# How much infant Motrin do you give your toddler during teething?



## Owachi (Jan 15, 2007)

I have 17 month old twins.....My ds is 24 pounds......For about 8 months now our ped. says that he is a big boy and to give him 1 tsp of inants motrin (5ml). Now on the bottle it says up to 23 pounds or 2 yrs should have 1.875. 5ml is 2.5 times that amount. The first time he said that I got home and thought I had heard wrong...but the next two times we were there he said the same thing. I still haven't given him 5ml because it seems like so much. I did give him 4ml once and was worried all night that I had drugged him. No, the 1.875 doesn't seem to help him much during teething but I don't want to give him too much.....and between him and his sister.....if he got 5ml each time, those bottles would be gone in less than a day and they are expensive....has anyone else been told to give that much to their toddler and is it safe?


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## tylerdylan (Aug 29, 2007)

If your son is 24 pounds and the bottle says up to 23 pounds then it is time to switch to Children's Motrin and then follow the dosing on that bottle for his weight (especially since the 1.875 ml doesn't help him because his weight is over the limit). I agree that 5 ml is WAY too much. I would follow what the drug company recommends over what one doctor says!!


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## JBaxter (May 1, 2005)

do you have the infant formula or the elixer? those concentrations are very different. The infant formula is the little bottle with a dropper the elixer comes with at medicine cup and us usually a 4oz bottle.
I prefer the dye-free variety my box states 24-35lbs dose is 1tsp/5ml.


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

Are you sure the doctor said 5ml of infant's motrin and not children's motrin? The infant stuff is more concentrated.

In general, the answer to "how much motrin do you give to your toddler during teething" is "none." Unless the child is inconsolable, nothing else is helping, and the pain is interfering with sleep (and thus MY sleep and my ability to function well and be an effective parent) then I don't medicate at all. Maybe I'd give one dose at night during the worst of it, then not give another dose until the following evening if the child still needs it.

Hyland's teething tablets were a lifesaver when I had teething babies!


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## CryPixie83 (Jan 27, 2004)

I don't. We've always used Hyland's teething tablets. They're homeopathic so I don't need to worry about over or under dosing, nor do I worry about the chemicals and artificial *stuff* that may or may not be in children's medication. Example: red dye in children's liquid pain relievers, artificial dyes are petroleum based which isn't something most parents want to put in their children's bodies.


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## nataliachick7 (Apr 3, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CryPixie83* 
I don't. We've always used Hyland's teething tablets. They're homeopathic so I don't need to worry about over or under dosing, nor do I worry about the chemicals and artificial *stuff* that may or may not be in children's medication. Example: red dye in children's liquid pain relievers, artificial dyes are petroleum based which isn't something most parents want to put in their children's bodies.


ugh thats not true. hylands tabs contain herbs which are posionous if given too much. belladona is one of them.


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## NYCVeg (Jan 31, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nataliachick7* 
ugh thats not true. hylands tabs contain herbs which are posionous if given too much. belladona is one of them.

But the way homeopathics are formulated, you can't give "too much." Even if a child consumed the whole bottle, the amount they'd be ingesting is negligible.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nataliachick7* 
ugh thats not true. hylands tabs contain herbs which are posionous if given too much. belladona is one of them.

Nope. The amounts are so incredibly little that they're perfectly safe and you can't OD. Even super-mainstream sites will tell you that.

-Angela


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## MiamiMami (Feb 1, 2005)

I would skip the motrin altogether. Our pediatrician only recommends that for very high fevers. That's some strong stuff.

I have the homeopathic gentle naturals teething drops for ds. I've used it a few times when I couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. I guessed teething, and it seemed to help.


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## Tofu the Geek (Dec 2, 2003)

I'm with the posters that answered "none".


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## Tofu the Geek (Dec 2, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nataliachick7* 
ugh thats not true. hylands tabs contain herbs which are posionous if given too much. belladona is one of them.

According to Hyland's, their products are not even considered herbal by the FDA. They use too little of the herb to be considered herbal.

Also, the amount of any substance in a homeopathic preparation is neglible; that is the point of homeopathy. That's why so many people are against it because they don't believe that a bottle of "nothing" could do anything for you.


