Private febrile convulsions clinic in London, same-day paediatrics.

What a febrile convulsion is

A febrile convulsion happens when a young child's temperature rises quickly, usually because of an ordinary infection such as a cold, a throat infection, an ear infection or a tummy bug. It is the rise in temperature that triggers the fit, not the illness being especially serious.

It does not mean your child has epilepsy, and a typical febrile convulsion does not cause brain damage or affect learning or development. Most children grow out of them by around the age of five or six.

What it looks like

• Your child becomes unresponsive and may go stiff, or floppy and very still.
• Their arms and legs may jerk or shake, and their eyes may roll back.
• They may wet themselves, dribble, or be sick.
• Afterwards they are often sleepy, confused or irritable for up to an hour. This is normal.

What to do during a fit

Note the time it starts. Five minutes feels far longer than it is, and knowing the exact time helps you and the doctors.

After the fit

• Keep your child on their side until they are properly awake, then let them rest.
• Offer small, frequent drinks once they are alert. Fluids matter more than food.
• Dress them normally. Do not strip them or wrap them up tightly.
• If your child seems uncomfortable, distressed or in pain, you may give paracetamol or ibuprofen at the dose for their age and weight on the packet. Follow the manufacturer's instructions and do not exceed the stated dose.
• Keep giving any medicine your doctor has prescribed, such as antibiotics.
• Never give aspirin to a child under 16 unless a doctor has specifically prescribed it.

Will it happen again?

Roughly one child in three who has a febrile convulsion will have another one during a later illness, most often within the following year. Having had a febrile convulsion very slightly increases the chance of developing epilepsy later on, but the great majority of children never do.

If your child has another fit, follow the same steps: note the time, lay them on their side, and call 999 if it lasts more than five minutes or you are worried. Once your child has had a fit assessed by a doctor and the cause is understood, a short fit that stops on its own does not always need another emergency visit — but do contact a doctor the same day so your child can be checked over.

Book an appointment with us if

• your child remains unsettled, feeds or drinks poorly, or has fewer wet nappies than usual;
• the temperature lasts more than five days, or your child is not improving;
• you are not sure what caused the temperature and would like your child examined;
• you would like to talk through what happened and what to do next time.

We see children 7 days a week, usually the same day, with unhurried appointments and a written summary to take away.