Febrile Seizures in Infants: What Parents Need to Know
At Nurture North, we know that seeing your child have a seizure—especially for the first time—can be one of the most frightening experiences a parent faces. Febrile seizures are surprisingly common in infants and toddlers, usually between 6 months and 5 years old. The good news? Most are harmless.
What Are Febrile Seizures?
A febrile seizure is a convulsion brought on by fever, not by epilepsy or a brain infection. They’re usually brief (under 15 minutes) and don’t cause long-term harm. Complex febrile seizures—which last longer, recur within 24 hours, or have focal movements—need closer medical evaluation.
Latest Research Highlights
Recent studies show febrile seizures result from a mix of factors: brain development, genetic susceptibility, fever-induced inflammation, and common viral infections like flu or RSV. New research is even exploring how the gut microbiome might influence seizure risk, offering promising directions for prevention.
COVID-19 has been studied as well. While COVID-related febrile seizures can have some unique lab features, their overall risk and outcomes appear similar to other viral triggers.
Most children outgrow febrile seizures without long-term problems. The general risk of epilepsy is low (about 1%), but children who have febrile seizures have a slightly higher risk (around 3–5%), especially if seizures are complex or there are other risk factors.
How Are Febrile Seizures Managed?
Seeking urgent medical care is still necessary for assessment – but here’s what you can do for immediate management.
At home, the recommendation is to slowly cool your child down if they have a fever as well. Drastically cooling an infant or child may cause another seizure to follow. Slowly cooling your child looks like cold clothes around the body. Medications like acetaminophen or ibuprofen help with comfort but don’t prevent seizures. For typical simple febrile seizures, no routine EEG or brain imaging is needed.
If a child has complex febrile seizures, pediatricians may recommend closer follow-up. Researchers are also exploring safer medication options like intermittent levetiracetam and melatonin, which may reduce recurrence with fewer side effects than older treatments.
Looking Ahead
At Nurture North, we’re encouraged by new tools like wearable EEG devices with AI-based seizure detection that could help families and doctors monitor seizures in real time. Research is also pushing for better understanding of neuroinflammation and targeted therapies.
Most importantly, we want you to know you’re not alone. Febrile seizures are scary—but usually benign. If you have questions or concerns about your child’s health, our team is here to help you navigate the medical system with confidence and compassion.
Key References:
Dubé CM et al. "The pathogenesis of febrile seizures: Current status and future directions." Front Pediatr. 2023. PubMed
Kim H et al. "COVID-19-related febrile seizures in children: A multicenter study." J Korean Med Sci. 2023. PMC
Huang L et al. "TRPV1/CD4⁺ T cells in febrile seizure-induced neuroinflammation." Mol Neurobiol. 2024. PubMed
van Rooij LGM et al. "Wearable dry-electrode EEG with AI seizure detection." arXiv. 2024. arXiv
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). "Febrile Seizures: Clinical Practice Guideline." Pediatrics. 2011. AAP
American Family Physician (AAFP). "Evaluation and Management of Febrile Seizures." 2019. AAFP
