Fever is a very common occurrence in any child’s medical history ; an event that often worries parents, especially when it occurs in the newborn.

Fever is a defense mechanism that the child puts in place to fight against the entry of germs . When the body temperature exceeds 37 degrees Celsius, we feel a sense of discomfort because the cells of our body are not at ease, but those who are worse off are bacteria and viruses which, at temperatures above 37 degrees, struggle to multiply.

Yes, however, when our children develop fever, especially if they are very young, especially if they are newborns, we are disoriented and do not know what to do. What can we do to deal with a fever in the newborn, without too much anxiety?

Meanwhile, remember that fever is not a disease, but a symptom . Mostly it is a symptom of an infection , which can be viral or bacterial in nature . A fever of a viral nature will pass spontaneously when the organism has defeated the virus that attacked it; a fever caused by a bacterial infection, on the other hand, will pass when the responsible bacterium has been defeated, with antibiotics. But be careful: antibiotics have no direct effect on fever: if the symptom disappears it is because they have been effective against the bacterium that underlies the symptoms.

Find out how to measure a child’s fever

Fever in the newborn, what remedies?

If the fever is not very high and the newborn appears calm and shows no signs of distress, there is no need to do anything in particular, apart from taking the usual normal precautions: moisturize him adequately, do not cover him too much or too little, keep him in the environment the right degree of humidity and a moderate temperature .

If the fever is high and / or the newborn shows signs of distress, paracetamol can be used , without exceeding the recommended dosages for body weight. Do not give other medications to the newborn without first consulting the pediatrician.

How to measure newborn fever

Measuring a newborn’s fever can be very complicated ; not all, in fact, are collaborative. Most of the young children in these circumstances fidget and cry, but there is no better method and unfortunately you have to go by trial and error; some infants willingly accept the thermometer in the armpit, while in other cases it is practically impossible to measure the fever in this way . If you decide to take the rectal temperature, consider that it is about half a degree higher than the axillary one .

In any case, it is very important not to get anxious: it is not necessary to continuously measure the temperature of the newborn : once it is ascertained that he has a fever and that he is therefore sick, you can decide how to help him, based on his general conditions and preferably with the advice of the pediatrician, without constantly bothering him with the thermometer; a few tenths more or less at that point makes no difference. Instead, it is important to leave the baby quiet and avoid causing further inconvenience. A couple of measurements a day is sufficient, unless otherwise instructed by the pediatrician.

Which thermometer is best suited for measuring a child’s fever?