Seizures in children
Did you know that febrile seizures affect 1 in 20 children?
But most parents haven’t even heard of them.
Today we’re talking all about what they are, why they happen, who they’re most likely to happen to and what to do if your little one should experience one.
1 in 20 children
Febrile seizures are relatively common occurring in 1 in 20 children and can be very frightening for parents. It’s important to remember that they are usually harmless and almost all children make a full recovery afterwards.
What is a febrile seizure?
A febrile seizure is a type of seizure caused by a spike in body temperature. There is a part of the brain called the hypothalamus, which is responsible for temperature regulation and this part of the brain isn’t fully developed until a child turns around 4 or 5 years old.
In some children, when their temperature increases it can trigger a seizure.
Who is most likely to experience a febrile seizure?
They are most common in children aged between 6 months and 3 years but they can happen in older children and younger babies.
Some children will experience them regularly, some will have one and never have another one and some children will never experience them.
There may be a genetic link as the chances of having a febrile seizure are slightly increased if a close family member has a history of them.
What happens?
During a febrile seizure your baby or child may:
- become very stiff and their arms and legs may begin to twitch
- lose consciousness and may lose control of their bladder or bowls
- they may start foaming at the mouth which sounds very frightening but the saliva has nowhere to go so that’s why it happens
- there may be blood in the saliva if the child has teeth and has bitten the inside of their cheek or their tongue
- their lips might start to go a bit blue
- their eyes may roll back in their head
What should you do?
A febrile seizure usually lasts for a couple of minutes. There’s nothing you can do to stop the seizure from happening and it’s not recommended to pick children up while they are having a seizure.
Protect their head, time the seizure and call 999.
Once they have stopped having the seizure put them into the recovery position while you wait for help to arrive. You can also begin to cool them down gently by getting air circulating around the room and removing layers of clothing.
Knowledge is everything
There is no denying that witnessing your baby or child having a seizure would be extremely frightening and distressing as a parent but knowing that there is a chance it could happen and keeping in mind that they are going to be okay will help take some of the panic out of the situation.
Book onto a Daisy First Aid class with your local trainer today to learn more about febrile seizures and how to cope with other emergency situations involving your little one
Head to the home page now to find your local Daisy trainer.