Fit By Sara: When Your Child Has a Sudden Seizure - What To Do

A few days ago, my oldest son’s pre-school called to inform me he had a fever. When I picked Ty up from school, he was not his usual talkative self, he sat quietly and said he felt, “OK”. Once buckled into his seat he began to have a seizure. He was immediately rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.

I had no idea that seizures are a fairly common occurrence for children under the age of 6. The doctor stated that 1 in 20 children experience “febrile seizures” due to a high fever. He is perfectly fine now, I’ve been keeping a close eye on him and make sure his fever stays down by giving him children’s Tylenol every four hours.

I just wanted you moms to know that if this happens to you not to be shocked or too frightened. Common symptoms prior to a seizure occurring is a glazed look and unresponsiveness. Once he/she goes into a seizure, keep him or her safe by removing anything around him or her, and if possible lay him or her on their side (in case they vomit). Do not not put anything in their mouth when they have a seizure. People used to think they would choke on their tongues, but this will not happen.

Once the seizure subsides he/she will be very tired with minimal response. The doctor will administer medication to bring his or her temperature down, and he or she will likely sleep. Once he/she wakes, they usually resume their normal behavior.

After Ty had some rest and medication he was back to his old self. In fact, when I checked on him later he said, “Momma I’m doing great, you can go, I need to go to sleep now.”

Visit the American Academy of Pediatrics website for more information on the Treatment of Febrile Seizures.