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Natural Remedies for Fever in Children: Safe and Effective Treatments

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
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Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Christy B (Turbotville, Pennsylvania, United States ) on 06/27/2024
 ★★★★★

I have been a fan of Earth Clinic for 12 years now, ever since I discovered how to beat pink eye with colloidal silver when my oldest daughter was 4 years old. Since that first visit, I have checked EC whenever the kids or I get sick and have found loads of natural ways to heal us. However, I've never felt compelled to write a review until tonight.

My youngest daughter is 3 years old and came down with what I assume is a summer bug. It's upper respiratory, so she's pretty stuffy, but otherwise she was acting fairly normal today. Her appetite was a bit light, but not alarmingly so, and she played just as happily as ever.

Unfortunately, just before bedtime she started to get a fever. Getting her to take medicine is a total nightmare, so I usually just let fevers run their course. She fell asleep quickly but was resting fitfully. We co-sleep, and around 2:30 a.m., I woke up because I could feel she was burning up. I took her temp and it was 104.3.

I was trying to decide what to do, whether to risk attempting to give her medicine or put her in a like warm bath, but she was still asleep and I wanted to let her continue to rest if possible. Once again, I came to Earth Clinic hoping someone would have a good remedy for me to try.

Apple cider vinegar was at the top of the list and I knew I had some on hand because I had recently used it to help my dog with a yeast infection in his ears. I quietly slipped out to the kitchen, grabbed a small basin and a few paper towels, and filled the basin with 3 parts water to 1 part apple cider vinegar (with the mother).

I returned to my bedroom and tried placing a damp paper towel on my daughter's forehead, but she kept swiping at it in her sleep. I then wiped as much of her body as I could reach with the towels, starting at her feet and working my way up to her tummy, pausing for as long as she would let me on each door, leg, and then her torso.

When I was satisfied that I had covered as much of her body as I could, I took two of the paper towels, rung them out as much as possible, and tried to wrap them around her feet. She of course kicked them off immediately, so I folded one towel and held it against the bottom of one of her feet. Somehow she accepted that and let me hold it there for about 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes was up, the paper towel was nearly dry, so I put it back in the basin and checked her temp again. 99.8! I couldn't believe it. That was about 15 minutes ago and it's holding steady at that temp. She's sleeping peacefully now and her breathing even seems a bit better.

I decided to write the review so that other people would know that even if you can't follow someone else's protocol exactly, it might still work for you. I was so worried that it wouldn't work when I couldn't keep it on her forehead or wrapped around her feet, but thankfully it did! This will forever be my go-to remedy for fevers from now on.

Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Danzi (Cape Town) on 12/26/2022
 ★★★★★

My 3 year old daughter recently had Herpangina (part of coxsackie virus family). Similar to hand foot and mouth disease, but it's main concerns are high fever and mouth sores. She had a fever of 39.2 Celsius (102.5 F). It kept climbing during the day despite a luke warm bath, taking off her clothes and pain med. I got very concerned and looked at cures on Earthclinic. For her I soaked two paper towels in the whites of two eggs and placed it into two butcher bags (one each). Put her feet in and tied the bag around her feet. Then I dipped a towel in a mixture of roughly 80% water and 20% ACV and wrung it out. Put that on the length of her body. Put her to bed like that, wearing only her night diaper. Every time I checked her fever during the night it was down and by morning it was back to normal.

A couple of days later my 2 year old boy got the same thing. His fever was 38 C (100.4 F) when I acted (which was at 1h00 AM in the morning). The egg whites are messy, so I decided to first see if ACV on its own won't do the trick. His skin is more sensitive, so I watered it down more. Roughly 1 part ACV to 6 parts water and just enough to wet a towel in a little basin. Wrung it out. Undressed him (save for his diaper) and put the towel on the length of his body. He protested a bit (towel was cold), but I stroked his head till he calmed down and he didn't throw it off. By 7 AM in the morning I checked again and his fever was down to normal. So with him nothing but ACV (no pain meds or bath or anything). It is summer here in South Africa, so I wasn't concerned about his temp should the fever break and his has a wet cloth on him.

