Watching a child have a seizure is frightening, even when you know what to expect. Knowing a small number of simple, practical steps in advance can help you respond calmly and keep your child safe. This article covers general seizure first aid; if your child's seizure is associated with fever, see our companion article on Febrile Seizures for more on what that specifically means. Fever itself is also covered in our broader guide on fever in children.
What a seizure can look like
Seizures don't always look the same. Common signs include stiffening or jerking movements of the limbs, the eyes rolling back, staring or a sudden loss of awareness, unresponsiveness, and sometimes frothing or drooling from the mouth. You don't need to identify the exact type of seizure in the moment — the safety steps below apply regardless.
What to do during a seizure
- Stay calm, and stay with your child for the entire episode
- Note the time it starts — this is one of the most useful things you can do, since duration determines whether emergency care is needed
- Ease your child to the ground if they're standing or sitting, to prevent a fall injury
- Clear the area of any nearby furniture, sharp objects, or hazards
- Once they're safely on the ground and it's possible to do so, turn your child gently onto their side — this helps keep the airway clear and lets any saliva drain out rather than pool. This is a safety measure to apply when you can, not something to force against ongoing jerking movements
- Put something soft and flat under their head, such as a folded piece of clothing
- Loosen anything tight around the neck that could restrict breathing
- If you're able to, briefly video record the seizure on your phone — this is genuinely useful for your doctor in understanding what happened
- Stay until your child is fully recovered, and reassure them calmly — they may be confused, sleepy, or disoriented for a while afterward, which is a normal part of recovering from a seizure, not a separate problem
What NOT to do
- Do not restrain your child or try to stop the movements — this can cause injury and doesn't stop the seizure
- Do not put anything in your child's mouth — not a spoon, your fingers, or any object. Swallowing the tongue is a myth; the real risks are injury to the teeth or jaw, or injury to you
- Do not give food, drink, or any medicine by mouth until your child is fully alert — there's a real risk of choking or the liquid going into the airway while consciousness is impaired
- Do not place any object in your child's hand, and don't try folk remedies such as making them smell something strong (onion, a shoe, or similar) — these don't stop a seizure and can waste time that's better spent on the steps above
When to call for emergency help
Call for emergency medical help immediately if:
- The seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes
- A second seizure starts before your child fully recovers from the first
- Your child has difficulty breathing, or their lips or face turn blue or grey
- Your child is injured during the seizure
- This is your child's first-ever seizure — even if it's brief and they recover well, it still needs prompt medical evaluation
- The seizure happened in water
- Your child doesn't return to their normal level of alertness within a reasonable time afterward
- Anything about the seizure looks different from previous episodes, for a child with a known seizure disorder
This clinic does not provide emergency services. If your child needs emergency care, go to the nearest emergency department or call for emergency medical help directly.
Doctor-prescribed rescue medication
For some children with a history of prolonged or frequently repeated seizures, a pediatrician or neurologist may individually prescribe a rescue medicine — sometimes a nasal spray — to be given at home if a seizure continues past a certain point. This is decided, dosed, and explained individually by your child's own doctor, and should only be used if you've been specifically prescribed and shown how to use it beforehand. It isn't something to start on your own, and isn't part of general first aid for a first or unexplained seizure.
After the seizure
Once your child has recovered, let your pediatrician know what happened, even if your child seems completely back to normal. It helps to have a brief record ready: what time it started and stopped, what your child was doing beforehand, what the seizure looked like, and how long it took them to return to normal afterward.
Frequently asked questions
Can my child swallow their tongue during a seizure? No — this is a persistent myth. It's physically not possible to swallow your own tongue, and trying to put something in the mouth to "prevent" this can cause real injury instead.
Should I hold my child down to stop the jerking movements? No. Holding a child down during a seizure doesn't stop it and can cause injury to your child or to you. Focus on clearing the area and positioning them safely instead.
What if I'm not sure whether what I saw was actually a seizure? Treat it as one and follow the safety steps above regardless. Describe exactly what you saw to your pediatrician so they can help work out what happened and whether further evaluation is needed.
See our General Pediatric Consultation service page for more on how acute concerns like this are assessed at this clinic.
Further reading
- First Aid for Seizures — CDC
- First Aid for Seizures: Stay, Safe, Side — Epilepsy Foundation
- Care of Children with Febrile Seizure — IAP Guidelines for Parents
General, current guidance for educational purposes — not individualized medical advice, and not a substitute for emergency care. Always confirm specific care decisions for your child with your own pediatrician, and seek emergency care directly whenever you believe your child needs it.