Diet During Fever in Children

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Fever by itself is not an illness; it's the body's own way of fighting infections or sickness.
Fevers are usually caused due to various infections such as bacterial, viral, fungal or immune mediated.
Do not panic if your child has fever, but just remember to keep a strict watch on his behavior and activities to monitor the severity of his illness.
Any drastic changes in the child's behavior can be brought immediately to a doctor's attention.

Diet during fevers -
Common symptoms during fever are:

Loss of appetite
Lack of interest
Weakness
Cold sweats.

In some cases there can even be vomiting, diarrhea, cough & cold depending on the infection.

It's most important to manage all these conditions with good nutrition to alleviate the symptoms and make the child feel comfortable.

The diet usually prescribed is a high calorie, high protein, low fat, & a high fluid diet.
The first two or 3 days can be more of a fluid diet consisting of soups, glucose water, juices, milk (only if there's no diarrhea). Give small frequent meals at regular intervals, every 2 hrs which can be gradually increased to every 4 hrs.
Include foods which are soft, bland, easily digested and absorbed like gruels, cereal and milk, soft fruits like banana, papaya, orange, musambi, melons etc. soft or mashed khichidi or mashed curd rice or softly boiled veggies can also be included,
Protein intake of the diet should be increased, so it important to provide high nutritive value protein like milk, eggs & dhal
Fatty foods, spicy and highly fibrous foods are difficult to digest and should be avoided.
Its also very important to remember that during fever, there is an increase need of certain nutrients like Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Calcium, iron & sodium.

Foods that should be included:

Fruit juices
Glucose water
Milk
Coconut water
Barley water
Custards
Thin dhals
Eggs
Gruel's
Vegetable juices
Soups
Cereal preparations
Tender meat
Baked fish
Buttermilk with a pinch of salt
Boiled leafy veggies
Boiled veggies (carrots, beans, pumpkin, sweet potato etc)
Dried fruits or dried nuts blended with milk
Orange and yellow fruits (citrus fruits)

Foods that should be avoided:

Butter
Ghee
Vegetable oil
Irritating fibrous foods
Fried foods
Rich pastries
Rich puddings
Highly spiced preparations
Strongly flavored beverages
Cream soups

Some things to keep in mind:

Don't force your child to eat if he /she doesn't like it, just stop and feed them after a short interval.
Make sure they get plenty of rest.
Give your child a sponge bath with room temperature - cool water to bring the fever down and make them feel comfortable.
Dress them with light weight clothes and just cover them with a light sheet.
Keep the child's room airy, well ventilated and maintain the right temperature, not too cold or too hot.
If the fever consistently spikes above 102-103 for 2-3 days you must call the pediatrician immediately.

If your child is a healthy eater and consumes a balanced diet that meets his or her daily requirements, they will be better able to fight off viruses, and bacterial infections.

By Kanchan Saggi, Dietitian, NutritionVista.com

NutritionVista

User Comments

20 January, 2012 | faiza | Reply

plz can u tell me what should give to my baby he is 9 month plz tel me is eat banana but he had gass problem plz help me

21 January, 2012 | Vijayalakshmi Iyengar | Reply

Dear Faiza, I just want to assure you that mother’s milk is the most nutritious during the baby’s 1st year of life. After 6 months we can introduce solids but it depends on what suits your child best as it is a supplement to mother’s milk. When you introduce new foods to the baby introduce a little at a time to see how s/he tolerate it and then increase the amount gradually. Also any new food you want to introduce should be done after 10-15 days of the previous new food that you introduced to the baby to see how they accept the new food.
Normally, children having a lot of gas after they eat certain foods are quite common. Even in adults during digestion of foods, intestinal gases like hydrogen, carbon dioxide, in some people methane and traces of hydrogen sulphide are formed and these are responsible for the odour. It is different for different people depending on their sensitivity.
With regard to banana it is highly nutritious but also has high levels of carbohydrate (fructose sugar) and dietary fibre and both may be difficult for the digestive system to handle causing an increase in gas in the stomach. If the amount of banana is too much for the baby (as it is has a lot of fructose) and more than the baby can rapidly digest, the remainder often ferments in the large intestine. This fermentation causes a gas build up in the large intestine that forces gas into the stomach. Similarly many foods cause gas during their digestion as a by product by naturally occurring bacteria in the large intestine, or colon and it may cause discomfort when it accumulates in excess.
So we suggest you wait a little longer till your baby is a year old and then give fresh fruits. If you want you can give slightly cooked apples and the baby may tolerate it well.

