Acetaminophen (Tylenol) Dosing

  • Acetaminophen is very helpful for fever and pain. Please do not use acetaminophen for infants under four months of age without talking to our office first.
  • Acetaminophen may be given every 4-6 hours
  • Infant drops and the children's syrup may have very different concentrations. Please only use the dropper provided with the infant drops to measure the infant dose.
  • Many over-the-counter cold and cough preparations also contain acetaminophen. Use of these products along with an acetaminophen preparation may result in a dangerous overdose.
  • Acetaminophen is also available as a rectal suppository for use in children who refuse to take medicine by mouth or who are vomiting. The brand name is Feverall, and it is available in most pharmacies. Please use rectal acetaminophen only on the recommendation of our office.
WeightDoseInfant Drops
160mg/5ml
Children's Syrup
160mg/5ml
Chewables 80mgChewables 160mg
6-12 lbs40 mg1.25 ml   
12-17 lbs80 mg 2.5 ml2.5 ml  
18-23 lbs120 mg3.75 ml4 ml  
24-35 lbs160 mg5 ml5 ml 21
36-47 lbs240 mg 7.5 ml31 ½
48-59 lbs320 mg 10 ml42
60-71 lbs400 mg 12.5 ml52 ½
72-95 lbs480 mg 15 ml63
95+ lbs640 mg 20 ml84

 

Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) Dosing

  • Ibuprofen is very helpful for fever and for pain. It should not be used in infants under 6 months old.
  • Ibuprofen may be given every 6-8 hours
  • The most common side effects of ibuprofen are abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Please give the medicine with food to try to prevent these side effects. If your child already has these symptoms, consider using acetaminophen instead.
  • Ibuprofen is available in a variety of dosage forms and concentrations. Please be sure to use the dose appropriate for the type of medication you are using. In addition, use only the dropper provided with the oral drops to measure the dosage. This dropper is a very different size than the dropper provided with acetaminophen drops and other droppers available, and improper use could result in over- or under-dosing.
WeightDoseInfant Oral Drops
(50 mg/1.25 ml)
Children's Oral Suspension
(100 mg/5 ml)
Chewables
50 mg
Chewables
100 mg
Caplets
100 mg
12-17 lbs50 mg 1.25 ml2.5 ml   
18-21 lbs75 mg1.875 ml4 ml   
22-32 lbs100 mg2.5 ml5 ml   
33-43 lbs150 mg3.75 ml7.5 ml31 ½ 
 44-54 lbs 200 mg5 ml10 ml422
 55-65 lbs250 mg 12.5 ml52 ½2 ½
 66-76 lbs300 mg 15 ml633
77-87 lbs350 mg 17.5 ml73 ½3 ½
88-98 lbs400 mg  20 ml844