A lady I know says her grandmother always makes vinegar cloths (she used plain spirit vinegar) to wipe their foreheads during a fever and it works well. I figured a cloth down the length of your body will be even better and will also cool the body. And ACV is off course better than regular for various health reasons, but in a pinch, try the regular spirit vinegar.

Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Yeshai (Brooklyn, Ny) on 02/23/2017
 ★★★★★

My 2 year old woke up with 105.2. I quickly went to the site while waiting for his doctor to call us. I saw the apple cider vinegar cure. I quickly filled up a bath and dumped a little less then a half a bottle of organic apple cider vinegar, and with in 10-15 minutes he was down to 101.7. Amazing!!!!!

P.S. I'm still waiting for the doctor to call me back.

Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Karen (Clarkston) on 06/28/2014
 ★★★★★

Vinegar works for a lot of ails. In the bible, did not Mary wipe vinegar on Jesus in his hour of pain? Nothing I have used it for comes back void. It works every time. Staple in our house!!

Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Kb (San Diego, Ca) on 09/11/2012
 ★★★★★

When I was a kid and had a fever my grandmother would always strip me down to my underwear and rub vinegar all over my body. I use to hate it because of how bad it smelled but it worked incredibly well. I have always been looking for people who have heard of doing this before and never have until now.

Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Andreea (Grimsby, On) on 09/11/2012
 ★★★★★

Hello, I know of apple cider vinegar for fevers and I now do it for my son as well. It works. I mix the vinegar with water though as I think vinegar alone is too strong, and I heat it up a little and after rubbing it in I wrap my son in a warm blaket and let him sweat.

Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Caco_girl (Cebu City, Philippines) on 11/16/2011
 ★★★★★

My brother is really chilling and shivering to death with a 40 degrees centigrade.. His fever lasted for 3 days and continuoulsy taking lots of medicine.. Until someone told us to use vinegar ( not the ACV but the real liquid vinegar) as an alternative for water.. So instead of soaking the towel with a water while applying tepid sponge bath all over his body we use the vinegar.. I was really amazed upon using it especially that I am into a medical field.. It may sound so awful but geeeezzz, I dunno what happened but trust me. On the next day he was well with a normal body temperature.. It's not expensive and very effective.. There's no harm on trying anyways.. But as a first timer, hands up on this...

Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Naturmom (Slidell, La) on 02/27/2011
 ★★★★★

My mom has sworn by ACV for years now. After getting up with my 8 year old son about 6 times throughout the night and awaking to a 104. 1 fever. We had been giving acetominaphen and ibuprofin. I immediately searched/found this website. To ensure things moved quickly I gave him about 4oz ACV, honey, water to drink and soaked a wash cloth with ACV and switched between his forehead and stomach/chest. Within 30 minutes he was back down to 102. 3 and still falling. From here on out I will use ACV before I turn to over the counter fever reducers.

Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Rocketruiz (San Jose, Ca) on 10/26/2009
 ★★★★★

I am totally a believer in apple cider vinegar. My mom would use home remedies with us in Africa as healthcare was either not available or very expensivee. My 18 month daughter had a high fever of over 100.2 degrees. I freaked out since she has never really been sick with a fever before. I called my mom, who still lives in South Africa, for advice the next morning, as my daughter's fever still had not broken. She advised me to bath her in a tub of lukewarm water (not hot, but cooled down) with a cup of apple cider vinegar. I did it this evening before bedtime, a 7 pm. At 9pm my daughter woke up crying. I went into the room, to find her wet from sweat, and cooler! Her fever had broken!

Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Ratazayah (Newark, NJ)
★★★★★

When I was an infant the Dr's told my mom I was going to die, due to a particularly high fever. She was told by an elderly friend to soak a wash cloth in acv and place one on my forehead and one on my stomach, while it smells like all get out, my mom was able to check me out of the hospital and from that day onward, it's literally been a life saver to all the children in our family with high fevers. It takes about an hour to break the fever.

Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Ratazayah (Newark, NJ)
★★★★★

When I was an infant the Dr's told my mom I was going to die, due to a particularly high fever. She was told by an elderly friend to soak a wash cloth in apple cider vinegar and place one on my forehead and one on my stomach, while it smells like all get out, my mom was able to check me out of the hospital and from that day onward, it's literally been a life saver to all the children in our family with high fevers. It takes about an hour to break the fever.



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