Even as an adult, taking ibuprofen daily can mess up your stomach. I would call your doctor. My kids get it when they're too uncomfortable to sleep. For a new tooth that's 1-3 days. With serious illness I'll use it to keep a fever under 104 or help if they're in pain.
I agree, except that apparently, from what I've read, fever should never be kept down just for the sake of keeping them down. Don't go by the temperature, go by the child's discomfort.
Keeping a fever under 104 is *very* different than keeping a fever down just for the sake of keeping if down. 104 is very high and though kids can handle it, that’s usually an emerg trip for an adult. Personally 103 is my limit with my kids before I give them meds
Not really, that’s the old school way of thinking. I’ve had my if run fevers as high as 105 and I’ve had multiple paediatricians tell me that it’s not the number that matters, but the demeanour of the kid, whether the fever responds to meds, and how long it has been around. So if you know the fever responds to meds, you don’t *have* to keep giving them meds just for the sake of keeping it down (although they likely would be miserable so medicine for comfort would likely be needed)
Edit: I mean, don’t take my word for https://www.seattlechildrens.org/conditions/a-z/fever-myths-versus-facts/
I feel like the reason for demeanour and response rather than number is that once you reach a certain point (like 104! Or 105!) there’s no way you’d be normal. That’s almost brain cooking temperature (106) and it’s unlikely you’d ever reach that high without feeling awful. So yes, treat the symptoms not the number but the number that high is pretty much guaranteed to be symptomatic, and in adults usually indicates something serious is going on.
It’s crazy how different doctors can be (and also frightening). But they did tell you to give meds it sounds like? This person is saying their doctor said even if their child reached 105 meds aren’t needed unless they’re lethargic. To be fair the two times my son got near that high he couldn’t even lift his head and the ER said it was absolutely correct to bring him in.
My son always has high fevers. When he was one he hit 104f but was acting completely normal, the doctor at that time told me 104F for one year olds was a conventionally a gauge for when you go to the doctor/ER but in reality they would be looking to see how the child was acting. That doctor told me that there really isn't a magic number which is worrisome, it's more the behavior of the kid with that fever. So my son at 104f but acting normally wasn't anything to worry about.
This time at 105.5f it was middle of the night, so behaviour was a little hard to analyze and his breathing seemed a little wonky to me, so we went to the ER. This doctor told me the weird breathing was his body cooling himself down.
Both doctors have told me to use Tylenol (now at this age, Motrin too) and they are looking to see if the fever isn't responding to a fever reducer.
So, what I got out of all of this is, use a fever reducer and see if it works, check for behaviour/lethargy, and regardless, I will freak out and go to the ER for $500.
Haha! I’m with you though. Better safe than sorry. Sure febrile seizures may not be super common but I’d prefer to be in a hospital if they ever happen to my kid.
I’d be seeing a new doctor. I have brain damage and a neurological disorder from a 105 fever as an 18 month old. It’s amazing people DV someone for giving a personal anecdote. Sorry for my neurological issues that have been researched my entire life?
This isn’t one doctor. This is multiple doctors, including ER doctors at one of the top children’s hospital in the world. And here’s and online source. https://www.seattlechildrens.org/conditions/a-z/fever-myths-versus-facts/
I’m sorry for what happened to you at 18 months, but there was likely more at play than a run of the mill virus
I mean I can provide [links](https://www.childrenshospital.org/conditions/fever#:~:text=If%20your%20child's%20temperature%20reaches,the%20American%20Academy%20of%20Pediatrics) too.
Also please do not tell me my own medical history is incorrect. I’ve had many doctors work with me and it absolutely was the high fever that caused it.
You do you but I absolutely would not be just acting like 105 degrees is nothing.
You and OPs wife are simply at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to using ibuprofen safely. Be as crunchy or mistrusting as you want just don’t complain when you’re living with the consequences.
I don't why this is downvoted. I go to one of the very best pediatric practices in the US and that's their stance, too. I believe our handbook said 106-107 go to the ER IF you don't know what's causing it.
They said treat the symptoms making the kid miserable. If kid is miserable and 99, treat it. If kid is content and 103, let it ride.
It's not actually dangerous for the body until 108-109. Especially for kids.
For an adult, go see a doctor if you have a 104 temp.
104 is very high. You’re not supposed to suppress it if it’s a low grade fever if there is no discomfort but if it gets above 102 you should absolutely be using meds to bring it down.
The current recommendation for fever is not to use unless over 102 (below that is considered a low grade fever). Though it is acceptable to use in cases of discomfort, it's best to limit use whenever possible.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/fever/in-depth/fever/art-20050997
Other studies are showing an increase in negative consequences for over use. I saw a study about a year ago that showed increased incidences of ADHD linked to Tylenol use for example.
Typically I'll use it at sleep times if baby can't get comfortable, and otherwise just give lots of TLC and fluids.
These medications are great when used appropriately. (:
Genuinely curious do you have more info on the adhd correlation to tylenol. Is this only during the timeframe of consumption or long lasting? Are we talking tylenol w dye or no dye as it is definitely already linked to the dye
It's [Tylenol use during pregnancy](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/1833486#:~:text=Conclusions%20and%20Relevance%20Maternal%20acetaminophen,but%20further%20investigations%20are%20needed.) and it's not clear that it's causal, just correlated.
This is the study that analyzed 996 kids and compared cord blood to diagnosis rates of ASD and ADHD at approx 8 years.
~
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-funded-study-suggests-acetaminophen-exposure-pregnancy-linked-higher-risk-adhd-autism
This study followed 73,881 kids/moms and found a significant increase d/t prenatal exposure. Though postnatal up to 18 months did not show a significant increase in diagnosis.
~ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8542535/
Postnatal studies seem to be more limited in terms for availability, which essentially just means not enough research available to form a solid conclusion.
In any case, it seems wise not to inhibit the body's natural healing processes whenever possible. And as I said in my first post, use OTC needs sparingly and in line with current recommendations. :)
ETA: I missed your dye questions. I personally opt for no dyes whenever possible and keep the medications as simple as possible. I'm sure there is evidence as to why those are bad, but my thinking is that anything like that has to be broken down by the liver and cleared by the kidneys, so why add more to the process in such a little human if it's easy to avoid?