08 December, 2011 | dhara shah | Reply

Dear Doc,
i am having 4 years old daughter and(from last 6 months) every month she suffers from high grade fever which last nearly for a week, fever doesnot get reduced even after given required dosage of paracetamols and Ibuprofen and other medicines. The pediatrician says its a viral infection and she has to suffer we have checked for blood tests nearly every time but results are normal and leumphocytes count normally comes more.pz. guide me what precautions should i take and how can i control her temperature.
hope for your positive and quick reply.
Dhara.

08 December, 2011 | Mrinal | Reply

Dear Dhara,
I am sorry your daughter keeps having these repeat bouts of high fever - the pediatricians know best how to manage any fever -
With regards to treatment - at Nutritionvista we do not treat the medical condition nor diagnose an illness.
But, what we can do for you and your little one is offer advice on how to keep her hydrated, and nourished in spite of the fever and to help her regain her strength.
I will have one of our team dietitians contact you directly and suggest what all you can do to help her nutritional status.
With best wishes,
Mrinal Jhangiani

25 October, 2011 | apoorva | Reply

hello DR,
my brother is 15 yrs old, suffering from viral fever from past 3 days.
he is not able to eat anything,n didn't had any thing to eat since yesterday (jst have juice sm time),due to which he is feeling so low and weak,,
just now he fall down due to unconsciousness,,,
n dats really scared me and my family..
we had made him drink ORS and glucose...
and also feeding him d medicines consulted by the Doctor..
bt his health is really worrying me,and specially after i saw him falling and hurting him self...
i dnt knw whether u will b able to tell me wat is to be done,,,
bt i m a bit calm after telling you the condition of ma brother..
pls reply
regards
apoorva

03 October, 2011 | L.C.Arora | Reply

From the suggestions given above by you I find that almost in all the cases you have suggested the patients to consult their physicians. If all patients have to go to their physicians what the necessity of your consultation. Your honour should suggest something common to all of us regarding viral fever. Regards.

04 October, 2011 | Vijayalakshmi Iyengar | Reply

Dear Mr Arora, As Ms Mrinal has clearly explained we do not advocate any medical treatment as we are not medical practitioners. Fever due to any reason requires medical attention first as otherwise it can lead to many complications. We as dietitians offer diet solutions such as what to feed the patients with fever, to combat weakness and dehydration on one hand and nurture the patient back to normal health as they overcome fever on the other.
Unfortunately we repeatedly get questions on what to do with a child`s fever. So our suggestion has always been `get a doctor to attend to the fever first‘and subsequently take our suggestions for diet. As a matter of fact if any one intently reads the article above, it has exhaustive information on what to feed anybody with fever or when they are recovering from one. Sometimes it pains us /worries us when patients constantly ask us for suggestions on how to deal with their child`s or spouse`s fever instead of going to their primary physician.
Vijayalakshmi Iyengar
Sr. Dietition, Nutritionvista.com

03 October, 2011 | Mrinal | Reply

Dear L.C. Arora,
Thank you for your comments - but perhaps you are not aware that with children the first line of treatment is getting the viral fever under control and the temperature down. Quite often we have had queries from parents who have a child suffering with high fever and they haven't made the effort to contact a pediatrician. A high fever is not just a symptom of fever it could be an indication of a more severe underlying condition. During the initial phases of a high fever that seems to spike - the first thing to do is bring the fever under control and find out what the cause in.
In the meanwhile the child must be kept as hydrated as possible with light juices, and plenty of water.
NutritionVista is a nutritional, preventive care company and nowhere do we claim to be a doctors practice.

Most parents who write to us about their childs fever - we reply to them in private as well and suggest that once the fever is under control - they call us back and then we work on the nutritional status of the child.
In most cases the parents do call our dietitians back for follow up advice.

22 September, 2011 | parvatham | Reply

My 2-1/2 year old daughter getting fever often and becomes weak at once she gets fever.. Pls advice me on diet for her..it wil be more helpful if u tell me what and all to give from morning to night...

