What parents need to know about febrile seizures

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - One in 25 children will have a febrile seizure in their life.

Febrile seizures happen in children 6 months to 6 years old, but are most common in toddlers ages 12-18 months.

This type of seizure is brought on by a fever.

Signs are a loss of consciousness, convulsing of the limbs, and eyes rolling back in the head.

Dr. David Dredge is a pediatric neurologist at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield and urges parents to remain calm before taking steps to keep kids safe during a febrile seizure. 

"A child should be on a flat surface, best on the floor placed on his or her side, because if they have saliva or vomit, we don't want the child choking on the vomit. We tell parents to pay attention to time.  Time is important because shorter seizures, we consider less dangerous and longer seizures, we consider dangerous so five minutes is the cut off," said Dr. Dredge.

Keep in mind that febrile seizures can last up to 15 minutes in some kids, but parents should call 911 regardless to have their child checked out.

The majority of children who have one will never go on to develop a seizure disorder.