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Febrile Seizures in Children: What Parents Should Know

A febrile seizure is a convulsion triggered by a rapid rise in body temperature, usually during a viral illness, and it affects roughly one in twenty five children between six months and five years old. Most last under two minutes, stop on their own, and leave no lasting damage.

Febrile Seizures in Children: What Parents Should Know
Children's HealthFebrile Seizuressymptom-check
Written By: DocAi Health Editorial Team
Last Updated: 2026-08-23
Medically Reviewed By: DocAi Health Medical Review Team
Medical Disclaimer: This article is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship and is not a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment by a qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard or delay seeking professional medical advice because of something you have read here. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number right away. Health information can change and this guidance is general and US-focused, so consult a licensed clinician in your own country about your specific situation.
A febrile seizure is a convulsion triggered by a rapid rise in body temperature, usually during a viral illness, and it affects roughly one in twenty five children between six months and five years old. Most last under two minutes, stop on their own, and leave no lasting damage. What makes them frightening is not the fever itself but knowing when a seizure has gone on too long or when something other than a routine virus is behind it. This article covers what happens during one, how to respond in the moment, and when it signals a bigger problem.

What Happens During a Febrile Seizure

During a febrile seizure, a child's body temperature climbs quickly, often during the first day of a viral infection such as roseola, influenza, or a common cold, and the brain responds with a burst of abnormal electrical activity. The child may stiffen, jerk their arms and legs, roll their eyes back, and lose consciousness for anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of minutes. Breathing can look irregular during the episode, and the skin may take on a bluish tinge around the lips, both of which resolve once the seizure ends. Most febrile seizures happen as the fever is rising, not necessarily at its highest point, so a child can seize before a parent even realizes they are sick.

Simple vs. Complex Febrile Seizures

Doctors sort febrile seizures into two categories, and the distinction changes how much workup a child needs. A simple febrile seizure lasts under 15 minutes, involves the whole body rather than one side, and does not recur within 24 hours. These make up the large majority of cases and carry an excellent outlook. A complex febrile seizure lasts longer than 15 minutes, affects only one side of the body, or happens more than once in a single day. Complex febrile seizures are not automatically dangerous, but they prompt a more thorough evaluation because they occasionally point to an underlying seizure disorder or infection that needs its own treatment.

What Causes Them

The main trigger is the speed of the temperature rise combined with a child's age related brain sensitivity, not the fever number itself; a child can have a febrile seizure at 101°F (38.3°C) and never have one at 104°F (40°C). Family history plays a real role. A child with a parent or sibling who had febrile seizures is more likely to have one too, which points to a genetic component in how some children's brains respond to fever. Common triggers include ordinary childhood viruses, some vaccines (the seizure typically happens on the day of a fever causing vaccine dose, not weeks later), and less often bacterial infections such as ear infections or urinary tract infections.

What To Do During a Seizure

Lay the child on their side on a flat, soft surface such as a bed or carpeted floor, away from furniture or stairs. Do not put anything in their mouth, including your fingers; children cannot swallow their tongue, and objects placed in the mouth risk broken teeth or a blocked airway. Do not try to hold the child down or stop the jerking movements. Loosen tight clothing around the neck and note the time the seizure started so you can tell if it passes the point where it becomes an emergency. Stay with the child until they are fully alert, and expect them to be sleepy, confused, or irritable for minutes to an hour afterward.

Telling a Febrile Seizure Apart From Other Fever Reactions

Not every strange movement during a fever is a seizure. Some children shiver intensely as a fever spikes, a chill response that can look alarming but involves controlled, rhythmic shaking rather than the sudden loss of awareness and stiffening seen in a true seizure. Breath holding spells, which happen after crying or a minor injury rather than a fever, can also cause brief limpness or jerking but follow a pattern of crying, then holding the breath, then a color change, which is different from the sudden onset of a febrile seizure. If you are not sure what you saw, describe it to your pediatrician in detail, including what your child's eyes, breathing, and color looked like, since the description often matters more than a label given in the moment.

After the Seizure: What Happens Next

Once the seizure ends, call your child's pediatrician or go to urgent care to have the fever's source evaluated, especially if this is the first febrile seizure. For a straightforward first simple febrile seizure in an otherwise healthy toddler, doctors often do not order blood tests, brain imaging, or an EEG, because the seizure itself, in the simple category, does not change the treatment for the underlying illness. A lumbar puncture may be considered in an infant under 12 months, in a child who is not back to their normal self after the seizure, or in a child who has not had recommended vaccines, because those situations raise the chance the seizure is being caused by meningitis rather than a routine virus.

Will It Happen Again?

About one in three children who have one febrile seizure will have another during a future illness, and the risk is higher in children who had their first seizure before 18 months, have a fever below 102°F (38.9°C) at the time of the seizure, or have a close relative with a history of febrile seizures. Most children who have a second episode do not go on to have many more, and the tendency to have febrile seizures generally fades by school age as the nervous system matures.

Does It Cause Epilepsy or Brain Damage?

This is the fear that keeps parents awake, and the reassuring evidence is consistent: a simple febrile seizure does not damage the brain, and it does not lower a child's IQ, memory, or school performance compared to children who never had one. The link to epilepsy is small. Children with simple febrile seizures have only a slightly higher chance of developing epilepsy later than children who never had a febrile seizure, and the large majority never develop it. The risk rises somewhat for children whose seizures were complex, who had a seizure lasting over 15 minutes, or who already have a family history of epilepsy rather than just febrile seizures, which is one reason doctors ask about seizure history on both sides of the family.