22 September, 2011 | Vijayalakshmi Iyengar | Reply

Dear Ms Parvatam It appears that your daughter needs immediate medical attention. I suggest you take her to her pediatrician or your family physician and get her thoroughly examined to treat this condition asap. Meanwhile as we have already mentioned in the article, she needs to have rehydrating, as well as protein and energy dense fluids and soft foods. Her condition cannot be improved by diet alone.
After discussing with your doctor you can visit u son http://www.nutritionvista.com/User/Register/Default.aspx and register with us for a detailed diet plan customized for your daughter.
We wish the little one a speedy recovery.
Vijayalakshmi Iyengar
Sr Dietitian, NutritionVista.com

14 September, 2011 | P LAKSHMANA RAO | Reply

hai, my baby is suffering from fever from two days. in the night she is getting more fever above 100 what should i do in the night.

11 September, 2011 | neha | Reply

My husband is suffering from very high fever. It is gng on from a week due to which he is suffering huge weakness.During day, it comes to normal but in evening it again rises to 100 or descends to 97.5. Could you suggest diet for him ? Also, suggest some home remedies to cure it faster..

13 September, 2011 | Poonam | Reply

Hello Ms Neha,
The first thing that you need to do is immediately consult a doctor for your husband. Fever is often caused by some infection and he may need a few tests to diagnose the exact reason.The diet will depend upon the diagnosis but till then he must consume plenty of fluids and his food should be light, non oily and non spicy. He can consume milk, fruits, vegetables, cereals like rice, toast,thin dals, and stewed or boiled non veg foods if he is a non vegetarian.

19 July, 2011 | vandana peenwal | Reply

hi,
i want to know about my five year old son.he is suffering from fever .what diet should be given to him?

14 June, 2011 | naima | Reply

my 9.5months old baby is suffering from high fever.I am giving her 125mg napa sapositter to reduce high fever as it persists 101 to 103.can i give her gloucose water?

16 June, 2011 | Poonam | Reply

Hello Ms Naima,
I hope you have consulted a pediatrician for your baby's fever.
You might find it difficult to feed your baby when she is unwell. However, you need to ensure that her body is well hydrated. Glucose water is a good option. There is a list of fluids suggested in the above article- you can pick any of these as well.
Please keep in touch with a paeditrician regarding your baby's fever.
We wish her a speedy recovery.

09 May, 2011 | Sudha Barnwal | Reply

My daughter is 4.2years old.she is suffering from seasonal fever,vomit and stomach ace.so what kind of food given to her?She doesnot like any food items in this time and behaving irritating.Please suggest me.

10 May, 2011 | Poonam | Reply

Dear Ms Barnwal,
I hope you have consulted a pediatrician for your daughters illness.
You must give her plenty of fluids like, water, fresh lime, fruit juices, coconut water, non creamy soups, buttermilk, glucose etc.
You can feed her stewed apple, banana, curd, light moong dal and rice, steamed vegetables, pohe and upma. She may not have much of an appetite, so please give her small but frequent feeds.
Once her condition improves, you can start giving her small amounts of milk, toast and wheat based foods.

20 April, 2011 | Srividya Kumar Iyer | Reply

Thank you for the guidance. My daughter was sufferring from viral fever and presently the temperature has come down. She is avoiding food totally and drinking water. She used to drink horlicks when she was okay, but after viral fever she just takes a small sip and avoids its. I am bit worried about her diet. What should I do .

22 April, 2011 | Parul Bhatnagar | Reply

Dear Mrs. Iyer,
As your daughter has just recovered from fever, her appetite will increase slowly.
If she is not drinking milk properly, try to give her other milk products like curd, buttermilk, custard, kheer. Give lots of fluids to her in form of soups, fresh juices.

22 April, 2011 | Mrinal Jhangiani | Reply

Dear Mrs. Iyer, We are glad she is feeling better - it is tough to see ones child uncomfortable with fever.

Our dietitians will shortly give you some basic advise on how you can encourage your daughter to eat healthier and thus ensure she gets all the nutrition she needs to grow and nourish her body.

A very good tip - once she is better and as she grows older help her build good habits of being very active outdoors with play and sports.

14 April, 2011 | Sangeetha Narayana Swamy | Reply

Parents,

If your child has high fever (temperature beyond 100), the 1st priority is to get the temperature under control so please contact your pediatrician immediately. .