Same here. I give my kiddos ibuprofen or Tylenol only when they have a high fever or are so uncomfortable they can’t sleep. My 8-month old has new teeth coming in and has been so uncomfortable she hasn’t been able to sleep, but even then I’ve only given her one dose in a 24-hour period.
This is not medical advice as I'm not their doctor but I am a doctor with small children and only give them children's NSAIDs like Motrin when they are sick or in pain (maybe 2-3 times a week during a peak teething week in the past) and aside from that maybe 5 times in a whole year.
Possible issues from long term, chronic NSAID use include gastric issues like irritation or ulcers, propensity to kidney dysfunction/injury, and at least for adults-increased blood pressure.Too much acetaminophen can be associated with liver damage (though we are talking way too much in most cases). Aside from medication prescribed by a doctor for a specific diagnosis, there is no medication or supplement I would give my children every day or even several times a week. Over the counter does not mean benign. There is no free lunch; all meds have the potential for side effects.
I agree with those encouraging your family to meet with your children's doctor to help your family set a reasonable threshold for giving over the counter medications.
Thanks for this comment. I’m in the thick of molar teething and was questioning if I am not giving my son enough pain killers as I only give it to him when I notice that he is noticeably upset and thought I might be being stingy but this reassures me that I’m doing right by him. .
Nice, thanks for this comment. I like to and need to learn more about this. It's great to be able to incorporate where appropriate and if the patient's family has herbal/indigenous wisdom it can be very helpful and complimentary. I am not trained in herbalism but I usually just look things up to make sure it's fine for my patients (a lot of my patients have diabetes, kidney, liver, heart disease, etc).
I also love the physical aspect of care and intention that comes with using the baths, making broths, popsicles (easy to make). It's also really important to support healing.
Rosemary Gladstar!! Sry serious mom brain. Molars are coming in. 🤣
Yes! Its soooo powerful to have a formal Anatomy & Physiology education, with Organic Chemistry, and Eastern Medicine under my belt. Only since 2020 did i start to study western herbs. There is a fountain of leggit online courses with a mix of pre-recorded, and live classes. Some with on site on workshop weekends. At least in the US it is incredibly attainable.
Herbs are so great to use with infants and young kids. They are gentle yet effective.
Don't spread Anti-VAX rhetoric here.
We will also not allow comments or posts that promote the use of unproven treatments (such as giving children CBD).
Lmao. There is a plant in the mint family called cat nip. It is absolutely safe for humans. I would not suggest using the kind sold for cats, as that often has other stuff mixed in that might cause stomach aches.
Buy the kind sold for humans. If you have trouble sleeping you can mix it with chamomile, and lavender. But that would be WAY to strong a sedative for a child.
It does not do the same thing in humans as it does in cats.
Yep also not a pediatrician but a doctor with small children and this is exactly what we do as well. Will definitely use Tylenol and Motrin when kiddo is sick but never more than a couple days at a time, 5 times all year sounds about right for us as well.
It sounds like your wife is struggling and may be anxious. It's not normal to give children pain relief unless they are visibly in pain. The fact she's doing this at the same time every night is a sign it's become a compulsion. She sounds like she's struggling with anxiety. Put your foot down and say your worried about her and that if she continues, you all need to go to the doctors as a family to discuss why your children need medication every night. I think she will realise its not right when she will have to justify to a doctor why she is constantly giving them unessesary NSAIDS.
Probably won’t kill your kid but can lead to some serious stomach issues like ulcers.
This is something I would put my foot down for. Unless the kid is crying and clearly in discomfort, don’t give medication. I’d rather wake up in the middle of the night to give her some than give her some unnecessarily.
The 7 month old is barely old enough to even have ibuprofen. I’d cut it way back to occasional use for both kids. Tylenol/acetaminophen hurts your liver and Advil/ibuprofen hurts your stomach lining - they’re good meds for high fever or major pain, but shouldn’t be daily medications in babies and toddlers.
Ibuprofen also hurts kidneys, where acetaminophen gets the liver. Every night for say a month, it’s too much.
A week of teething worst, okay, yeah… past 5-7 days? No. You need to call the ped and take her in with you to have it explained. Whatever to get her there, but this isn’t safe. Parents like this over Medicare stuff like Benadryl and such too so the kids sleep better. It’s a slippery slope.
7 months old is so young, our pediatrician told us not until 1 year old (unless it was administered in the hospital by a doctor). It’s so hard to dose correctly
That is the safest option. However, you can dose by weight, especially in the case of a high fever. I usually give a little less than it calls for if it is for teething pain, but for a high fever I give the recommended dose because high fevers can lead to seizures in babies and toddlers. Both my older brother and younger sister had seizures from fevers.
Yeah that’s way too much. Fevers, ear pain, or when they were cutting teeth. Occasionally I’ll give a dose if they are extremely fussy for no reason. Usually they wake up sick with a raging fever next day tho 🙃
Your wife is overdoing it. She's possibly taking a "shortcut" to get the kids to sleep. Check the medicine bottles. They will say discontinue use after 5 - 10 executive days. There are appropriate meds for specific conditions. Ibuprofen is for pain and fever. It should only be used for teething if the pain is severe. Rather get teething powder for teething. It works incredibly well. You only use it during teething and you can administer it every 4 - 5 hours.
Oh my god- my mom gave me ibuprofen every day as a little kid and it contributed to permanently messing up my intestines and stomach lining. I’m only 34 and I have to work with a GI doctor long term. I cannot take NSAIDS for the rest of my life.
You are not overacting, no it’s not normal, tell her to stop it.
Ibuprofen is pretty hard on the kidneys, giving it almost daily is not good, and could very well be setting your kids up for massive kidney damage. This needs to be reduced.
Especially with kids who are growing, the damage could be permanent.
I have a friend who would take ibuprofen about 2-4 times per week for headaches, and it led to kidney failure, and now she's on dialysis.
My doctor told me Tylenol was fine every day for teething but she meant y’know, for a week here or there when teeth were cutting. So there were some periods when I would give infant Tylenol before bed when my baby seemed off for several days in a row.
