[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/) › [Paediatric nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/pediatric/) › The child with seizures: febrile seizures, epilepsy and family teaching # The child with seizures: febrile seizures, epilepsy and family teaching - Safe practice During a seizure keep the child safe on one side, time it and never put anything in the mouth; afterwards, record what happened and teach the family. Updated Nov 13, 2026 ## Key points - Turn the child onto one side, clear the area, put something soft under the head and loosen tight clothing. - Never hold the child down and never put anything in the mouth. - Time the seizure: one lasting more than 5 minutes, or a second one soon after, is an emergency. - A febrile seizure lasting more than 15 minutes, affecting one part of the body, or recurring in the same illness is not typical: report it. - Fever medicine makes the child comfortable but does not prevent febrile seizures. ## What it is Seizures frighten families more than almost anything else. Febrile seizures happen in healthy children from about 6 months to 5 years and are usually brief. Epilepsy means recurrent seizures without a provoking cause. The nurse keeps the child safe during a seizure, times it, protects the airway, recognises when it is an emergency, observes and records the event and the recovery, and teaches the family first aid. Bedside safety measures are on the seizure precautions page. ## What it requires - First aid: side position, safe surroundings, time, observe, stay with the child. - Emergency: longer than 5 minutes, repeated seizures, breathing difficulty, not waking, injury, a seizure in water, a first seizure. - History that AIEPI asks for: aura, loss of consciousness, staring, automatisms, duration, number of episodes, last episode, whether only with fever. - Rescue medicine only as prescribed, per protocol. ## How it is applied (and why) - Stay with the child, note the start time and call for help — timing decides when it becomes an emergency. - Lower the child to a safe surface and turn onto one side, mouth pointing down — saliva and vomit drain out. - Move hard objects away and put something soft under the head — this prevents injury. - Loosen clothing around the neck; do not restrain and put nothing in the mouth — restraint and objects cause harm. - Watch breathing and colour and give oxygen per protocol — airway and oxygen come first. - Over 5 minutes or another seizure follows: get urgent help and give rescue medicine only as prescribed — this may be status epilepticus. - Record what it looked like, which body parts moved, duration and the recovery — the description helps diagnosis. - After the seizure, keep the child on one side and give nothing by mouth until fully alert — drowsy children can choke. - Teach the family first aid, when to call for help and how to keep a seizure diary — the family is often the first to act. ## In nursing practice - Most febrile seizures stop within minutes; the child may be drowsy or confused for a while afterwards. - Few children have more than three febrile seizures; their number is not linked to later epilepsy. - AIEPI asks about neurological signs with acute or progressive onset (weakness on one side, gait, speech or vision problems) and developmental delay. - After the first febrile seizure, the child is assessed in an emergency service even if it ended quickly. ## Common mistakes - Putting a finger, spoon or object in the child's mouth. - Holding the limbs to stop the movements. - Not timing the seizure, so no one knows when 5 minutes have passed. - Telling the family that fever medicine will prevent the next febrile seizure. ## Test yourself Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it. ## What is the first-aid position for a child having a convulsive seizure? Lying on one side with the mouth pointing down, on a safe surface, with something soft under the head. ## When does a seizure become an emergency? When it lasts more than 5 minutes, another follows soon after, the child has trouble breathing or does not wake, is injured, or it is a first seizure. ## Does fever medicine prevent febrile seizures? No. It makes the child more comfortable but does not lower the chance of another febrile seizure. ## What should the nurse record after a seizure? Start time and duration, what the movements looked like and where, colour and breathing, and how the child recovered. [Add to my cards (4)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/nursing/the-child-with-seizures-febrile-seizures-epilepsy-and-family-teaching/) ## Connections ## Related 2 - [Seizure precautions and care during a seizure](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/seizure-precautions-and-care-during-a-seizure/) - [The child with fever: measuring, comfort, family teaching and red flags](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/the-child-with-fever-measuring-comfort-family-teaching-and-red-flags/) ## Related conditions 4 - [Febrile seizures](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/febrile-seizures/) - [Epilepsy and seizures](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/epilepsy-and-seizures/) - [Status epilepticus](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/status-epilepticus/) - [Infantile spasms (West syndrome)](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/infantile-spasms/) [← All of nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/) Educational content for students; it does not replace your institution's protocols, supervised clinical training or a prescriber's order. Dose-calculation examples use made-up numbers: they are educational, not a clinical order. Sources: [First Aid for Seizures](https://www.cdc.gov/epilepsy/first-aid-for-seizures/index.html) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024); [Febrile seizures](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000980.htm) (MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2024); [Cuadro de procedimientos AIEPI (Atención Integrada a las Enfermedades Prevalentes de la Infancia)](https://www.minsalud.gov.co/sites/rid/Lists/BibliotecaDigital/RIDE/VS/PP/cuadro-procedimientos-atencion-integrada-enfermedades-prevalentes-infancia.pdf) (Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social de Colombia, 2016). ## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/nursing/the-child-with-seizures-febrile-seizures-epilepsy-and-family-teaching/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/nursing/the-child-with-seizures-febrile-seizures-epilepsy-and-family-teaching/