How much acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil) can I give my child?

When dealing with your child's fever, remember:

• Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) can be given every six hours as needed for fever.
• If your child has a fever but is sleeping, don't wake him or her up to give medicine for fever! Let your child rest.
• Fever is not harmful for children. We treat with fever-reducing medications only to make them more comfortable. Avoid the "tyranny of the thermometer" and go more by how your child is acting, rather than the height of the fever.
• Fever-reducing products, especially those containing acetaminophen, come in different strengths. Be sure to check the label of the product you have, and be sure that you're giving the right amount for the strength of medicine you're giving.
• Many over-the-counter cough and cold preparations (Dimetapp, Robitussin, Triaminic, etc.) contain acetaminophen as well. Check the label. If you give your child one of these products, do not give extra Tylenol.
• Call us before giving any fever medication to children under age 3 months. Ibuprofen should never be used in children under age 6 months.

If your child weighs	Give this much	Infant drops (80 mg/0.8 ml)	Children's syrups (160 mg/5 ml)	Chewable tablets (80 mg/tablet)	Adult capsule (325 mg/caps)
6-11 pounds	40 mg	1/2 dropper (0.4 ml)	1/4 tsp	-----	-----
12-17 pounds	80 mg	1 dropper (0.8 ml)	1/2 tsp	-----	------
18-23 pounds	120 mg	1 1/2 droppers (1.2 ml)	3/4 tsp	------	-----
24-35 pounds	160 mg	2 droppers (1.6 ml)	1 tsp	2 tablets	------
36-47 pounds	240 mg	------	1 1/2 tsp	3 tablets	------
48-59 pounds	320 mg	-----	2 tsp	4 tablets	1 capsule
60-71 pounds	400 mg	-----	2 1/2 tsp	5 tablets	1 capsule
72-95 pounds	480 mg	-----	3 tsp	6 tablets	1 capsule
96 pounds and up	650 mg	-----	-----	-----	2 capsules

If your child weighs	Give this much	Infant drops 100 mg/2.5 ml	Children's syrup	Children's tablets 50 mg/tablet	Jr. strength chewables 100 mg/tab
13-17 pounds	50 mg	1/4 tsp	1/2 tsp	-----	-----
18-23 pounds	75 mg	1/3 tsp	3/4 tsp	-----	----------
24-35 pounds	100 mg	1/2 tsp	1 tsp	2 tablets	-----
36-47 pounds	150 mg	3/4 tsp	1 1/2 tsp	3 tablets	-----
48-59 pounds	200 mg	1 tsp	1 3/4 tsp	3 tablets	1 1/2 tablets
60-71 pounds	250 mg	-----	2 1/2 tsp	5 tablets	2 1/2 tablets
72-95 pounds	300 mg	-----	3 tsp	6 tablets	3 tablets
96 pounds and up	400 mg	-----	-----	-----	4 tablets

Due to the risk of Reye syndrome, we do not recommend giving aspirin or aspirin-containing products (such as Pepto-Bismol) to children with fevers.