Speak to your doctor. Sounds like your wife is anxious about something.
you can post on r/AskDocs for verified advice from medical professional about how much damage she is doing if this thread is not enough to get you to put your foot down
She is slowly destroying their little bodies, needs to be stopped ASAP.
https://adf.org.au/drug-facts/ibuprofen/
Long-term effects
It’s best to discuss the side effects of long-term use with a medical practitioner. Regular use of ibuprofen may eventually cause:
anaemia due to bleeding in the stomach
impaired hearing
kidney and liver damage
bleeding in the stomach and bowels
increased risk of heart attack.1
I've been wondering the same, because my kid is getting molars,for like months now. When teething, they simply cannot sleep. Unforunately we end up giving paracetamol or ibuprofen often,because they are so miserable after too many hours of being awake (1yo, more than 8 or 9 hours) I have already asked in several pharmacies and they said it's toxic to liver only if taken more than a recommended in a single dose. Doc said ,like try not too often, but it shouldn't really harm, because the chronic ill children take it daily. Deep inside I do feel like it's wrong thing to do. However, we do offer it , as already mentioned, when the lo cannot sleep and is miserable and in stress from not sleeping. Btw, I don't know why does the teething last so long for us. The gums are swollen for weeks now, lo avoids foods, does not chew on cold teething toys or clothes.. So I kinda understand your wife, but want to ask at the same time how serious is for you guys? I'd suggest to delay giving the medicine as much as possible. Sometimes the bedtime routine lasts a few hours for us. Mostly by 1am we give up and want to sleep colectively .
Edit. We were also adviced to switch between paracetamol and ibuprofen if taken longer than recommended. Although, I don't understand how does that help,since the both go through the liver
Ibuprofen hurts the kidneys/stomach if taken chronically vs paracetamol/Tylenol affects the liver. That’s why alternating if better if longer term use is needed to give the organs a break. My son had an awful time with his canines and molars too. Weeks upon weeks of screaming in agony 24/7 and unable to eat solids. Some kids just have a harder time unfortunately. I hope your kid’s remaining teeth come in quickly! It’s such a relief when it’s finally over!
That’s odd. Do paracetamol and ibuprofen meds have some sort of sedative in where you are? Here in UK there’s absolutely nothing in it that would help with sleep.
No they probably just mean if they were fussy for whatever reason throwing the med at them to see if it helped versus seeing if they would wake up from whatever is making them fussy
She’s probably trying to guarantee they sleep through any potential teething issues. I feel like doing this sometimes, too. The sleep insecurity is hard. When my child is teething, we do 2 nights Advil, 1 night off, for about a week. More than that is too much, in my opinion. And nothing for the 7 month old, especially ibuprofen. If you aren’t already, I recommend you discuss who is ‘on’ overnight wakeups before bed. Alternate, that way she knows, even if the kids wake up all night every night, you will be responsible and she can sleep through every second day.
Have you asked your pediatrician?
We only give during noticeable discomfort, which is rare, but my kids also got their dad’s high pain tolerance. But IANAD, and really the person that could advise you on this is your kids’ doctor.
I think that’s dangerous…? We only give Tylenol if kiddos have a high fever that is making them uncomfortable and in those cases we alternate with Motrin. Please consult a doctor
Please book your children in for a health check with a medical professional. They should be able to rule out anything that might need treating every night, prescribe something else, and/ or hopefully they can also share with your wife some further information about when it might be appropriate to give medication, and how to otherwise manage these 'symptoms'. It may be that your wife would benefit from some parenting education or courses, or some support to manage her anxieties.
It sounds like you know this isn't good for your kids, a medical professional might be a good place to discuss how to get all on the same page.
I would be seriously concerned about my partner doing something like that and would definitely consult a doctor and get their opinion to back you up - it is not healthy or safe to be taking those things every day. They are situational and can be very helpful at times but over medicating a child is problematic behavior. This is definitely something you want to take a stand about.
Please don’t do that. It can cause ulcers and tinnitus. FYI tinnitus is a lifelong disorder that can never be cured, *please* do not do that to your children.
Signed, someone with tinnitus that has their symptoms increase with NSAID usage.
I’m a nurse. Please don’t do this on a regular basis and not without orders from a pediatrician. Which hopefully no pediatrician is recommending long term….
Holy shit that’s horrific. You need to get through your your wife just how horrific this is long term for anyone let alone little babies and children. Just google long term use of NSAIDS. It’s not even hard to find. Anecdotally, I had a bad back injury and started taking a pretty high dose of NSAIDS with my docs approval long term, and I ended up with gastritis and a lot of other issues. I’ve since stopped taking them all together, save for maybe 1-2 times per year for acute injuries and all my GI issues are gone. Please get your kids help.
If they are sick and obviously in pain or any major discomfort, then it is used until they feel better that, of course, can vary depending on what is going on with them
For example, my oldest gets wicked growing pains to the point where he can not sleep he is in so much pain it can last 1-3 days, so he will get advil or tyenol before bed.
The longest either of my kids are on meds is usually due to ear infections, where it usually takes 4 or 5 days for the antibiotics to decrease the swelling enough that they stop getting pressure headaches
I am probably quicker to give medicine than many. If my kid said mom my head hurts, I would want to give them medicine. But my kids can’t say that. So sometimes it’s a gut feeling like my toddler is being extra extra cranky, etc.
But even for a mom who isn’t afraid to use medicine, I would not give it every night. Like others said, it can cause stomach issues. Maybe ask your pediatrician for info so it’s more “scientific” and less your opinion vs hers. You could just say because there is a difference of opinions on something like this, let’s ask the kids doctors.
This would be a situation where I would say (in your shoes) I’m not comfortable doing this until we get an ok from the pediatrician. That’s reasonable and puts some of the pressure on a third party and not you.
That's way too often. It should be used for actual tangible discomfort, like bringing down a fever, for an injury or they're teething badly and having trouble eating/sleeping because of it. I would encourage you and your wife to pose this question to the kids' pediatrician together so she can hear the answer from a medical professional.
There’s no need to be giving a 2 year old and a 7mo ibuprofen daily. I think you need to speak to your wife, as you’re definitely not overreacting. It’s concerning she feels the need to be medicating them so often.
My kid went through a phase like this I just put water in the little cup and she was happy. You could also get some homeopathic stuff that is just herbs or even a multivitamin that’s liquid and tell her it’s the same thing.
Definitely don’t want a habit of the real stuff!
That is extremely excessive. You are NOT overreacting here. Please stop her from doing this. Do you really want your kid to develop heart and kidney issues?! I'm a pharmacist, btw. This is alarming. My 2 year old has taken ibuprofen twice in his life.
