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The main symptom of a febrile seizure is that your child's body twitches or shakes. Children also lose consciousness. Your child won't look at you or react to your voice.

It can be really frightening to see your child having a seizure. They may foam at the mouth, vomit, or wet or soil themselves. It's important to remember that children get completely better after most kinds of febrile seizures.

The kind of seizure we talk about here is called a simple febrile seizure. Some other kinds of febrile seizure may last longer or take longer to recover from. To find out more, see Other types of seizures.

Most children who have a simple febrile seizure twitch or shake evenly on both sides of their body.¹ Or they may go rigid, holding their arms and legs stiffly. They won't respond to anything around them. The seizure will probably be over in a minute or two, and certainly in less than 15 minutes. Some last only a few seconds.

If one side of your child's body seems to jerk or twitch more vigorously, it could mean your child is having a complex febrile seizure. A seizure that lasts longer than 15 minutes may also be a complex seizure. These seizures can take longer for your child to recover from. If only one side of your child's body moves, or the seizure lasts longer than five minutes, take your child to see their doctor or to the hospital, or call 911 for an ambulance.

Children may go into a very deep sleep after their seizure. You may not be able to wake them up. But this isn't unusual, and it's not part of the seizure.

Febrile seizures are caused by a fever. But the seizure can be the first sign that your child has a fever. So don't worry if you hadn't noticed your child was feeling ill. Lots of parents don't notice anything unusual about their child until the seizure starts.

If your child has a febrile seizure, your first instinct will probably be to take your child to the hospital or call 911 for an ambulance. It's always a good idea to see a doctor if someone has had a seizure. It's especially important to see a doctor if it's the first seizure your child has had.

There are also some other things you can do to help your child and help their doctor find out what type of seizure they had. To find out more, see What should I do if my child has a seizure?

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.