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## KBecks (Jan 3, 2007)

If you are going to give infant Tylenol or Motrin, I'd go with the dosing on the bottle per your child's weight.

I've given infant Tylenol at times during teething. Also if you have acccidentally dosed a little too much, you are probably still OK. But don't over do the doses on purpose.

I get the generic infant Tylenol at Target/Wal Mart and it is much less expensive.

Didn't try teething tablets but they sound like a great option to try.

Hope the kids feel better soon.


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## hottmama (Dec 27, 2004)

When my son was teething, we used dye-free Motrin when the teething necklace and tablets weren't cutting it (which NEVER happened with my first). You should go by weight, and I believe at 24 lbs. you have to switch from the infant to the children's Motrin.


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## Romana (Mar 3, 2006)

We don't give dd anything for teething, although she is pretty good about it - we usually have a cranky/clingy 24 hours, and she may wake up once or twice in the night (usually sleeps through at least 6 hours), but she doesn't run a big fever or get inconsolable so we just soldier on through it.

I know my older brother had a terrible time teething, though. Screaming for hours and hours, spiked a huge (102 or higher) fever with each tooth. It was so bad my mom didn't want to have another child because of it. She's always talked about how much worse it was than childbirth.







However, she tried again and got me, and I was a saint.







So it worked out.

Good luck with your toddlers.


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## Logan's Mom (Mar 2, 2006)

On Dr. Sear's website, he has a grid for dosage of various medicines.


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## earthmama369 (Jul 29, 2005)

I go strictly by weight, and if you're off the chart, then it's time to switch to children's. We don't give it often for teething, but sometimes nothing else works. (Like tonight!)


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## *Karen* (Jul 28, 2006)

Yep, like a PP said, you are confusing INFANT with CHILDREN'S. If you still have left over infant you can ask your pharmacist to convert the dosage for you so that you don't have to just throw it away.


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## OGirlieMama (Aug 6, 2006)

As previous posters have said, it sounds like you or your doctor mixed up infants vs children's motrin. For a 24-pounder (and I have 2 of them, too) 5ml of CHILDREN'S motrin is the correct dose.


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## mwright (Nov 30, 2006)

We do the Hyland's teething tablets too and I love them!!! I stopped giving fever reducers/pain relievers after I did the research.


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## dawncayden (Jan 24, 2006)

We use Hylands and a amber teething necklace over here








We've used that gross pink Tylenol twice, when it got REALLT bad.


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## becoming (Apr 11, 2003)

On the very rare occasions that I've given Tylenol or Motrin (only in the case of very high fever or extreme pain/discomfort), I gave 1/2 of the recommended dose.

But Hyland's Teething Gel works great for us.


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## Owachi (Jan 15, 2007)

Thanks for everyone's responses....I'm glad I checked and didn't give the 5ml of infants. But the Dr. started recommending it when ds was 9 months old so I assumed he was talking about infants. And I can give the left over infants motrin to dd, she is only 18 pounds. I've tried the teething tablets, they didn't seem to work too much but I haven't tried them in a while....so maybe I'll give them another shot....luckily only 4 teeth left each, which are all coming in now, then I'll get a break until the 2 yr molars......sleep will be nice again.


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## onlyboys (Feb 12, 2004)

I'm sorry teething is so bad for you! We never seemed to notice teeth until time for canines! But even so, a nice cuddle, nursing and a warm bath would really remedy the situation.

Btw--my son ate an entire bottle of teething tablets, I frantically called Poison Control, and they told me it was perfectly okay. My son said they tasted yummy. I called Hyland's just to check and they said the same thing!


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## forestrymom (Jul 13, 2006)

In general, we prefer motrin for teething...it last longer and doesn't have some of the side effects. Nothing really "worked" though, so we don't do much of anything







: .

The Dr. Sears website always has great information and has dosing recommendations for both motrin and tylenol. And def. pay the extra (never understood why it cost more to buy something with less in it, but them not putting dye in it somehow costs them more














and get the dye free!

Dr. Sears on tylenol dosing.
Dr. Sears on motrin dosing.


