Caring for children (a quick guide)

Many people with epilepsy successfully care for babies and young children. If your seizures are not controlled, there are some precautions you can take. These will help to make sure a baby or child in your care is as safe as possible in the event of you having a seizure.

• If possible, share the care of a baby, especially at night, so you do not become too exhausted. Some people with epilepsy find that lack of sleep or feeling very tired can trigger their seizures.
• When feeding a baby from a bottle or your breast, you could sit on the floor on a towel or a rug, so that if you have a seizure your baby does not have far to fall.
• When a child is taking more solid food, you could put them in a bouncer chair or car seat on the floor and sit next to them when feeding them.
• When a child is using a high chair, make sure you could not knock the chair over if you had a seizure.
• Never bathe a baby or child on your own. Instead give them a simple sponge bath or seek the support of another adult.
• Change a baby’s nappy on the floor. Changing units are not recommended, as the baby could roll off if you had a seizure.
• When carrying a baby up or down stairs, use a car seat to provide protection from a fall.
• Use safety gates and fixed fireguards around the home, to keep a baby or child safe if you have a seizure.
• Use a pram with a brake that comes on when you release the handle. REMAP can provide advice on safety brakes for prams. Contact them directly for further details.
  Tel: 08451 300 456 (UK only).
  Website: www.remap.org.uk
• When you take a child out, use reins that are attached to you and them, to prevent the child wandering off if you have a seizure.
• Teach a child as soon as possible what to do if you have a seizure. Epilepsy Action has a range of information available that can help you explain epilepsy to young children.  Contact the Epilepsy Helpline for more information, freephone 0808 800 5050 or email helpline@epilepsy.org.uk
• As with all medicines, make sure all your anti-epileptic drugs are locked away from children at all times.

• Telling your child
• Safety advice

• See also - Epilepsy and caring for children: a comprehensive guide

November 2008

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