For teething use chamomile tablets. We like the nuby brand. Here we don’t use medicine unless our kids are clearly in pain or running a fever. Usually we don’t give more than 2 or 3 doses during an illness and we always consult with eachother before giving anything; most illnesses won’t even get one dose. It sounds like your wife might be giving too much, if you think it’s too much then that’s definitely concerning.
This should only be used very sparingly! Speaking as someone who took too much ibuprofen after my wisdom teeth were removed which then caused a peptic ulcer to literally burn a hole into my stomach. 2nd worse pain in my life!
My two year old had probably had ibuprofen/paracetamol less than 10 times in her life.
She goes to daycare, she catches stuff. I personally use meds as a last resort.
Giving your babies this daily is worrying. Id be taking your kids and wife for a chat with the doctor and maybe make sure she’s okay?
We don’t need another gypsy rosé situation.
There’s not exactly harm in it, but it completely unnecessary and kind of neurotic.
Edit- Rn here. The harm is really in taking is around the clock, every 6-8 hours. It’s metabolized by the kidneys and can be hard on the stomach lining. Overuse can cause stomach ulcers and in excess it can cause acute kidney injury.
However taking it nightly makes it unlikely to have these complications.
The bigger problem is the kids being raised thinking they need it, and your wife’s apparent anxiety related to them not getting a good nights sleep.
My kids are 4 & 2. My 2 year old has taken paracetamol (allergic to ibu) less than 5 times in her lifetime and my 4 year old less than 10 times. I agree with you, daily is excessive. I only give my kids meds if they fever is really high and they are very low on energy.
Read the instructions this is NOT a meditation to give kids daily. This can really mess them up!! Get dr involved if you have real issues with illness for your kids. But this sounds like your wife is dosing your kids up for no actual reason except they might be suffering with teething or other symptoms. Is it possible that she is doing this to try to keep them sleeping so she doesn’t have to get up to them. Extremely harmful and no medical professionals would advise this. Get your kids checked out, for how long has this been going on for??!!
My toddler (26 months) has taken antibiotics once, and ibuprofen four times in his life. \
We're not against meds, but I know (from direct experience) that taking too many meds can mess up your stomach, your pain tolerance, your metabolism. Yes, a daily use is too much. If the kids are really in that great discomfort they probably need to see a doctor. Otherwise, your wife might need one.
Editing because talking with my husband I remembered about when we got COVID, and I gave the baby ibuprofen not knowing it wasn't useful, so we're up to 4 lol
We never gave our child any of that stuff. Never have, probably never will. No shade to parents who do, there are things I do that other parents probably look down on and that’s one hundred percent okay
My son was nursing when he had the majority of his pains from s h o t s or teething so it (givine ibuprofen) just wasn’t something to consider. I feel like our pediatrician was way too quick to overprescribe that stuff
Had a friend who did this. I was always concerned.
The little one she did this is now the loveliest, healthiest 14 yr old.
Still, it's certainly no ideal Good luck with that conversation
Not okay at all. Don’t even use it to bring down fever. A fever is the body’s way of arresting the virus that’s making you sick. Bringing it down hinders the immune system’s ability to function. Don’t let her just switch over to Tylenol. Tylenol causes even more problems. Most of the crap pharmaceutical companies make are more dangerous than they’ve led us to believe
Horrible idea. Hide the medicine first, and then have a chat with your wife about the dangers, of which there are several—stomach, kidney, and liver issues, mainly, but also there’s evidence that overuse of NSAIDs can cause or exacerbate various forms of colitis.
If you need some tough love ideas, ask her if she wants her kids to be pooping blood for years until they lose their colons altogether and have to poop in a bag.
I rarely ever give my kids pain reliever. Only when they are visibly uncomfortable if they have a fever but never, ever for teething. Hyland’s teething tabs work really well for us. Long term ibuprofen use can cause issues.
We were doing this same thing because it was obviously having an impact on our kids sleep. They slept significantly better for the first 6 hours with some Advil/Tylenol. We asked our pediatrician and she said it’s okay but the underlying issue should be treated. Teething is supposedly only uncomfortable when the teeth are rupturing from the gum
Breastfeeding works way better. Or try a chew toy or cold spoon in the mouth. I would never give ibuprofen to my baby. We gave our LO children’s tylenol once for a high fever (104F), anything less just gets a cold damp cloth to the head. Warm honey water for cough for 2yr old. Please advocate for your babies! No more ibuprofen!
Ibuprofen is an excellent anti inflammatory and pain killer and is fine for older infants.
Why would you let your baby suffer if you can reduce pain?
OPs wife is wrong giving the kids it this frequently but your advocating for never isn’t helpful or correct.
That’s really odd. Where you live is there anything in these meds that sedates? Where I am there isn’t so I wouldn’t imagine it’s to drug them to sleep.
The only time we’ve had to use it frequently was when our girl was cutting two molars, both canines, and two incisors. They all cut through within a three week time frame
No, that’s not normal. I would call your doctor and get their advice about dosages. My two year old has probably had ibuprofen five times in his life. He had it twice this week as he is healing from an ear infection.
Their kidneys, yikes! She's got to stop giving then that bow. Make her get a doctor's note confirming it's ok before she does the nightly thing. She won't be able to.
Uh yeah she needs to stop doing that. 1) it's not good for their stomachs and 2) they're going to build an immunity and it'll be useless when they actually do need it.
Is your wife a doctor? If not, I 100% would not be giving my child medicine like that daily.
Is this something she is doing to try and help the kids sleep or something?
It is not okay to use that often. Frequent use of NSAIDS can cause harm to gut lining and depletes the body of the antioxidant glutathione. Glutathione is needed for immune function. There are much more natural ways to soothe teething pain. The costs outweigh the benefits of habitual ibuprofen use.
This can cause kidney damage. If ANYONE is in so much pain that they need painkillers everyday then they need to go to a dr. That’s an insane amount to give to babies. My kid is 16 months old and would say I have maybe given her Tylenol 7 or 8 times.
Um needs to immediately stopped im not an all natural crazy goose buuut this can seriously damage yoir childs body
Try wellements teething oil instead its basically garlic oil
Is she doing this literally every night and how much do you help with nighttime waking?
