to think this is tantamount to child cruelty?

[70schild]

Or maybe I am massively over reacting?

My friends is refusing to give her little girl calpol to reduce her temperature as she claims it is counter-productive.

She is saying that a raised temp is the bodies way of killing off a viral infection and so we shouldnt interfere with it.

I always thought that a raised temp was a by product (ie consequence) of the body fighting off a virus (an indication that the immune system was working)

She admits that her daughter (aged 17 months) has had a temp of over 40 at times during the weekend but she still refuses to either give her calpol or even to put a fan on her.

It is really upsetting me because my little one who is the same age is just so poorly when his temp goes up and I do all I can to bring it down and make him comfortable.

I always thought it was dangerous to let their temp go too high?

I would give calpol, but I can see that there is another school of thought and they might easily be saying that giving drugs to relieve it is child cruelty. Therefore I would say that, although I would give calpol, I think YABU.

Febrile Convulsions are not generally caused by high temperatures, but the temperature shooting up rapidly.

Have only read the op but that is exactly what my GP told me when I took dd (12 months) to the surgery. It is also my dad's strongly held view and he's a retired pharmacist. Not sure how we survived as kids and we were almost forbidden from seeing doctors or taking any medication but that's another story....

Admittedly she only had a mild temp and the older male GP is fairly "old-school" iyswim but he did say that he thought it better to let her body fight the infection itself but of course to come back if things hadn't improved in 24 hours.

personally I'd give paracetamol or ibuprofen as soon as the temp reached 100 or 101, as my DS's are usually sick when they have a temp and throwing up all night really isn't pleasant for them. It may not be strictly necessary and possibly prolong the virus but I'd rather they were comfortable and rested.

My ds had febrile convulsions when he was younger whenever he had a high temp - his body didnt seem to be able to regulate it and it just shot up. I dont give meds as a matter of course but if it's getting higher I do to avoid the risk of a convulsion. It's very scary when it happens so worth avoiding at all costs. It's like anything else though her parenting is obviously different to yours but that doesnt necessarily make it wrong

Christywhisty
That is interesting. I was told when DD had a temp of 39.9 at 12 weeks old to give her oral paracetamol instead of suppositories (which were more common in Germany at the time). The nurse said that it would prevent the temperature dropping too quickly, which can be dangerous too.

I understand the current thinking is that if the child is otherwise happy and contented despite an increase in temperature then medication is not necessary. Temperature reducing drugs should be used to help the child feel more comfortable. The use of these drugs won't treat the infection but ease the symptoms.

A fever i caused by the release of pyrogens in the body which resets the hypothalamus (thermostat) in the brain. The increased temp of the blood is then perceived to be "normal" resulting in a fever.

MmeLindt
Both my dc's are prone to fcs and I have a long family history of fcs going on until 10 yrs old.
My ds has had about 20 fcs the last one when he was 10.5.
The fc is usually the very first sign they are ill, so no way of preventing them, although ds has had more than one when the calpol/nurofen has worn off early.

YABU to suggest it is 'child cruelty'.If a child is in obvious distress or discomfort, or if a temperature is over 40 then give meds by all means, but otherwise no, we massively overmedicate nowdays, and seem to have no tolerance for illness.

My DS has febrile convulsions. We have been prescribed paracetamol suppositories to prevent the temp rising too high and causing further convulsions. My DS is often sick while convulsing so you can't see how much paracetamol he has ingested, hence the suppositories.

Agree with the poster who said that the convulsion happens before you've even realised the temp has risen. It happens so quickly you don't have time to think about dosing them up.

However, if your child is not prone to convulsions, then I would say that as long as they are comfortable and it's not excessively high, then tepid sponging is the better option to reduce temp than paracetamol.

We've sometimes resorted to paracetamol, nurofen and tepid sponging and it still stays higher than 40....

My DS had a 40.9 temp last week, I drove him to the docs, she took one look at him and dialled 999. Sirens and lights job. They gave him oxygen, fans, stripped him off, calpol and eventually ibruprofen - that's how seriously medical staff take high temp. I'd pass this info on to your friend if I was you.

He did have a bacyerial skin infection and croup (so was blue) though so there were other reasons for the ambulance.

I do think calpol whould be given for children with a fever. To help them feel better, and also to help prevent the risk of dehydration.

Febrile conculsions are usually the result of a rapid rise in temperature. I didn't even realise dd2 was ill before she fitted.

ineedmorechocnow - yes, we use paracetamol suppositories as well - they work very well, particulary when dd2 was fitting and obviously couldn't ingest any medication due to being unconcious.

We ride fevers out unless he is actually in pain. Most of the time though, he will be a bit off for a couple of days, have a fever and then not actually get sick - so I figure his body knows what it is doing. If he is uncomfortable though I give him some calpol or something.

Same for us, I try to ride out most illnesses before using any sort of drug - we seem pretty healthy so it is the right thing to do for us.

YABVVU to call it child cruelty.

It's not child cruelty and it's her child, but I'd probably put over my viewpoint and then stand well back. All parents do things differently and at the end of the day we have no right to judge or condemn people for what they believe in.

In my case, dd had febrile fits if her temp went too high, so I always dosed her up with Calpol at the first sign of a fever. I think she's grown out of it now, but I'm still a bit handy with a Calpol bottle if she's too hot!

Medical advice in Spain is to give ibuprofen if there's a fever. No idea why, but all the docs and pharmacies recommend it over paracetamol.

not child cruelty.
but as others say she needs to be careful if it goes too high or for too long - calpol use is a rarety in this house too, preferentially I would use calprofen anyway (also a rarety). I prefer calprofen because ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory, which paracetamol isn't.

Sponging - is meant to be done with water at about 35 degrees (i.e. just below normal body temp) to prevent rapid constriction of surface blood vessels. It will still be cooler than a feverish body, and help to cool more as it evaporates off, but won't cause the problems that using colder water would.

Both sister and SIL are pharmacists and both say that ibuprofen is better for DC than paracetamol as far harder to overdose on it. It's also faster acting and you need less of it to have an effect......

YANBU my little boy (ds1) had a febrile convulsion when he was 22 months . An awful experience and I have always been ultra careful regarding temberature for both my dc since then.

I do give DS Calpol as soon as a fever comes (hardly ever). He had convulsions a couple of times. The ambulance came and it took him all afternoon in hospital to regain consciousness. Very scary. The advice given to me was to alternate Calpol and Neurofen.

"They much prefer to bring a temperature down by wrapping the legs in towels soaked with cool (but not cold) water. It is very effective actually."

AussieSlim, my mum's German and she used to do this to me when I was ill. When you've a temperature, it's actually very soothing to cool off like that.

Also good for when you're abroad in a hot country and can't sleep.........

febrile convulsions occur before the temp goes up, so calpol will not prevent them...

I think that if the child is in pain or really uncomfortable or if the fever is really high then calpol or similar's a good idea. But some people give it all the time - I hate it when a child asks for calpol. People seem to forget that it's a drug because it's pink and tastes of strawberries - it still has to be treated with caution.

Why does your friend take the childs temperature if she isn't going to do anything about it. I only take ds's temp if I feel he's uncomfortable and needs relief, and then only so I can check later to see if it works.I would give the calpol anyway just to make him feel better.
Tbh my ds is lucky to be not too prone to viruses etc. so thbis happens maybe 4-5 times a year and generally 1 dose of calpol does the trick.
Btw at work, as a children's nurse I would give paracetamol for temp >38 and possibly ibuprofen >40