If your child is having a febrile seizure, place them on their side on the floor, move anything hard or sharp away from them, and start timing. That’s the core of what you need to do. Most febrile seizures stop on their own within a few minutes and don’t cause lasting harm, but knowing exactly how to respond (and what not to do) makes a real difference in keeping your child safe.
Step by Step: What to Do Right Now
Place your child on their side on a soft, flat surface like a carpeted floor. This position keeps their airway clear if they vomit or produce extra saliva. Don’t place them on a bed, table, or any raised surface where they could fall.
Start timing the seizure as soon as you can. The duration matters because it determines whether you need emergency help. While the seizure is happening, stay close, loosen any tight clothing around their neck or waist, and move nearby objects out of the way. Your main job is to protect them from injury and watch closely.
Once the seizure stops, your child will likely be drowsy, confused, or irritable. This recovery phase typically lasts between five and 30 minutes, though some children feel off for several hours. Let them rest. Don’t try to wake them up or get them moving right away.
What Not to Do
The instinct to hold your child or restrain their movements is strong, but doing so increases the risk of injury. Don’t try to pin their arms or legs down, and don’t hold them in your arms during the seizure.
Never put anything in their mouth. Children don’t swallow their tongues during seizures, and placing fingers, a spoon, or cloth in their mouth creates a real choking hazard. Also avoid giving them water, food, or medicine by mouth until the seizure is fully over and they’re alert enough to swallow safely.
When to Call 911
Call for emergency help if the seizure lasts longer than five minutes. Also call if your child has a second seizure within the same illness, if they don’t start improving shortly after the seizure ends, or if they have trouble breathing once the shaking stops. A seizure lasting under five minutes in an otherwise healthy child doesn’t usually require an ambulance, but it’s still worth calling your pediatrician afterward, especially if it’s the first time it’s happened.
What a Febrile Seizure Looks Like
Febrile seizures happen when a young child’s body temperature rises quickly, usually during an infection. They affect about 2% to 5% of children between 6 months and 5 years old. The child may stiffen, shake, roll their eyes back, or become unresponsive. It looks alarming, but the seizure itself is not damaging the brain.
There are two types. A simple febrile seizure involves the whole body, lasts less than 15 minutes (most are much shorter), and happens only once in a 24-hour period. A complex febrile seizure lasts 15 minutes or longer, may affect only one side of the body, or occurs more than once within 24 hours. Complex seizures need medical evaluation, but even these are rarely dangerous.
After the Seizure: What to Expect
Children are often exhausted and want to sleep after a seizure. Some are confused or clingy for a while. This is normal. The recovery period can last anywhere from a few minutes to a full day, though most kids bounce back within an hour or so. Let your child sleep if they want to, and don’t push activities until they seem like themselves again. If they still seem disoriented or unusually sleepy after 24 hours, contact your doctor.
Your child will still have a fever after the seizure, since the underlying illness hasn’t resolved. You can give a fever reducer once they’re awake and able to swallow. However, it’s important to know that fever-reducing medication does not prevent another seizure from happening. Multiple clinical trials have found that giving these medications during a febrile illness does not lower the chance of a repeat seizure. The seizure appears to be triggered by the rapid change in temperature, not the peak of the fever itself.
Recurrence and Long-Term Risk
About one in three children who have a febrile seizure will have another one during a future illness, most commonly within the first year. Younger children and those with lower fevers at the time of their first seizure tend to have higher recurrence rates.
The overall risk of developing epilepsy after febrile seizures is 2% to 5%, roughly double the rate in the general population. That still means the vast majority of children who have febrile seizures never develop epilepsy. Children with simple febrile seizures carry the lowest risk. Those with complex febrile seizures, a family history of epilepsy, or developmental delays before the seizure have a somewhat higher chance and are typically monitored more closely by their pediatrician.