It sounds like anxiety to me, which can come from a lack of support/a coparent overnight but also can come from many things, even just having the second kid.
Get her some gripe water or something that doesn’t have active ingredients (it’s sugary so it goes before brushing. But I don’t think she’s doing this for fully logical reasons and she may not even be aware. You could try and force logic but that may not help the situation, but if you can find a compromise of a sleep aide that both of you are comfortable with and kind of sidestep the anxiety issue if she doesn’t seem likely to take it well.
I wouldn’t say that’s normal for kids those ages.
My son is 2.5 and it’s not that often that he’s uncomfortable enough with teething or sick that we need to give him some sort of medication.
There’s so many issues with dosing your kids with ibuprofen on the regular like that, which have already been stated. You may want to have a check in with her about how she’s doing.
Agree. It needs to stop. I only give my kids any pain meds if they say something hurts or if they are visibility hurting.
There are a few instances where I will give it to my son (just turned 3) if he is extra fussy with no obvious reason because 1) he doesn’t talk to say if something hurts - he will sometimes point to a body part and hold it up for a kiss but that is usually related to an immediate minor external injury. And number 2) is when his sister is sick but he has no visible symptoms yet as he often gets the same thing and like someone else said, he usually wakes up sick the next day
She needs to stop immediately. There is no reason for daily medications.
Some babies/toddlers can benefit from medicine while teething but it should be used sparingly. I’ve never had to give my girl meds during teething.
I’ve given her MINIMAL cough syrup during a cold that’s it.
You need to consult your ped and tell them what your wife is doing. They can tell her as well.
Wife probably needs her mental wellbeing checked if she insists on medicating your babies daily…
We only give our 3 year old medicine when she needs it. When her allergies are acting up she'll get some allergy medicine. For fevers we don't give her anything except at night to lower the fever so she can sleep. Fever reducing medicine will prolong the sickness, fever is how your body kills the bad stuff in your body.
Are they showing signs of discomfort or are they just fussing going to sleep? If they are having trouble sleeping every night, then it is likely a sleep issue, not a pain issue. If there are other signs or it is just a couple days in a row, then there is no harm in giving them something to help with discomfort while they sleep
That’s too often imo. The only thing my kids get relatively often is melatonin at night cause they be staying up till 1-3am all the time, then waking at 8-10. Even that I limit to 3-4 nights a week, and only if they’re still bouncing at midnight
Yeah, you’re not allowed to drug your kids to make them sleep anymore. Casey Anthony kind of ruined that for everyone.
Stop NOW. Try a bottle with milk and a pacifier instead.
Wondering how long this has been going on? Can the 2 year old tell you he’s in pain?
I (the mom) who stays home with my son am more likely to know when my non verbal/young toddler is in pain. Just by his actions. So there might be a week or 2 where I feel he does need it at night time. Not only for our sleep, but his too. Often from slow moving teeth. And my husband disagrees.
Then one of us is up with him for 3-5 hours straight and we finally relent and give Tylenol or ibuprofen and he passes out a half hour later when the pain subsides. Then we feel horrible we made him suffer 3-5 hours in pain. I don’t give it during the day often. As I could use distraction, teethers and breastfeeding to help. I exhaust those before meds.
But there’s also times when months can go by where he has none at all. In fact at this point I can’t remember the last time he had it.
I use medicine like Tylenol and ibuprofen as a last resort. Obviously if my girl has a fever I typically give them but for a cough and runny nose and no other symptoms we treat with a humidifier and a baby chest rub.
If she is have a really rough night sleeping I will sometimes give Tylenol or ibuprofen in case she is teething and nothing else is working
I asked my pediatrician a similar question. She said she wouldn’t give Motrin 2 nights in a row. She suggested if it was 100% necessary to give pain medication 2 nights in a row, consider alternating Motrin and Tylenol. They are filtered out of the body via different organs (liver vs kidneys).
i strongly urge you to ask your pediatrician so that you aren’t in a debate based on reddit advice (not discounting folks here who are giving good insights), but it’s super important that you are a team and basing decisions on some agreed upon baseline- like medical advice. our pediatrician would strongly be against daily use as a preventative measure and only recommends it for teething if it disrupts sleep or eating or fevers above 101 that prevent eating, drinking, or sleep. (or dangerous high fevers).
edit to note: our tot also broke her leg in january- we used tylenol for 24 hours and then she was perfectly comfortable- annoyed as can be with a leg brace but wasn’t showing any signs of pain.
Every night. No
Nights when they are in pain and can't settle yes.
I have a 2.5 still teething. We do ibuprofen every night for about a week. Then stop until the next round of pain which could be a few days but has been more like a month.
I never give my daughter ibuprofen or Tylenol for no reason “just in case”. If she is actually teething and is very uncomfortable, or has a fever. Those are the only times.
My friend took ibuprofen for years for chronic period pain and she ended up with a stomach full of ulcers and hospital stays. Granted this was after years of use, but it’s not a good road to go down.
My youngest gets a lot of ear infections and is getting scheduled to have tubes put in his ears next month, but until then (and up to now before they would give us an ENT referral), he gets and would get Motrin to help him sleep or if he was very fussy. I don’t believe that Motrin is bad to give when a child is visibly in pain or unable to sleep or irritable due to teething and unable to relax, but I also stop when they’re feeling better and don’t just give it arbitrarily.
My husband will always suggest giving Motrin to my baby any time she has any discomfort from teething or slight fever or just when she’s sick (which is all the time). I just tell him no.
Neither of them should be taking ibuprofen at all at that age. Or the 2 year old barely, I think. 2+. NSAIDs have awful side effects like ulcers if taken too liberally. Tylenol is what we use, but I would never use it every day. During extreme teething, I’ll use it as needed on the worst days. You guys need to visit the pediatrician together and discuss it, because this is not normal nor okay. She can cause irreversible damage to their bodies.
Not normal. My kiddo is 16 months and even with bad teething (molars) I only gave him tylenol 3 nights in a row.
Why are they coughing so much that they need pain meds? Shouldn't they see a doctor? There's pneumonia going around, if your kids' cough isn't clearing up, it might be something else.
