All parents, of course, sometimes face a situation where their child complains of chills. What to do in such cases, our article will tell.
Why can a child have chills?
First of all, let's see what a chill is and why it arises. Chills are the condition of the body when the muscles contract, in order to increase the production of heat and keep warm. At the same time the child is shivering, that is, literally shaking from the cold. It should also be noted that chills are a natural way of the body to raise body temperature. This is a kind of protective reaction to certain unfavorable factors, such as hypothermia, infectious diseases, trauma, stress. In children, chills can be a consequence of vaccination or eruption of milk teeth.
Chilliness in a child often occurs against a background of high temperature, or when it only begins to rise. But sometimes a strong chill can occur in the child and at normal body temperature. This is a serious symptom that should not be ignored. The cause of this may be nervous overexertion, overwork, lack of sleep or even a malfunction in the thyroid gland. In the first cases, it is enough to put the child in bed and give a sedative (a pill of valerian, motherwort infusion). It would be better if he fell asleep and had a good rest. If the chill does not stop, it is advisable to call a doctor (especially if the baby is small), or to be examined by an endocrinologist.
How to help the child with chills?
If the child is shivering, take the following measures:
- Cover it with a warm blanket and give a warm drink (not strong tea, compote, mors). Ask the baby to drink as often as possible.
- With chills, you can not knock down the temperature with acetic and alcohol wipes. Instead, give the child an antipyretic drug.
- Also, with chills in case of fever, you can not do any thermal procedures (inhalation, soar feet), nor cooling (cool baths, enemas with water).