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

We use motrin for teething, and go by the dosage on the bottle for DD's weight. Just today, in fact. She is cutting her LAST. TOOTH. (Well, except for 2-year molars) and these canines have been hell. Nothing else works for us, and I've tried Teething Tabs every time she cuts a tooth. I understand the risks and I only give her 1 - 2 doses every 24 hours, but in my opinion, it's is not fair to just let her suffer as much as she does.


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## lokismom (Mar 6, 2006)

My doctors always told me to give my children motrin for a fever or teething. It is the doctors job to tell you to medicate your child. I never felt completely kosher about this. Did you know motrin and tylenol (even the baby stuff) can cause damage to the liver and other organs. It is now on the bottles or at least was mandated to be over a year ago. I nursed my son and let him chew on frozen clean white wash clothes. I also gave him hylands for night time aches that wouldn't cease. I now have a new "hippy" doctor (yay for us hippies! ) and she never encourages giving motrin. She believes that the bosy will create a way to soothe itself for fevers and a mom can soothe her child without outside medications. I found that my sons bodily responses to teething and fevers seemed less severe when they were not given such things. In time even teething ceased to faze them; which is amazing because my oldest was a late teether and didn't break his first tooth until he was nearly 1.5 years old. (the gums are thicker and this hurts immensely) Though irritable at times his body adjusted so that it soothed the pain naturally. When a childs system becomes dependent on medications to ease what ails them their bodies stop trying to help themselves. Good luck with the teething it is one of the tough times of baby-toddler hood.


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## mwright (Nov 30, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lokismom* 
My doctors always told me to give my children motrin for a fever or teething. It is the doctors job to tell you to medicate your child. I never felt completely kosher about this. Did you know motrin and tylenol (even the baby stuff) can cause damage to the liver and other organs. It is now on the bottles or at least was mandated to be over a year ago. I nursed my son and let him chew on frozen clean white wash clothes. I also gave him hylands for night time aches that wouldn't cease. I now have a new "hippy" doctor (yay for us hippies! ) and she never encourages giving motrin. She believes that the bosy will create a way to soothe itself for fevers and a mom can soothe her child without outside medications. I found that my sons bodily responses to teething and fevers seemed less severe when they were not given such things. In time even teething ceased to faze them; which is amazing because my oldest was a late teether and didn't break his first tooth until he was nearly 1.5 years old. (the gums are thicker and this hurts immensely) Though irritable at times his body adjusted so that it soothed the pain naturally. When a childs system becomes dependent on medications to ease what ails them their bodies stop trying to help themselves. Good luck with the teething it is one of the tough times of baby-toddler hood.












































I have to totally agree with you 100%!! I have never given my dd anything but Hylands teething tablets and she just pushed a molar through and I didn't even know it!! She has another molar trying to come up and she has been fine!!! She wants extra cuddles but no biggie!!


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## sweetirishCT (Oct 5, 2005)

Just another vote for the teething tabs! I have rarely had to use ibuprofen, but if needed I only buy the dye-free.
Now I am just dreading the 2yr molars that haven't begun to pop through yet...


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## BabyJay'sMom (Jul 21, 2006)

None! We use Hyland's Teething Tablets. I'm not a big fan of allopathic drugs for babies...or me for that matter!


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## ABrez (Apr 4, 2007)

I didn't read all posts so sorry if this was already said. I would follow directions on the box before what the doctor told you. I do try Hylands first but sometimes that doesn't seem to help.

I truly struggle with this. Since DD can't talk (13months) I want to make sure I meet her pain needs. But I want to give her as little as possible. KWIM?

Good luck mama. Teething is a hard time to parent.







:


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## Swirly (May 20, 2006)

I think every child is different and am always bemused by those who adamantly refuse to give pain meds to their babies and think those of us who do on occasion are doing the wrong thing. I have a highly sensitive/high needs/spirited child who has always been a horrible sleeper. When she is in pain from illness or teething, she can go DAYS without any sleep at all, which is not good for her and is probably even worse for mom and dad, especially when we are all sick.