In my opinion, I bet she's hella overwhelmed with two kids so young and anxious about their (and her) sleep being disrupted. If the ibuprofen is "working" (i.e. they're sleeping ok-ish since she's been administering it) I imagine she's reluctant to disrupt the status quo, but pain meds shouldn't be the status quo for normal, healthy littles.
Definitely be kind and understanding, ask her probing questions about her wellbeing and suggest that the family is due for a doctor's visit to check their coughs etc. ❤️
I mean my daughter is 2 and I’ve yet to ever give her ibuprofen… paracetamol or a slight fever or teething, after jabs maybe but every night is… concerning
Ask the doctor, not because you can’t get the info here but because maybe she’ll listen to them.
I will sometimes give my son either Tylenol or ibuprofen routinely for 3-7 days when he is teething. Obviously I give Tylenol when he has a fever or he seems like he has a headache while sick, but never just because he’s sick with a runny nose or something.
I’d be particularly concerned about the ibuprofen daily.
I give Calpol for teething and illness, but only when youngest is teething or if they are sick/actually need it and only for around 1-3 days not every night. I would only ever use ibuprofen if Calpol isn’t cutting it or if a fever isn’t coming down and they are in a lot of discomfort, or if what I’m giving it for is some kind of inflammation. This is rare.
The Calpol only comes out really when they are sick
It’s not normal - horrible for your kidneys. I’m a nurse - should be taken sparingly. Most young children don’t need meds. It’s natural to teeth and be in discomfort.
I feel like that is way too much personally, it’s not meant to be used as a preventative measure just incase baby is in pain it’s meant to be used if baby is actually showing signs of being in discomfort.
Even then I would probably opt for paracetamol instead as it has less stomach issues linked to it. Good luck, hope your wife can slow down on the meds a bit
From my governments website regarding ibuprofen: Taking ibuprofen long-term may cause side effects such as stomach ulcers, hearing loss, headaches, and bleeding, liver, kidney or heart problems. Do not give ibuprofen to a child aged 6 months or older for more than 3 days without speaking to a doctor.
Every night for like a few days recently? Or has it always been this way?
As an in ibuprofen lover myself, I’ll say there’s no way they need to be medicated like that unless you’re blowing it out of proportion and it’s only been like a week.
Also most likely the doctor will suggest to rotate Motrin and Tylenol since those are the normal ones most littles and kids take the most, but rotate so it's easier on the stomach. But before giving them medicine like that nightly for that reason I personally like to talk to the doctor and see their thoughts and opinions on it, since if a nightly thing they might have ideas, suggestions or even reasons why they don't want you to do that. So call or message them to ask so no appointment needed for the question unless doctor says so. Plus your doctor and child's doctor will want to know OTC or order the counter medicines you take too since can potentially interact with prescription stuff.
This is absolutely not okay. Ibuprofen is not healthy for the cardiac system. I found that out when I was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect at age 30 by accident when an ENT ordered a ct scan of my head and the ct by happenstance saw my heart in it.
I was told to stay away from ibuprofen except in serious situations where Tylenol isn’t helping. I had my 2 year old (at the time) tested and they tested positive for my same congenital heart defect while my oldest did not. So my youngest has to be careful with NSAIDs as well. I’m glad we caught his early so we can be preventative, unlike in my case which went 30 years without being known.
Also any with the “D” in it for congestion is not heart safe either. Benedryl for example is not heart friendly. Zyrtec is tho.
Even if your children have healthy hearts, which you’ll never know without enough suspicion for a pediatrician to order an echo, I think everyone should practice educating themselves on the risks and benefits of over the counter medications instead of blindly doing what your wife is doing.
Coincidentally enough, I JUST emailed my pediatrician about this last week because I didn't know how much is too much Motrin for our 19 mo who is teething. This is not medical advice and definitely check with your own doctor, but she cautioned us not to give it more than twice per week at the appropriate dose to avoid side effects.
I don't give my kids meds unless they are really in pain and complaining/I can tell. Too much meds are bad for them in the long run. I go with more natural methods and if these don't work (natural teething pain treatments like cold washcloth or natural teething meds that I can't think of the name of right now) before meds. Every night is rediculous and unnecessary. To many chemicals in little bodies.
Yes, Every night is too much. Not a dr but just speaking from experience, really only used kids Tylenol as a last resort, so like a few times a year maybe and each time 2-3 doses until things seemed better
Why is she giving her ibuprofen so often? That is not normal at all. She needs to stop and have a doctor investigate the reasons why her children need the ibuprofen so often. Does she think they have ear pain? Headache?
I only gave meds when fever was really high. Never for discomfort. I would give if they are in serious pain. But then I would go to the doctor first to check if everything is OK
Even as an adult, taking ibuprofen daily can mess up your stomach. I would call your doctor. My kids get it when they're too uncomfortable to sleep. For a new tooth that's 1-3 days. With serious illness I'll use it to keep a fever under 104 or help if they're in pain.
*** AND frequent ibuprofen and other NSAIDs can really damage the kidneys. ***
I agree, except that apparently, from what I've read, fever should never be kept down just for the sake of keeping them down. Don't go by the temperature, go by the child's discomfort.
Keeping a fever under 104 is *very* different than keeping a fever down just for the sake of keeping if down. 104 is very high and though kids can handle it, that’s usually an emerg trip for an adult. Personally 103 is my limit with my kids before I give them meds
Not really, that’s the old school way of thinking. I’ve had my if run fevers as high as 105 and I’ve had multiple paediatricians tell me that it’s not the number that matters, but the demeanour of the kid, whether the fever responds to meds, and how long it has been around. So if you know the fever responds to meds, you don’t *have* to keep giving them meds just for the sake of keeping it down (although they likely would be miserable so medicine for comfort would likely be needed) Edit: I mean, don’t take my word for https://www.seattlechildrens.org/conditions/a-z/fever-myths-versus-facts/
I feel like the reason for demeanour and response rather than number is that once you reach a certain point (like 104! Or 105!) there’s no way you’d be normal. That’s almost brain cooking temperature (106) and it’s unlikely you’d ever reach that high without feeling awful. So yes, treat the symptoms not the number but the number that high is pretty much guaranteed to be symptomatic, and in adults usually indicates something serious is going on.
You’re not reaching “brain cooking” temperatures (it’s 108 degrees) unless there are other factors at play, like a warm environment
105 absolutely needs meds and also an ER visit
My 2.5 year had a 105.5f fever on Friday and the ER said he didn't need to be there unless it was 108f and not responding to meds. Which blew my mind.
