Febrile Seizures: What Parents Should Know

Witnessing your child have a seizure is one of the most terrifying experiences a parent can go through. However, when it comes to febrile seizures, the visual severity of the event does not reflect the actual danger. They are surprisingly common, generally harmless, and do not cause long-term brain damage.

Here is what you need to know to understand, manage, and respond to febrile seizures.

What is a Febrile Seizure? A febrile seizure is a convulsion in a child triggered by a fever. They typically happen when a child’s body temperature spikes rapidly, usually above 100.4°F (38°C). The seizure is often the first sign that the child is sick.

The Facts:

Age Range: They almost exclusively affect children between 6 months and 5 years old, with the peak age being 12 to 18 months.

The Trigger: It is usually the rate at which the fever rises rather than the peak temperature that triggers the seizure.

Common Causes: Viral illnesses like roseola, the flu, or standard ear infections are the most frequent culprits.

Simple vs. Complex Febrile Seizures Medical professionals categorize febrile seizures into two types to determine if further testing is needed:

Simple Febrile Seizures: These are the most common. They last less than 15 minutes (often just a minute or two), involve the entire body (generalized jerking), and do not happen more than once in a 24-hour period.

Complex Febrile Seizures: These last longer than 15 minutes, occur more than once in 24 hours, or are localized (affecting only one side of the child's body).

What to Do During a Seizure If your child begins to have a seizure, your primary goal is to keep them safe until the episode passes.

Time the seizure. Look at the clock immediately. Knowing exactly how long the seizure lasts is critical information for your doctor.

Place them on their side. Gently roll your child onto their side (the recovery position) on a safe, flat surface. This keeps their airway clear and prevents choking if they vomit or produce excess saliva.

Clear the area. Move any hard or sharp objects out of the way to prevent injury.

Do NOT restrain them. Let the seizure run its course; trying to hold them still can cause bone fractures or muscle tears.

Do NOT put anything in their mouth. It is physically impossible to swallow your tongue. Inserting fingers, spoons, or medicine into their mouth can cause dental damage or present a severe choking hazard.

Do NOT try to cool them rapidly. Putting a seizing child in a cold bath can induce shock.

When to Call Emergency Services While simple febrile seizures often resolve on their own, you should call emergency services immediately if:

The seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes.

The child turns blue, stops breathing, or is struggling to breathe.

The child seems unusually lethargic or unresponsive after the seizure ends.

This is your child's first seizure, as a medical professional needs to rule out other serious infections like meningitis.

Even if the seizure lasts less than a minute and your child seems completely fine afterward, you should still schedule a prompt visit with your pediatrician to determine the underlying cause of the fever.

Most parents' biggest fear is that a febrile seizure will lead to epilepsy or cognitive decline. Research shows that children who experience simple febrile seizures have normal development and intelligence. Their risk of developing epilepsy later in life is only marginally higher than that of the general population (about 1% to 2%). While undeniably frightening in the moment, febrile seizures are something children almost always outgrow without any lasting medical consequences.