Natural Remedies for Fever in Children
It is not uncommon for children to experience fevers for up to 4-5 days particularly with viruses. While it can be stressful to see your child uncomfortable and ill, with a watchful eye and rest, they can safely wait it out at home in many cases. If your child experiences difficulty breathing, turns blue around the mouth, becomes distressed, complains of pain, has a seizure and /or your instincts tell you that it is time to escalate care, reach out to your pediatrician/advice nurse or seek emergency care. Trust yourself.
Priority to Stay Hydrated. Children lose fluids with fever. The child may not have much thirst or desire to drink fluids, but please encourage them to drink. Providing fluids as popsicles or slushies can get their interest.
Pedialyte Organics, https://www.pedialyte.com/products/organic/grape. The conventional, non-organic Pedialyte has artificial dyes and sweeteners. I do not recommend those. If you are unable to obtain the organic version, you may want to skip it altogether.
Water. Excellent.
Herbal tea. Peppermint is excellent for gastrointestinal upset (tummy aches, diarrhea). It is also refreshing. Tulsi tea tastes good and is a healing plant for overall health. Chamomile is helpful for rest, calming the nervous system, soothing upset tummies.
Bone broth is excellent because it hydrates and contains anti-inflammatory, gut healing properties. It is also tasty, rather bland and often well-tolerated. It can be used as a base for soups as well as in smoothies.
Coconut water. Naturally contains electrolytes with a sweet base. Kids may prefer coconut water with a splash of familiar juice as a beverage or in popsicles.
Dilute fruit juice. Adding water to a clear fruit juice, e.g apple or cranberry juice gets the hydration and flavor without added sugar.
Ice chips. Little bits of ice to suck on can be refreshing. Not appropriate for infants and toddlers due to choking risk.
When ill, it is best to avoid consuming too much sugar (table sugar, brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup, malt syrup, cane sugar, fructose (sugar in fruit) and honey since they feed the pathogens that are causing the illness and can be inflammatory. Some sugar is ok and necessary but most people contain too much as a baseline as it is contained in many common food and drink items. It may be tempting to seek out low sugar or no sugar options but often these have very unhealthy tradeoffs. Be sure to avoid artificial sugars and dyes due to their neurotoxicity and inflammatory properties. If the label states: zero-sugar, low sugar or keto be on the lookout for artificial sweeteners e.g., Splenda (sucralose), Nutrisweet, Aspartame, Acesulfame K, Saccharin or Xylitol. Avoid these products. Sports-drinks like Gatorade often contain high fructose corn syrup which can dysregulate blood sugar and is inflammatory.
Homeopathics
Homeopathics are very safe and can be very effective. They are more personalized towards the symptoms and patient presentation. The remedy is contained in a little sugar pellet. The Boiron brand contains lactose, https://www.boironusa.com/ . For dairy free option, use https://ollois.com/.
General dosage: 3/pellets every 3-4 hours until the child is feeling better. Place pellets in the mouth, let them dissolve on their own or place them in a bottle or small amount of water.
Belladonna: for sudden fevers. The child may be really out of sorts, red faced, sweaty.
Ferrum Phosphoricum: fevers that come on gradually. Good for general immune support during any stage of the illness.
Aconitum Napellus: sudden high fever. Child may appear with red, dry face and may be agitated.
Herbal Medicine
Elderberry syrup 1-2 teaspoons every 4 hours. Elderberry syrup is easy to make https://happyhealthymama.com/homemade-elderberry-syrup-recipe.html and is readily available at most store’s immune support sections. Elderberry gummies are delicious and often combined with other anti-viral and general immune support. Elderberries are safe to use and taste good.