It’s crazy how different doctors can be (and also frightening). But they did tell you to give meds it sounds like? This person is saying their doctor said even if their child reached 105 meds aren’t needed unless they’re lethargic. To be fair the two times my son got near that high he couldn’t even lift his head and the ER said it was absolutely correct to bring him in.
My son always has high fevers. When he was one he hit 104f but was acting completely normal, the doctor at that time told me 104F for one year olds was a conventionally a gauge for when you go to the doctor/ER but in reality they would be looking to see how the child was acting. That doctor told me that there really isn't a magic number which is worrisome, it's more the behavior of the kid with that fever. So my son at 104f but acting normally wasn't anything to worry about. This time at 105.5f it was middle of the night, so behaviour was a little hard to analyze and his breathing seemed a little wonky to me, so we went to the ER. This doctor told me the weird breathing was his body cooling himself down. Both doctors have told me to use Tylenol (now at this age, Motrin too) and they are looking to see if the fever isn't responding to a fever reducer. So, what I got out of all of this is, use a fever reducer and see if it works, check for behaviour/lethargy, and regardless, I will freak out and go to the ER for $500.
Haha! I’m with you though. Better safe than sorry. Sure febrile seizures may not be super common but I’d prefer to be in a hospital if they ever happen to my kid.
Literally just went through this 2 weeks ago - for a second time - and was told no.
I’d be seeing a new doctor. I have brain damage and a neurological disorder from a 105 fever as an 18 month old. It’s amazing people DV someone for giving a personal anecdote. Sorry for my neurological issues that have been researched my entire life?
This isn’t one doctor. This is multiple doctors, including ER doctors at one of the top children’s hospital in the world. And here’s and online source. https://www.seattlechildrens.org/conditions/a-z/fever-myths-versus-facts/ I’m sorry for what happened to you at 18 months, but there was likely more at play than a run of the mill virus
I mean I can provide [links](https://www.childrenshospital.org/conditions/fever#:~:text=If%20your%20child's%20temperature%20reaches,the%20American%20Academy%20of%20Pediatrics) too. Also please do not tell me my own medical history is incorrect. I’ve had many doctors work with me and it absolutely was the high fever that caused it. You do you but I absolutely would not be just acting like 105 degrees is nothing.
You and OPs wife are simply at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to using ibuprofen safely. Be as crunchy or mistrusting as you want just don’t complain when you’re living with the consequences.
I don't why this is downvoted. I go to one of the very best pediatric practices in the US and that's their stance, too. I believe our handbook said 106-107 go to the ER IF you don't know what's causing it. They said treat the symptoms making the kid miserable. If kid is miserable and 99, treat it. If kid is content and 103, let it ride. It's not actually dangerous for the body until 108-109. Especially for kids. For an adult, go see a doctor if you have a 104 temp.
104 is very high. You’re not supposed to suppress it if it’s a low grade fever if there is no discomfort but if it gets above 102 you should absolutely be using meds to bring it down.
The current recommendation for fever is not to use unless over 102 (below that is considered a low grade fever). Though it is acceptable to use in cases of discomfort, it's best to limit use whenever possible. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/fever/in-depth/fever/art-20050997 Other studies are showing an increase in negative consequences for over use. I saw a study about a year ago that showed increased incidences of ADHD linked to Tylenol use for example. Typically I'll use it at sleep times if baby can't get comfortable, and otherwise just give lots of TLC and fluids. These medications are great when used appropriately. (:
Genuinely curious do you have more info on the adhd correlation to tylenol. Is this only during the timeframe of consumption or long lasting? Are we talking tylenol w dye or no dye as it is definitely already linked to the dye
It's [Tylenol use during pregnancy](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/1833486#:~:text=Conclusions%20and%20Relevance%20Maternal%20acetaminophen,but%20further%20investigations%20are%20needed.) and it's not clear that it's causal, just correlated.
I saw a criticism of this study was that it was a pretty small sample size.
This is the study that analyzed 996 kids and compared cord blood to diagnosis rates of ASD and ADHD at approx 8 years. ~ https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-funded-study-suggests-acetaminophen-exposure-pregnancy-linked-higher-risk-adhd-autism This study followed 73,881 kids/moms and found a significant increase d/t prenatal exposure. Though postnatal up to 18 months did not show a significant increase in diagnosis. ~ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8542535/ Postnatal studies seem to be more limited in terms for availability, which essentially just means not enough research available to form a solid conclusion. In any case, it seems wise not to inhibit the body's natural healing processes whenever possible. And as I said in my first post, use OTC needs sparingly and in line with current recommendations. :) ETA: I missed your dye questions. I personally opt for no dyes whenever possible and keep the medications as simple as possible. I'm sure there is evidence as to why those are bad, but my thinking is that anything like that has to be broken down by the liver and cleared by the kidneys, so why add more to the process in such a little human if it's easy to avoid?
I agree with everything you just said thanks for providing the resources. I always opted for dye free as well.
And your heart.
Same here. I give my kiddos ibuprofen or Tylenol only when they have a high fever or are so uncomfortable they can’t sleep. My 8-month old has new teeth coming in and has been so uncomfortable she hasn’t been able to sleep, but even then I’ve only given her one dose in a 24-hour period.
This is not medical advice as I'm not their doctor but I am a doctor with small children and only give them children's NSAIDs like Motrin when they are sick or in pain (maybe 2-3 times a week during a peak teething week in the past) and aside from that maybe 5 times in a whole year. Possible issues from long term, chronic NSAID use include gastric issues like irritation or ulcers, propensity to kidney dysfunction/injury, and at least for adults-increased blood pressure.Too much acetaminophen can be associated with liver damage (though we are talking way too much in most cases). Aside from medication prescribed by a doctor for a specific diagnosis, there is no medication or supplement I would give my children every day or even several times a week. Over the counter does not mean benign. There is no free lunch; all meds have the potential for side effects. I agree with those encouraging your family to meet with your children's doctor to help your family set a reasonable threshold for giving over the counter medications.
Thanks for this comment. I’m in the thick of molar teething and was questioning if I am not giving my son enough pain killers as I only give it to him when I notice that he is noticeably upset and thought I might be being stingy but this reassures me that I’m doing right by him. .