When the child is not well he/she will not be inclined to eat anything even their regular food. What is vital is to provide sufficient fluids to the child and keep the body hydrated. If your child refuses to consume any food/fluids, it might require that the energy and fluids is provided through IV (intravenous) which requires admission in the hospital.

Once the child is better and his fever is under control, you can consult with the dietitian for a balanced and nutritious diet.

13 April, 2011 | enumularaju | Reply

my son age is 22months he had two times fever 101 and spikes up to 103 and got fits(eye balls rotate, hands and legs folding for 1 minute in each episode)we consluted pediatrician and treated him in keeping obseration in ICU, doctor are being told us it is common in children when temparature rises but we are in trauma by seeing two times. i request you to advice on this and hou would we keep awy my child from this problem

13 April, 2011 | Vijayalakshmi Iyengar | Reply

Dear Mr Enumularaju,
Yes, high fever can cause convulsions, a lot like epilepsy (fits). So at the outset I request you to ensure that whenever your son gets fever kindly take him to a pediatrician immediately. You on your part should monitor his fever regularly. Its vital that the fever is kept low by administration of paracetamol syrup as by the instructions given on the bottle (in consultation with the childs doctor of course) and you put wet packs on his forehead and bring the fever down regularly. He also requires plenty of water and electrolytes(hydration) you might have to force feed the electral solution if need be , or admit him to the hospital if you cannot manage to prevent complications.
You have to be careful when you are dealing with children and any illness what so ever and not take anything for granted.
I also hope you have a regular pediatrician you consult as he/she will know his complete case history and not waste time discussing it should there be an emergency.
Vijayalakshmi Iyengar
Sr Dietitian, Nutritionvista.com

28 March, 2011 | GITESH Gandhi | Reply

My child is only 9 month but after gave measels vaccine, he got fever-vomitting and dieriaa since two days.please give me guidance

28 March, 2011 | Sangeetha Narayana Swamy | Reply

Dear Mr.Gandhi,

All children tend to get fever and loose stools after a vaccination, your pediatrician should have told you about it. But if the fever and diarrhea continues after 48 hours you have to consult him immediately. Keep the child hydrated with water and electrolytes. Also give him the medicine to control fever, this should be need based.

28 March, 2011 | Vijayalakshmi Iyengar | Reply

Dear Mr. Gandhi, Normally there is no need to worry as a vaccine, like any medicine, is capable of causing common adverse reactions like fever, diarrhea rash etc However it is advisable to consult your pediatrician or GP so that you can monitor the child and give timely medical help . Nevertheless ensure that the child is hydrated well, with water, fresh fruit juice, electrolyte solution,thin buttermilk, tender coconut water etc and the fever is managed (kept under control) so that there are no secondary complications. Should the symptoms exceed more than a day or day and a half, we suggest that you contact the doctor and apprise him/her of the same immediately.
All the best and wish the child a speedy recovery.
Thank you
Vijayalakshmi Iyengar
Sr Dietitian, NutritionVista.com

28 March, 2011 | Mrinal Jhangiani | Reply

Dear Mr. Gandhi,
I do hope you have contacted your baby's pediatrician and informed him of these symptoms. If not please do so immediately.

Before we can recommend any dietary suggestions we do recommend you have your baby evaluated at the earliest - diarrhea, vomiting and fever are serious symptoms and you must get a proper diagnosis from the pediatrician before taking any further action.
Most important is to keep the fever down, not let it spike and prevent the baby from getting dehydrated by giving electrolytes.

Our dietitians will recommend some dietary suggestions once the pediatrician has given his suggestions.
Good luck.

18 March, 2011 | sindu | Reply

my son is 6years old.his body is a warm one.but he has white hair on his head and hes thin and prone to cold .please advise to cool his body and make him immune more.

19 March, 2011 | Parul Bhatnagar | Reply

Hello Mr. Sindu,
Try to give lots of vegetables and fruits to your child. Foods rich in Vitamin C like gooseberries, orange, sweet lime, lemon can help to boost your son's immunity. Almonds are rich sources of vitamin E which is very good antioxidant and will increase resistance to fight diseases.
Please review with your pediatrician for any other health concern.

