Febrile Seizures. Any one gone through this with their child?

Question

I have a 17 month old daughter and since she was about 10 months old she has had 2 febrile seizures. They are not life threating and do no harm to your child but it scares the s**t out of you. They happen when their fever gets too high too fast. I'm terrified to leave her at the babysitters and go to work when she is sick because I'm afraid this will happen. The doctor says it is common, but I was just wondering if this has happened to anyone else's child?

Answer 1

I have never dealt with febrile seizures, but I do have a son that has a history of epilepsy and it started around 20 months old.  Now, I say he has a history of epilepsy because he is 9 now and no longer takes medication or has seizures and hasn't for years.  I know how scary it is.  I guess the fact that your baby is getting a little older has to be some consolation.  If I remember correctly, febrile seizures are more common in children under the age of 2.  Just make sure you have a sitter that you trust and that knows basic first aid.  She should know how to handle the situation should it arise and if you have someone that has some experience handling seizures in others, that would put your mind at ease a little.  If there is someone that has never even seen one, I would expect them to panic a little even if they knew of the possibility.  I wish you the best of luck.

Answer 2

My nephew used to have them. He's 8 now and he's prefectly fine, hasn't had one since he was little. The doctors are right- it's fairly common and not harmful. When your kids are sick you should stay home with them so I don't see why that's an issue. But even if you were to leave for some reason- just give the babysitter a warning. I worked in childcare and once had a child who's parents did NOT warn me that she had febrile seizures. She had one within a few weeks of starting at the daycare and I swear I almost had a heart attack. But your child should be fne- like you said, not harmful just scary.

Answer 3

My oldest son had one in the middle of a grocery store when he was about 14 months old.  He has since outgrown them.  You are right they are very terrifying!