How to bring down a child's fever, and when you need to

The goal is not a number on the thermometer, it is a child who feels better. Fever is the body's natural response to infection. Fluids, light clothing and calm help; medicine is for a child who is distressed.

Written by OUMM

Last updated: 9 October 2026

Do you need to bring the fever down?

Not always. NICE guidance (NG143) is clear: do not give fever medicine with the sole aim of lowering the temperature. The NHS calls a high temperature a natural and healthy response to infection, and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) notes that not every fever needs to be treated. Treat the child, not the thermometer.

A feverish child who plays, drinks and can be comforted usually needs only fluids and watching. A child who is irritable, crying, in pain or refusing drinks needs relief. The temperature bands are in our guide to fever in children.

Check the age first. A baby under 3 months with a temperature of 38 °C (100.4 °F) or more needs a doctor straight away, also at night, and no fever medicine without a doctor's advice. This is not a fever to bring down at home.

What you can do at home without medicine

Fluids, little and often

A fever makes children lose fluid faster (AAP). Offer drinks regularly, in small amounts. If your baby is breastfed, keep breastfeeding as normal: NICE calls breast milk the most appropriate fluid. Offer food if they want it; do not force it.

Watch for the signs of dehydration NICE lists: a sunken fontanelle (soft spot), dry mouth, sunken eyes, no tears, poor overall appearance. The AAP adds fewer wet diapers. If you see them, encourage drinking and contact a doctor.

Clothing and blankets

NICE: a child with fever should be neither underdressed nor over-wrapped. A single layer of light clothing is enough (AAP). If your child is shivering, add a blanket and take it off again once the shivering stops. Keep the room comfortable, not hot.

Rest and night checks

Sleep helps, so do not wake a sleeping child to measure or to give medicine. NICE does advise checking on your child during the night: how they look and how they breathe. Keep them home from nursery or school while the fever lasts.

What not to do

• Cold baths, ice packs, tepid sponging: NICE does not recommend tepid sponging for fever, the NHS says not to undress or sponge a child to cool them, and the AAP says alcohol baths, ice packs and sponging are no longer recommended and can have adverse effects.
• Alcohol rubs: no. The AAP lists alcohol baths among the methods that are no longer recommended and can do harm.
• Aspirin: the NHS says do not give aspirin to children under 16.
• Medicine "just in case" to prevent a seizure: NICE: fever medicines do not prevent febrile seizures and should not be used for that purpose.

When a fever medicine makes sense

NICE: consider paracetamol (acetaminophen in the US) or ibuprofen for a feverish child who appears distressed: irritable, in pain, not drinking, unable to settle. Continue only while your child is distressed, not until the thermometer shows a normal number. Which one fits depends on age, drinking and cautions: see paracetamol or ibuprofen.

Always take the dose from your product's leaflet or label table, by your child's weight. Liquid strengths vary several times over, so check the bottle. Our paracetamol dose and ibuprofen dose pages and the dose calculator show the leaflet tables of products registered in Poland; outside Poland, follow the label on your own box. Write down the time, the product and the millilitres so nobody gives the next dose too early.

Why not alternate two medicines "just in case"

NICE: do not give both medicines at the same time. If the first one does not relieve the distress, consider switching to the other; consider alternating only if the distress persists or comes back before the next dose is due. The NHS: do not alternate unless a doctor or nurse tells you to. The main risk is a mix-up in the timing and a double dose of the same medicine. More in our guide to alternating paracetamol and ibuprofen.

The fever does not come down after medicine. What does it mean?

On its own, not much. NICE says it plainly: whether or not the temperature drops after a fever medicine does not tell serious illness apart from minor illness. How your child looks and drinks matters more than the number.

• Do not give the next dose earlier than the leaflet allows just because the reading is high.
• If your child still "acts sick" after the medicine, is getting worse, or you are more worried than before, contact a doctor (AAP, NICE).
• A fever lasting more than 3 days is a reason to see a doctor. Do not give fever medicines for more than 3 days without a doctor's advice.

Red flags: do not treat at home, call

Call emergency services (999 in the UK, 911 in the US, 112 in the EU) for a seizure, difficulty breathing, a rash that does not fade under a pressed glass, a stiff neck, a child who is floppy or cannot be woken, pale, grey, blue or blotchy skin, or cold hands and feet. The full list by age: when to see a doctor with a child's fever.

Common questions

At what temperature should I treat my child's fever?

There is no single number. NICE says to go by how your child is, not the reading alone: medicine when they are distressed. How urgent a fever is depends on age, as explained in our guide to fever in children.

Will tepid sponging or a cold pack bring the fever down?

It is not recommended. NICE does not recommend tepid sponging for fever, the NHS says not to sponge a child to cool them, and the AAP advises against ice packs and sponging. Fluids and light clothing are enough.

Should I wake my child to give medicine?

No. A sleeping child is not distressed. Look in on them during the night and check how they breathe and look (NICE).

Will the Oh Fever app tell me the dose?

Not on iPhone: the app records readings and doses and shows the leaflet table word for word, without calculating any dose. The calculator on this site and the Android app show the leaflet table row.

Tired of keeping track on a scrap of paper?
Oh Fever records what you gave and when. Free for one child.

iPhone and Apple Watch

Shows the time since the last dose, the doses recorded in 24 hours and the leaflet tables and sentences word for word, with a link to the official leaflet. It does not calculate or suggest doses.

Download on the App Store

Android

Also shows the row of the leaflet table for your child's weight and age, counts down to the next dose the leaflet allows and warns before the daily limit is crossed.

Get it on Google Play

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