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Febrile Seizures in Children — First Aid

In an emergency, call 911 first (or your local emergency number). If someone is unresponsive and not breathing normally, start CPR and send for an AED. Do not delay a call to read a guide.
Febrile Seizures in Children — First Aid first aid
Febrile Seizures in Children — First Aid — first aid scene (illustrative image)

What to do

  1. Febrile seizures are convulsions triggered by fever in children usually between 6 months and 5 years. They are frightening but most last under 5 minutes and are not harmful in themselves.
  2. Stay with the child. Protect them from injury: move hard objects away, cushion the head, loosen tight clothing.
  3. Do not put anything in the child's mouth and do not restrain the movements. Note the time the seizure starts.
  4. When the seizure stops, place the child on their side (recovery position) and check breathing. They will usually be sleepy afterwards.
  5. Call 911 if the seizure lasts more than 5 minutes, repeats within the same illness, only affects one side, the child has breathing difficulty, does not return to their usual self, is under 6 months old, or it is their first seizure and you cannot reach medical advice quickly — first febrile seizures always need medical assessment.
  6. Manage the fever for comfort (light clothing, fluids, and children's fever medicine as directed on the packet if they can swallow safely) — note that fever medicines do not reliably prevent further febrile seizures.

What NOT to do

  • Do not put the child in a cold bath to reduce fever.
  • Do not give food, drink or medicine during the seizure or while the child is drowsy.
  • Do not hold the child down or shake them.
  • Do not assume a seizure with fever is 'just febrile' in a baby under 6 months — always get urgent assessment.

When to get medical care

First febrile seizure: always seek medical assessment the same day (emergency department or urgent clinician review) to confirm the cause of the fever. Call 911 for seizures over 5 minutes, repeated seizures, one-sided seizures, breathing problems, a child who does not recover normally, or any seizure in a baby under 6 months.

Related symptoms

Watch: related videos

▶ WatchChildren first aid febrile seizure

Frequently asked questions

Do febrile seizures cause brain damage?

Simple febrile seizures (brief, whole-body, once in an illness) do not cause brain damage or epilepsy in the overwhelming majority of children, though they are terrifying to witness. A minority of children have further febrile seizures with later illnesses.

Can I prevent febrile seizures by treating fever early?

Studies show fever medicines improve comfort but do not reliably prevent febrile seizures, which often happen as the temperature rises quickly — sometimes the seizure is the first sign of illness. Treat fever for comfort, not out of fear of seizures.

In an emergency, call 911 (or your local emergency number) first — do not delay a call to read a guide. These pages are educational first-aid information in general terms; they are not a substitute for emergency services, first-aid training, or assessment by a qualified clinician.

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