HealthInfo Aoraki South Canterbury
Febrile convulsions
A febrile convulsion (or febrile seizure) is when a tamaiti (child) has a seizure (also called convulsion or fit) because they have a fever. This is usually when their temperature is 38°C or higher.
Febrile convulsions mostly happen in tamariki (children) aged from 6 month to 5 years. They're fairly common, in most cases aren't serious and seldom causes any long-term problems.
Symptoms of a febrile convulsion
A febrile convulsion usually lasts between one and five minutes.
During the convulsion, your tamaiti may have some of the following symptoms:
- their body becomes stiff
- they lose consciousness
- their arms, legs and body twitch
- they wee or poo themselves and bite their tongue
- their eyes roll back
- they foam at the mouth
- they vomit.
Helping your child with a febrile convulsion
Important
Dial 111 and ask for an ambulance if:
- the seizure lasts longer than five minutes
- your tamaiti child has trouble breathing
- your tamaiti looks very unwell
- your tamaiti doesn't wake up and respond after the seizure.
Stay calm and put your tamaiti on their side in the recovery position (see below) while waiting for help to arrive.
If your tamaiti is unconscious and stops breathing at any time, start CPR. See CPR for adults and children and CPR for babies (0 to 1 year).
If your tamaiti is having a febrile convulsion:
- place them in the recovery position – lay them on their side on a soft surface with their face turned to one side (see the image)
- remove any sharp or hard objects from around them
- loosen their clothing, particularly around their neck
- stay with them – make a note of when the seizure started so you can keep track of how long it lasts
- stay calm.
Do not:
- put anything in their mouth
- hold them down or restrain them.
After the seizure:
- comfort and reassure them
- stay with them until they're fully awake and have recovered.
Getting help for febrile convulsions
Even if they recover quickly, take your tamaiti to your GP. They may need tests or treatment for the underlying infection.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
- KidsHealth – Febrile convulsions
What causes febrile convulsions? Who is at risk? Will it harm my tamaiti? Will my child get epilepsy? And answers to other questions about febrile convulsions.
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed November 2021.
Sources
See also:
Review key: HIFEC-49206
