Do you give your kids ibuprofen or Tylenol when they have a fever or do you let it run its course? My daughter is sick and had a fever of 102. I gave her ibuprofen. Just wondering what other parents do.
Side note- any way to prevent my 3 1/2 month old daughter from catching it? Tips?
honeydew / 7622 posts
Usually I just medicate before bed. Unless it’s a high temperature.
Lots of hand washing and Lysol wipes.
grapefruit / 4361 posts
It's not like meds hinder the body from fighting the infection, they just alleviate the symptoms, so I am pro-meds.
I also am afraid of febrile seizures.
Face masks if possible, separate rooms, lysol wipes, hand washing, disposable mealware for the sick one, lots of water bottles to make liquids easily, extra vitamin C and D sometimes in liquid form.
persimmon / 1310 posts
I usually couldn’t avoid the baby getting sick from her sister because they love touching each other. But I tried giving my then 2 year old screen time to keep her in one place away from the baby.
I give meds if they seem miserable, not just for the fever itself. They rarely have high fevers though.
pomegranate / 3438 posts
102 or above I give meds. My kids always seem to get really high fevers.
I would just wash hands often and try to keep her away from the baby. DS1 and I got a stomach bug when DS2 was only 4 months old and DS2 never got it. I washed my hands so many times and used clorox wipes and lysol on everything.
grapefruit / 4278 posts
I medicate if they seem cranky and agitated... otherwise just let the fever be.
pomegranate / 3127 posts
I hope she feels better soon! That's right on the cutoff of where I bring out the medicine, but it depends on how they're feeling overall. If they seem OK, I just keep them home and try to get them to rest and drink a lot.
If you're nursing, your immune system will help protect the baby somewhat. I think that works best for the first three to six months, and then their own immune system starts to take over.
cantaloupe / 6017 posts
I usually just give it at bedtime. I find they are more likely to rest if I don't give it to them during the day.
persimmon / 1380 posts
I usually only give meds before bedtime unless he seems particularly miserable during the day.
grapefruit / 4455 posts
At 102 I usually give them something, but it's rare that they would have a fever like that and not be uncomfortable.
As for the 3 month old.. hand washing, separating them, make sure lo1 is hand washing....laundry on high, dishwasher on sanitize. And hope it works. At least the younger one is now past the automatic hospitalization stage.
cantaloupe / 6171 posts
I try to get Motrin in lo1 but she resists it pretty hardcore. I mostly try to keep her hydrated--she likes coconut water and pedialyte popsicles.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
We use ibuprofen. For whatever reason, it seems to bring the fever down faster in my son than acetaminophen.
grapefruit / 4988 posts
I give it if the temp is high (which is generally 104 or greater in our house, my kids get very high temps) or if it seems like they are having trouble sleeping. I usually use Advil first and then alternate with Tylenol.
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
It’s rare that my kids would have a fever and not seem cranky or to be not feeling well. So if they are miserable and have a fever I give them ibuprofen. And usually before bed.
@looch: random but have you tried different flavors? I thought my second daughter hated medicine but it turns out she would take grape flavored Advil, but not the “mixed berry” Motrin I had from Costco. It was a game changing discovery.
persimmon / 1023 posts
I swear Tylenol for both kids and adults is totally useless/a placebo haha so only Advil for us!
clementine / 911 posts
I usually give medicine for anything over 100. For a low fever, I might do half a dose. That's mostly to make sure it doesn't get any worse.
persimmon / 1310 posts
@Foodnerd81: Yes! One of my kids is super specific about which medicine she will accept. Bubblegum in this brand, orange in another.
@CatchAFallingStar: just wanted to add that the baby almost always gets the mildest and shortest version of whatever sickness we have. I think due to breastfeeding. And I’m almost always the sickest; maybe I’m suffering for her benefit.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
For my 3.5 year old I only medicate if she seems miserable or it's like 104.
cantaloupe / 6086 posts
I usually treat over about 101 because mid to high fevers make my oldest throw up, no matter the illness. And I usually treat at bedtime to get them to stay asleep longer.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
@Foodnerd81: I don't like cherry flavored medication, so that makes sense, that it could have been the flavor that he was reacting to. I've never tried Motrin, and I can't recall what flavor the Tylenol is...
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