18 March, 2011 | Mrinal Jhangiani | Reply

Dear Mr. Sindu,
I do hope you have contacted your sons pediatrician and informed him of these symptoms. Any immune disorder or long term low grade fever must be thoroughly checked out. One question you may want to also find out is whether he has any food allergies.

Once the doc has reviewed him you can focus on nutrition. Regarding his diet that will help boost his immunity and reduce how often he gets colds - the most important advice we can offer is that he eat a well nourished diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, good protein like eggs and fish if he is a non-vegetarian and lots of lentils and beans if he is a vegetarian. Whole milk and dairy products should also be a part of his daily diet.
Our dietitians will give further details on what foods will keep him healthier.
Good luck.

16 January, 2011 | Jessica | Reply

What is Glucose water and Grules? Milk is ok during fever? I Heard it wasn't because milk will rot is stomach...I don't know if any of that is true...

18 January, 2011 | Vijayalakshmi Iyengar | Reply

Dear Jessica,
• Gruel is a thin porridge, made by cooking a little cereal like oats, rye, roasted rice, semolina, wheat flour etc, in milk or water. It is either sweet or salty and is easy to digest.
• Glucose water is mainly given to people who are too sick and do not have the energy to eat food. It is given as an emergency measure to instantly replenish water (to prevent dehydration) and glucose (to provide energy).
• It's perfectly alright to drink milk when you have a fever as long as you do not have nausea or vomiting. However milk like food, takes a little while to digest. Since a person with fever needs lots of fluids, it may be better to drink clear fluids rather than fill the stomach with milk
I hope I have cleared all your doubts. Kindly register with us (www.nutritionvista.com) so that we can help you with clinically sound advice on diet for various health problems
Thank You & best wishes
Vijayalakshmi Iyengar
Sr Dietitian, NutritionVista.com

13 January, 2011 | nidhi | Reply

hi, i want a suggestion as my child is suffering from light fever,dirroea,vomitting n stomatch ace so waht kind of food i can give him so that he can ehjoy it n like to feel eating please suggest me as soon as possible thanxs

13 January, 2011 | Mrinal | Reply

Dear Nidhi,
My first question to you is - I do hope you have had your pediatrician test and check your child to see the reason for fever, diarrhea, vomiting etc.
If not please do so right away.

In the meanwhile our dietitians will respond and guide you as to what you can feed your child to nourish the body and keep it hydrated.
Best wishes.

17 September, 2010 | 04172273224 | Reply

my female baby is now 3.7 age.she getting fever every month in the same date.after two days its gone by following calpal250 mg/6th hrly.
what is the reason for this type of ferver.her blood,urine test are normal.

27 August, 2010 | Vijayalakshmi | Reply

Dear Nidhi
Since your child is suffering from 102 fever I assume/hope that she is under the care of her primary physician or paediatrician. She probably will be on paracetamol to bring down fever. On your end work on reducing her fever with wet packs and giving her as much fluids -fruits juice, glucose plain water anything that she can take in. Continue this despite her vomiting, to prevent dehydration.If fever does not let up, inform the doctor without delay as she may get convulsions. Once fever goes down you can give foods as we have suggested in our article.

27 August, 2010 | nidhi jain | Reply

Thank u for all in4mation. my daughter is 5 year's old nd she is having 102 fever with vomiting nd sivere head ch.so what should i give her

08 August, 2009 | Support@NutritionVista.com | Reply

Hi Devika,
We have an article written by Padmashri, who is a dietitian with NutritionVista on 'Swine Flu - Dietary Tips.' The link is provided below. Please copy and paste it in your url.

http://www.nutritionvista.com/News-Articles/swine-flu-dietary-tips,174.aspx

Good luck,
Let us know if you were looking for something else.
Support@NutritionVista.com

08 August, 2009 | Devika, Calcutta | Reply

Any special instructions for eating that are different than this for Swine flu.

Also any suggestions for staying healthy to build immunity against swine flu.

18 July, 2009 | Support | Reply

Dear Ms Sonia,
We do hope you have already talked to your child's doctor regarding the viral fever.
The most important thing is to ensure the child is kept well hydrated with fluids and does not become dehydrated.
Please contact one of our dietitians through Live chat for further advice.
Sincerely,

17 July, 2009 | sonia | Reply

Thank you for the valuable imformation. My child 8 years old is having viral fever and dose not want to have bland food .what should i give her

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