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What should I do if my baby has a seizure?

Call 911, or your local emergency number, now if your baby is having, or has just had, a seizure. A seizure, which the AAP describes as rhythmic jerking of the arms and legs with a loss of responsiveness, is an emergency at any age.

Call 911 (or your local emergency number) now if your baby:

  • Rhythmic jerking of arms and legs and a loss of responsiveness (seizure)
The sign, the action and who says so
SignActionSource
Rhythmic jerking of arms and legs and a loss of responsiveness (seizure)Call 911 nowAAP
Having a seizure (fit)Call 999 or go to A&E (UK)NHS

What the sources say

is having a seizure (fit)

NHS (UK)When to get urgent medical help for babies and children under 5Page date: August 6, 2026Checked on October 23, 2026

Rhythmic jerking of arms and legs and a loss of responsiveness (seizure)

AAP / HealthyChildren.orgWhen to Call Emergency Medical Services (EMS)Page date: May 11, 2026Checked on October 23, 2026

At 3 AM

Call first, then note the time. How long it lasted is one of the first things you will be asked, and it is the hardest thing to estimate afterwards. Glance at a clock, or say the time out loud so your partner hears it.

Put the phone on speaker. The person answering will tell you what to do while help is coming. Follow them, not this page.

Have these ready: the baby's age in weeks, when it started and whether it has stopped, what you saw and which parts of the body moved, whether there is a fever, and whether the baby has responded to you since.

If it has stopped before you call, call anyway. The AAP lists a seizure among the reasons to call emergency services, not among the things to watch and wait on.

Afterwards, the log fills in the rest with times: the last feed, the last wet diaper, any fever reading and any medicine.

Where the sources differ

The NHS says seizure, or fit. The AAP describes what one looks like. Neither gives a duration threshold, so this page does not either: any seizure is the sign.

You know your baby best. If you think something is seriously wrong, get help now.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you're worried, call your pediatrician.

This sign, with its sources, sits on the free When to call a doctor page in Baby Tracker for Dads, one tap from your log.

Written by The Baby Tracker for Dads teamChecked on October 23, 2026Medical review: pending. Every number on this page is quoted from the AAP, CDC or NHS; the links are above.