When in high teething state, she can and will scream for hours at night. Hyland's tablets and camelia drops won't help at that point, but work well during the day usually. 1.875 ml of infant's Motrin administered an hour before bedtime when I know she is at this point will allow everyone in the house to get our usual sleep (meaning she only wakes up 3-4 times, instead of staying up all night screaming).

I have friends whose children didn't even whimper while teething, ever - so every child has a different level of pain tolerance and sensitivity. High needs children will usually have little to no tolerance for any physical discomfort.


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## NYCVeg (Jan 31, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Swirly* 
I think every child is different and am always bemused by those who adamantly refuse to give pain meds to their babies and think those of us who do on occasion are doing the wrong thing. I have a highly sensitive/high needs/spirited child who has always been a horrible sleeper. When she is in pain from illness or teething, she can go DAYS without any sleep at all, which is not good for her and is probably even worse for mom and dad, especially when we are all sick.

When in high teething state, she can and will scream for hours at night. Hyland's tablets and camelia drops won't help at that point, but work well during the day usually. 1.875 ml of infant's Motrin administered an hour before bedtime when I know she is at this point will allow everyone in the house to get our usual sleep (meaning she only wakes up 3-4 times, instead of staying up all night screaming).

I have friends whose children didn't even whimper while teething, ever - so every child has a different level of pain tolerance and sensitivity. High needs children will usually have little to no tolerance for any physical discomfort.

No, I think that's completely fair. If dd was up all night screaming from teething, I might try a conventional medicine (though I would try Hyland's or other homeopathics first). She's always been a really easy teether. She just got 2 molars, and the only "problem" we had was that she slept a little less (skipped a few naps and pushed her bedtime back), but was otherwise a pretty happy camper. I really feel for babies and mamas for whom teething is a nightmare.


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## Sydnee (May 1, 2004)

My third baby was a horrible teether. And yes, I've used Motrin or Tylenol. I always try homeopathic first, but when MY sleep is being comprised, I will use Tylenol. I can't afford to be tired during the day.


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## SoulJourney (Sep 26, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sydnee* 
My third baby was a horrible teether. And yes, I've used Motrin or Tylenol. I always try homeopathic first, but when MY sleep is being comprised, I will use Tylenol. I can't afford to be tired during the day.

















:

My son was fine and did not need anything but Hyland's until his canines came in...what a NIGHTMARE! Now his two year molars are coming in and it's even WORSE. I am a single mama who works F/T (w/DS in tow) so sleep is very important to both of us!


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## gingerstar (Jun 10, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Swirly* 
I think every child is different and am always bemused by those who adamantly refuse to give pain meds to their babies and think those of us who do on occasion are doing the wrong thing. I have a highly sensitive/high needs/spirited child who has always been a horrible sleeper. When she is in pain from illness or teething, she can go DAYS without any sleep at all, which is not good for her and is probably even worse for mom and dad, especially when we are all sick.

When in high teething state, she can and will scream for hours at night. Hyland's tablets and camelia drops won't help at that point, but work well during the day usually. 1.875 ml of infant's Motrin administered an hour before bedtime when I know she is at this point will allow everyone in the house to get our usual sleep (meaning she only wakes up 3-4 times, instead of staying up all night screaming).

I have friends whose children didn't even whimper while teething, ever - so every child has a different level of pain tolerance and sensitivity. High needs children will usually have little to no tolerance for any physical discomfort.

I have to agree. Also with the pp who said her mom was not going to have more children because of teething... ME TOO!! My first is very high-needs, very sensitive, and I thought teething was going to be the death of us. I have never understood people who said, "oh, yes, the teeth just came through! No problem!"

Tylenol can cause liver toxicity at surprisingly low doses (12 grams/24 hours for an adult) and people have died - that is why they are required to have the black box warning. Motrin (and Advil - both ibuprofen) are hard on the stomach, and shouldn't be given on and empty stomach if you can help it. High doses are most likely to cause stomach irritation, but you aren't likely to die, like Tylenol. If you are ever unsure about any medication question ask your pharmacist. S/he knows far more about medication than any doctor.

I give motrin, usually at bedtime so she can fall asleep, but with molars, she will not nap with out it sometimes. It truly is something a mom has to watch her child and decide based on her child's needs.


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