How to Manage Childhood Fevers at Home

by Daciana Iancu, M.D.

Why are fevers good for children? 

Children develop their immunity most intensely during the first 7 years of their life.  This is the time when they build and sculpt the body.  Just like the children learn through imitation during this time, so does the immune system.  Initially the children borrow immunity from their mother through the placenta and from breast milk.  This only lasts for about 2 months.  Afterwards they “catch” an illness. This is also a form of imitation.  The immune system works by causing inflammation and then fever and afterwards a discharge in the shape of mucus or diarrhea.  The immune system needs a little time and practice in order to master this function.  If we continuously suppress the immune system with anti-fever medication and antibiotics, it will never develop its strong ability to protect and detoxify the human body. 

In Anthroposophic medicine we believe that the task of the child in the first 7 years is to mold and transform the hereditary body into a home that is compatible with our soul’s and spirit’s purpose.  This wrestling between the physical body, the emotional body and the spirit gives rise to the childhood illnesses. 

From Rudolf Steiner’s A Course for Young Doctors, Dornach, April 21, 1924:

“In the first life-period, therefore, there is a perpetual struggle between what comes from us out of the previous incarnation and what comes from hereditary development; the two elements fight with each other.  The illnesses of childhood are the expression of this fight.  Just think how intimately the whole inner being of soul and spirit is bound up with the physical organization during childhood.  When the second teeth appear, you can see how they push up against the first, how they still have tussles with each other, and in this same way the whole second man has tussle with the first.  But within the second man there is the super-earthly being, in the first a foreign, earthly model.  These two work into one another…  What is, in reality, a mutual struggle expresses itself in the illnesses of childhood.  Moreover, it is only possible to understand truly what comes later if these things can be properly reckoned with…”

It is usually during a fever that we can see the struggle and, afterwards, the transformation in the child’s body or milestones.  After a fever many parents report that the child is very different.  

A successful collaboration and transformation helps the child to become very different in the second 7-year stage than the child was in the first 7 years.  That means that the soul and spirit have transformed the body to fit the task they have come here to perform. 

Every remodeling job requires some demolition, a breaking down of part of the inherited bodily structure in order to rebuild it better.  This breaking down of old cells and tissues results in debris, which must be cleaned up before the body rebuilds itself.  This is what happens during an illness with fever and inflammation.  Debris that remains in the body may act like a poison, may cause allergies or repeated inflammations later on.  Therefore, this debris must be cleared.  This cleaning/detox is done via the mucus, phlegm, diarrhea, etc that carry the debris out of the body.

How to Support a Child during a Fever

“Dr. Diet, Dr. Quiet, and Dr. Merryman” (William Bullein)

Dr. Diet

Cleansing.  Allow the body to focus on the illness by reducing extra work

• A light diet.  The body is trying to digest and eliminate toxins and it will help if it doesn’t have to digest much food at the same time.
• Avoid Constipation.  Constipation makes it more difficult for the body to get rid of toxins from infections. If any constipation, give prunes or prune juice.  Also consider cleansing with a glycerin suppository once followed by a dose of Milk of Magnesia once daily for 3-5 days (For infants under one year old, fennel tea and diluted juices from stewed organic prunes will help loosen the stools.)
• Cleanse the Urinary system by drinking Equisetum (Horsetail) tea
• Lots of warm herb teas

Dr. Quiet

In today’s world no one is given the time to be sick.  Fear of missing work, school, inconveniencing others, or interrupting our busy schedules drives people to get well and symptom free as soon as possible.

• Let your child rest quietly without excessive stimulation (tv, movies, music, chaotic environment) in a darkened room. 
• Create an environment that allows frequent, deep, uninterrupted sleep
• The more one can sleep during an illness, the better

Dr Merryman:

Mastering Fear

• Remember that fever is a good thing, a sign that the immune system and the body are doing what they are supposed to be doing
• Fever is a healthy response to the presence of something foreign or toxic that the body needs to get rid of
• Children tend to have higher fevers than adults
• Giving Tylenol or Advil for the fever is killing this healthy response
• Fever convulsions/seizures are actually quite rare and they happen in a small minority of children who have a low threshold for convulsions.  
• About 4% of children experience febrile seizures between 6 months to 6 years. 
• Fever convulsions do not cause any permanent damage to the brain or nervous system
• Lowering fevers with Tylenol or Advil or a bath will not prevent seizures
• The majority of children who are susceptible to fever seizures will outgrow their susceptibility by age 7. 
• Fever seizures are more likely to happen when the temperature is rising quickly than when the temperature is high
• Following these recommendations will decrease the chance that a fever seizure or convulsion will occur
• In the very rare case when a fever goes up to 106 you should call a doctor or go to ER

Warmth. Our immune system works through warmth. You can foster warmth

Physically:

1. Wear extra layers of clothing, blankets.  Warmth from natural fibers, such as wool and silk, are best.  Children need an extra layer of clothing compared to the adults around them.  
2. Drink warm liquids like herbal teas and veggie broths. Avoid cold drinks, ice, and popsicles. 
3. Fever:  the body creates fever to work through an illness and can be helped in its work by keeping the body warm (warm baths, extra clothes, extra blankets).  Fever suppression with Tylenol or Ibuprofen should be avoided. 

Spiritually and socially: 

1. patience,
2. kind words
3. creating a space for cleansing and renewal

You may also rub the arms and legs and head with a washcloth moistened with tepid water and Arnica or lemon juice.  Rub vigorously to make the skin red.  This will help open the circulation in the periphery and bring the heat to the extremities and dissipate it out through the skin. 

Silicea Belladonna (U) is helpful for acute, painful inflammatory processes in the head region (nose, ear, anterior eye parts, sinuses).  Great for treating painful sinusitis and painful ear infections.

Aconitum Bryonia (U) is helpful for the white phase of fevers and also for bronchitis and pneumonia. 

Sabadilla Eucalyptus (U) or Infludo (W) are helpful for the white phase of fevers and also for chest colds, flu, and coughs. 

Other remedies that will support the child during a fever: 

1. Ferrum phosphoricum 6x (TB or U) for colds, coughs, flu and prolonged convalescence. Give 4 times daily. 
2. Cinnabar Dandelion (U) or Cinnabar Pyrite 6x (TB) for sore throats and head colds.  4 times daily
3. Lung Root and Elderberry Thyme Syrup (TB) are fantastic for immune support especially in the respiratory system.  They mix well with hot tea!! Use often!
4. Meteoric Iron prunus for boosting immunity and helping with the fatigue and convalesce associated with illness.  Give 3 times per day, last one should be given at least 4 hours before bedtime.  Meteoric iron prunus is also helpful to prevent the flu and the common colds and can be taken just once per day during the winter season for maintenance. 

Dosage: 

• 1 drop or pellet for infants under 6 months old.  
• 2 drops or pellets for 6 months-2 years
• Above 2 years use as many drops or pellets as the child’s age in years (i.e. 4 drops for 4 yrs old)

Up to the limit of 10, which is the dose for anyone over 10 years old. 

• The dose for powders is the same for all ages:  a heap of powder the size of a pea or a dull knife-tip. 
• The dose for tablets is 1 tablet for anyone under 7 and 2 tablets for anyone over 7.  
• For infants crush tablets or pellets into powder and moisten with a few drops of liquid in a spoon. 
• Never wake up the ill person to give a remedy or change a lemon calf compress.  Sleep is the best healer. 
• The remedies work better when they are given regularly and consistently.  
• As the illness is improving, the frequency of the dose can be decreased from every 1-2 hours to 3-4 times per day.  
• Don’t stop the remedies until 2-3 days after the fever and other symptoms are completely resolved
• The Ferrum Phos and Meteoric iron Prunus can be given for 1-2 weeks more after this point as a strengthening tonic. 

The FDA does not require expiration on homeopathic remedies.  Usually they are potent for decades if properly shielded from extremes.  You can judge oils and liquids by their odor and appearance. 

Conclusion

Allowing a fever to take its course is beneficial for strengthening the immune system and clearing out toxins.  Rest, warmth and good elimination help support a child through fever.  Anthroposophic remedies and home-made compresses can help as well. 

Fevers help our children grow into the healthy individuals that they are destined to become!

Additional Reading:

Caring for the Patient with a Fever

Additional Resources

This post was originally published in the Holiday 2025 Newsletter