Fever-Reducing Medicine Will Not Prevent a Seizure

It is a common instinct to reach for acetaminophen or ibuprofen the moment a fever starts, hoping to head off a seizure, but research has not shown that treating a fever early prevents febrile seizures from happening. Fever reducers can make a sick child more comfortable, and comfort is a reasonable goal on its own, but do not give them expecting a seizure prevention effect. Follow the dosing chart on the product label matched to your child's weight and age, or ask your pediatrician or pharmacist, since giving too much acetaminophen or ibuprofen carries its own risks.

Vaccines and Febrile Seizures

Some vaccines given in early childhood, particularly the MMR vaccine and combination vaccines that include a pertussis component, carry a modestly increased chance of a febrile seizure on the day the fever appears, typically 5 to 12 days after MMR or within a day or two of a pertussis containing dose. This increased chance is small in absolute terms, the seizures that do happen are overwhelmingly simple febrile seizures with no lasting effect, and delaying or skipping vaccines leaves a child exposed to the diseases the vaccines prevent, several of which carry their own seizure and brain injury risks that are far higher than the vaccine's. Talk to your pediatrician if your child has already had a febrile seizure and you are due for the next vaccine in the series; in most cases vaccination continues on schedule.

Signs That Point To Something More Serious Than a Routine Fever

Most fevers behind a febrile seizure come from ordinary viruses, but a handful of signs suggest the fever has a more serious source, most importantly bacterial meningitis. Watch for a stiff or painful neck, a bulging soft spot on top of an infant's head, a rash of small purple or red spots that does not fade when you press a glass against it, extreme lethargy, or a headache severe enough that your child cannot be comforted. Any of these alongside a fever and seizure calls for emergency care right away, regardless of how brief or mild the seizure itself looked.

When Febrile Seizures Run in the Family

If you or another close relative had febrile seizures as a child, mention it at your child's next well visit. Pediatricians use that history to put a single seizure in context rather than treating it as a first clue toward a rare disorder, and knowing the family pattern in advance means you and the doctor are both less likely to be caught off guard if it happens again.

When to Seek Medical Care

When to Seek Urgent or Emergency Care

Most febrile seizures are brief, simple, and resolve on their own, but a small number of presentations need immediate emergency care because they can signal a seizure that will not stop on its own or an infection more serious than a routine virus. This guidance is in addition to, not a replacement for, the general disclaimer above.

Emergency, call 911 or go to the emergency room immediately if:

  • The seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes and has not stopped.
  • Your child has a second seizure before fully waking up from the first one.
  • Your child's lips, tongue, or face turn blue or gray and stay that color after the seizure ends.
  • Your child is having trouble breathing, or breathing stops, after the seizure.
  • Your child does not wake up, remains limp, or cannot be roused several minutes after the shaking stops.
  • Your child was injured during the fall or seizure, such as hitting their head.
  • Your child is under 6 months old and has a fever with any seizure-like activity.
  • Your child shows a stiff neck, a bulging soft spot (in infants), a severe headache, or a rash that does not fade when pressed, along with the fever.

See a doctor soon (same-day or next available appointment) if:

  • This is your child's first febrile seizure, even though it has fully stopped.
  • The seizure affected only one side of the body or lasted more than a few minutes but under five.
  • Your child has had more than one febrile seizure in the same day.
  • Your child is unusually drowsy, weak on one side, or not acting like themselves for more than an hour after the seizure.
  • The fever is not responding to appropriate doses of acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
  • Your child has a history of febrile seizures and this episode looks different from previous ones.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Is a febrile seizure the same thing as epilepsy?

No. A febrile seizure happens only in connection with a fever, usually during the first hours of a viral illness, and it does not mean your child has epilepsy. Epilepsy involves seizures that occur without a fever trigger. Most children who have a febrile seizure never develop epilepsy, and the ones who do usually had other risk factors present as well.

How high does a fever have to be to cause a seizure?

There is no fixed number. Some children seize at a mild fever around 101°F (38.3°C), while others tolerate 104°F (40°C) without any seizure at all. What seems to matter most is how fast the temperature rises rather than how high it climbs, along with each child's individual sensitivity to that rise.

Should I give my child fever medicine to prevent another seizure?

You can give acetaminophen or ibuprofen at the labeled dose to help your child feel more comfortable, but studies have not found that fever reducers prevent febrile seizures. Do not skip a dose of a medication your child already needs, and always follow the label instructions or your pediatrician's guidance rather than guessing an amount.

Can a febrile seizure happen more than once?

Yes, and it is common. About one in three children who have a febrile seizure will have another one during a future fever, most often within the first year or two after the first episode. The chance goes down with age, and most children outgrow the tendency by the time they start school.

When do children usually outgrow febrile seizures?

Most children stop having febrile seizures by around age five or six, as the developing brain becomes less sensitive to rapid temperature changes. A febrile seizure in a child older than six, or a first febrile seizure in a baby under six months, is less typical and worth discussing with your pediatrician.

Do febrile seizures affect learning or development?

Simple febrile seizures have not been shown to affect a child's intelligence, memory, or school performance. Long-term studies comparing children who had simple febrile seizures with those who did not have found no meaningful difference in developmental outcomes, which is one of the most reassuring findings in this area of pediatrics.

What should I tell daycare or school if my child has had a febrile seizure?

Give the caregiver a short written plan: what a seizure looks like for your child, how long to wait before calling 911, and your emergency contact numbers. Most children return to normal activity within an hour, but caregivers should know to lay the child on their side and time the episode.

Is it safe to use a cool cloth or bath to bring down a fever quickly?

A lukewarm sponge bath can help a child feel more comfortable, but avoid cold water, ice baths, or alcohol rubs, which can cause shivering that raises core temperature further and can be dangerous. Focus on comfort measures and appropriate medication dosing rather than trying to force the fever down fast.

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