If your child may have had a fever seizure, get clear next steps on symptoms, timing, when to call 911, and what to do during and after a febrile seizure.
Tell us what happened, your child’s age, and what symptoms you noticed so you can get guidance that fits a first febrile seizure, a toddler or baby with fever, or concerns about what to do next.
A febrile seizure is a seizure that happens with a fever, usually in babies and young children. For many families, a child fever seizure is sudden and frightening, especially the first time. While many febrile seizures are brief and stop on their own, it is still important to know what fever seizure symptoms in children can look like, how long febrile seizures last, and when emergency care is needed. This page is designed to help parents understand what may be happening and what to do during a febrile seizure.
A child may lose awareness, stiffen, jerk, or shake during a fever seizure in child. Some children also roll their eyes or seem unresponsive for a short time.
After a child fever seizure, it is common for a child to be sleepy, confused, or less alert for a little while as they recover.
A febrile seizure in toddler or baby often happens when a fever rises quickly, sometimes before a parent even realizes the child is sick.
Place your child on their side on a flat surface and move nearby objects away. Do not hold them down and do not put anything in their mouth.
If you are wondering how long do febrile seizures last, many are short, but timing the episode matters. Knowing whether it lasted 1 minute or more than 5 minutes helps guide next steps.
Look for normal breathing, skin color, and how your child acts after the seizure stops. These details can help you decide when to call 911 for febrile seizure concerns.
Emergency care is important if the seizure does not stop quickly, your child has trouble breathing, or they do not start waking up afterward.
A first febrile seizure in child should be medically evaluated, even if your child seems better afterward, to help confirm the cause and rule out other concerns.
Call for urgent medical care if only one side of the body is shaking, your child is younger than 6 months, has a stiff neck, repeated vomiting, severe lethargy, or another seizure the same day.
Parents often search can fever cause seizures in children because the event is so alarming and hard to interpret in the moment. The right next step depends on what you saw, how old your child is, how high the fever is, how long the episode lasted, and whether this was the first time. A short assessment can help you sort through those details and understand whether home monitoring, same-day medical care, or emergency help makes the most sense.
Yes. Fever can trigger febrile seizures in some children, most often between about 6 months and 5 years of age. They are linked to the fever itself rather than the exact temperature alone.
Many febrile seizures last a few seconds to a few minutes. If a seizure lasts more than 5 minutes, call 911 right away.
Lay your child on their side on a safe surface, move objects away, and watch the time. Do not restrain them and do not put anything in their mouth. Seek emergency help if the seizure lasts more than 5 minutes or your child has trouble breathing.
Call 911 if the seizure lasts more than 5 minutes, your child turns blue, has trouble breathing, does not wake up as expected, gets injured, or has another seizure soon after.
Yes. A first febrile seizure should be evaluated by a medical professional, even if your child seems back to normal, to confirm the likely cause and check for signs of a more serious illness.
Answer a few questions about what happened, how long it lasted, and how your child is acting now to get clear, supportive guidance on what to do next.
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