and other natural remedies.

That elderberry is incredible stuff, and combined with echinacea, sometimes we can totally nip a virus in the bud.

I had never tried it on babies under 1yo. So thanks for your posts on this! Wink

m in Israel

Fri, Nov 21 2014, 2:04 am

chani8 wrote:

I do this, too, but not really because of the fever but because I want to relieve the pain of the teething or ear ache, which is painful by itself, regardless of fever. And as you say, most of the evidence of the benefits of fever involve viral or bacterial infections, which in these cases are not likely the issue.

yalimommy

Fri, Nov 21 2014, 4:21 am

Personally, I always bring down my childrens' fever.

If I feel yucky with a fever, I figure they do, too.

I know that I'm probably prolonging the recovery time, but frankly, I'd rather have a child sick but feeling reasonable for 5 days than a child sick and really feeling sick for 3 days....