No parent wants to see their children suffer. Unfortunately, many children between six months and six years experience febrile convulsions. What are febrile convulsions, and what can parents do if their child has one?

Febrile seizures are convulsions triggered by a fever of at least 104 degrees Fahrenheit. This seizure is among the most common; it’s also usually harmless. However, it can be very frightening for a parent to see their child experience one.

Febrile convulsions normally occur by the age of three, but they can appear in a child as old as six.

What do febrile convulsions or seizures look like? During a seizure you may notice your child:

* Become stiff
* Become unconscious or disoriented
* May have jerking or twitching movements
* May roll their eyes backward
* May have noisy breathing
* Following the convulsions, they may be confused or sleepy

It is important to realize that many children have febrile convulsions. While they may be scary at the time, they normally do not cause brain damage and usually pass within one to ten minutes without treatment.

Most children who have a febrile convulsion never have another one, although there is a small percentage which will. However, febrile seizures normally stop by the time a child turns five or six without future recurrences.