“It's in the air”, “it's doing the rounds”, “yes, the entire family is ill”. Throughout the year there are periods in which many small children – and often their parents as well – fall ill. Fever, aches and pains, restlessness. It's often a nuisance by day and the nights are usually even worse. Because how do you take care of a feverish baby at night? Or rather, how do you dress it? How can you make sure that your little heartthrob is neither too hot nor too cold when it's running a fever at night? Here's a concise manual.
You have taken your baby's temperature (preferably rectally, the most dependable method) and the read-out is 38° or more. Your baby is running a fever. No wonder it's been so restless. Now what?
Well, an adult body tries to restore its balance thanks to an efficient heat regulation system, which is exactly the ability small babies lack. Therefore, on feverish days and nights it is extremely important to closely monitor the temperature of your baby and to make sure he or she doesn’t get overheated.
Tip 1: Make sure your baby isn't dressed too warm.
It's best not to dress a baby with a fever too warm. As babies are not yet able to regulate their own body temperature you have to make sure that excess heat caused by the fever can easily be evacuated. Dress your baby lightly.
Tip 2: Let your baby’s clothing do the work for you.
A heat regulating sleeping bag by Puckababy is your ideal partner on sick nights. The heat generated by the fever is evacuated in no time, keeping the (higher) body temperature of your baby as stable as possible so you don't have to worry about overheating.
Tip 3: Check, check, check.
A sick child needs extra love and care so be sure to check its temperature frequently and keep a close eye on your baby's behaviour – especially if you're not using a heat regulating sleeping bag. If the fever goes down at night or baby’s sweat isn't properly evacuated, your baby can easily get too cold.
We all know that a sick child in the house is never fun, especially for the child itself. Still, proper care, lots of rest and fluids and a firm finger on the pulse in general (and on the back of baby's neck!) can considerably alleviate the worst of the symptoms. Good luck and get well soon!
