Day 304 - 4 Ways to Treat a Fever Naturally

Today's first time parenting tip - Keep cool and treat a fever naturally

Your eleven month infant's temperature hits 102. You panic. What could it be? You'd like to think it's teething, but you're just not sure. It might be something worse.

Everything else seems to be fine. No change in behavior. Bowel movements are normal. Fevers are the bodies natural defense mechanism against infection. Ideally, they should be allowed to run their course without medication. If the fever spikes or comes with seizures, vomiting or other nasty symptoms, you should get medical help immediately.

But what if your infant is just running a little hot and you want to keep it down without Tylenol? Here are some things you can try:

• Put your baby in a lukewarm bath. During the winter, make sure the air temperature is at least 72 degrees so they don't get chilled coming out of the water


• Dress your baby in a light layer of clothing. If they get too cold, add another layer and subtract layers to make them comfortable


• Make sure they drink lots of fluids. If they don't want to drink, this could be a sign of something else, and you might want to call your doctor.


• Give them a teething ring from the freezer. A fever can be caused by teething. A cool ring will help them feel more comfortable and ease their gums

How do you treat a fever naturally?

Parenting, Fever, Treat, Break, Temperature

Day 285 - Beat the Cold

Today's first time parenting tip - Keep the baby's room around 70-72 degrees F

For those of us in the northern hemisphere, it's the middle of winter. That means biting cold, wind and perhaps the most discouraging of all - drafts.

No matter what you set the thermostat at, there always seem to be areas in the house or the apartment that are colder than others. If you've got a sleeping baby in the house, that could spell bad news. If the room the baby is sleeping in is cold, you'll have middle-of-the-night wake ups at best, hypothermia at worst.

Here's how you can keep your infant as comfortable as possible during winter.

• Pick a room for the baby that has as few windows as possible


• If the room has windows, cover them with heavy drapes or plastic


• Use Styrofoam stuff window sills and drafty doors


• Place the baby's crib as far from the window as possible


• Put a space heater in the baby's room


• Dress your infant in warm, full length pajamas


• Use a crib pad to block any errant drafts


• Keep the rest of your house around 70 degrees, even at night

Follow these tips and you'll be able to beat the best Jack Frost can throw at you.

Parenting, Winter, Cold, Temperature, Space, , Heater