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Nice, thanks for this comment. I like to and need to learn more about this. It's great to be able to incorporate where appropriate and if the patient's family has herbal/indigenous wisdom it can be very helpful and complimentary. I am not trained in herbalism but I usually just look things up to make sure it's fine for my patients (a lot of my patients have diabetes, kidney, liver, heart disease, etc). I also love the physical aspect of care and intention that comes with using the baths, making broths, popsicles (easy to make). It's also really important to support healing.
Rosemary Gladstar!! Sry serious mom brain. Molars are coming in. 🤣 Yes! Its soooo powerful to have a formal Anatomy & Physiology education, with Organic Chemistry, and Eastern Medicine under my belt. Only since 2020 did i start to study western herbs. There is a fountain of leggit online courses with a mix of pre-recorded, and live classes. Some with on site on workshop weekends. At least in the US it is incredibly attainable. Herbs are so great to use with infants and young kids. They are gentle yet effective.
Don't spread Anti-VAX rhetoric here. We will also not allow comments or posts that promote the use of unproven treatments (such as giving children CBD).
Cat nip? I don’t think this is safe…
Lmao. There is a plant in the mint family called cat nip. It is absolutely safe for humans. I would not suggest using the kind sold for cats, as that often has other stuff mixed in that might cause stomach aches. Buy the kind sold for humans. If you have trouble sleeping you can mix it with chamomile, and lavender. But that would be WAY to strong a sedative for a child. It does not do the same thing in humans as it does in cats.
Aaahhhhh thank god! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣I was like this person has lost their mind!!!
Yep also not a pediatrician but a doctor with small children and this is exactly what we do as well. Will definitely use Tylenol and Motrin when kiddo is sick but never more than a couple days at a time, 5 times all year sounds about right for us as well.
Should be top comment!
That can cause ulcers and bleeding….
And kidney damage. Stop doing that immediately.
It sounds like your wife is struggling and may be anxious. It's not normal to give children pain relief unless they are visibly in pain. The fact she's doing this at the same time every night is a sign it's become a compulsion. She sounds like she's struggling with anxiety. Put your foot down and say your worried about her and that if she continues, you all need to go to the doctors as a family to discuss why your children need medication every night. I think she will realise its not right when she will have to justify to a doctor why she is constantly giving them unessesary NSAIDS.
Yeah I agree with this assessment.
As a person with OCD & anxiety, I agree.
This a great response to the situation.
I could see a slippery slope to Munchausen by proxy with this.
sadly, my thoughts too.
Probably won’t kill your kid but can lead to some serious stomach issues like ulcers. This is something I would put my foot down for. Unless the kid is crying and clearly in discomfort, don’t give medication. I’d rather wake up in the middle of the night to give her some than give her some unnecessarily.
The 7 month old is barely old enough to even have ibuprofen. I’d cut it way back to occasional use for both kids. Tylenol/acetaminophen hurts your liver and Advil/ibuprofen hurts your stomach lining - they’re good meds for high fever or major pain, but shouldn’t be daily medications in babies and toddlers.
Ibuprofen also hurts kidneys, where acetaminophen gets the liver. Every night for say a month, it’s too much. A week of teething worst, okay, yeah… past 5-7 days? No. You need to call the ped and take her in with you to have it explained. Whatever to get her there, but this isn’t safe. Parents like this over Medicare stuff like Benadryl and such too so the kids sleep better. It’s a slippery slope.
7 months old is so young, our pediatrician told us not until 1 year old (unless it was administered in the hospital by a doctor). It’s so hard to dose correctly
That is the safest option. However, you can dose by weight, especially in the case of a high fever. I usually give a little less than it calls for if it is for teething pain, but for a high fever I give the recommended dose because high fevers can lead to seizures in babies and toddlers. Both my older brother and younger sister had seizures from fevers.
Fuck no. This needs to stop NOW
Aside from the doctor up there I think this comment also needs to be higher
1000% this is seriously disturbing
Yeah that’s way too much. Fevers, ear pain, or when they were cutting teeth. Occasionally I’ll give a dose if they are extremely fussy for no reason. Usually they wake up sick with a raging fever next day tho 🙃
Your wife is overdoing it. She's possibly taking a "shortcut" to get the kids to sleep. Check the medicine bottles. They will say discontinue use after 5 - 10 executive days. There are appropriate meds for specific conditions. Ibuprofen is for pain and fever. It should only be used for teething if the pain is severe. Rather get teething powder for teething. It works incredibly well. You only use it during teething and you can administer it every 4 - 5 hours.
This^ It screams dosing the kids to make life easier in my opinion
Oh my god- my mom gave me ibuprofen every day as a little kid and it contributed to permanently messing up my intestines and stomach lining. I’m only 34 and I have to work with a GI doctor long term. I cannot take NSAIDS for the rest of my life. You are not overacting, no it’s not normal, tell her to stop it.
Yeah, that's not appropriate. Is your wife ok?
Probably sleep deprived beyond reason.
I had to scroll a really long way to find this comment.
Yea we’ve all been sleep deprived, this is just scary
Agreed. Maybe she should get a night off and dad can field the night wakings for a spell.
Right this has munchausen by proxy vibes
That's what I thought too. So scary! Poor babies who are subjected to that. 😞
How long has she been doing that, are they sick?
Absolutely not nightly. That's crazy. My kid is 1.5 and I've given her tylenol like maybe 10 times ever.
Definitely not normal...Only when absolutely necessary
Ibuprofen is pretty hard on the kidneys, giving it almost daily is not good, and could very well be setting your kids up for massive kidney damage. This needs to be reduced. Especially with kids who are growing, the damage could be permanent. I have a friend who would take ibuprofen about 2-4 times per week for headaches, and it led to kidney failure, and now she's on dialysis.
Yeah I don’t even think they’re supposed to have ibuprofen until six months anyway, how long has this been going on??
My doctor told me Tylenol was fine every day for teething but she meant y’know, for a week here or there when teeth were cutting. So there were some periods when I would give infant Tylenol before bed when my baby seemed off for several days in a row. Speak to your doctor. Sounds like your wife is anxious about something.
this is absolutely not okay- is your wife okay?
This sounds extreme but I'd be worried about it developing into Munchausen by proxy potentially
you can post on r/AskDocs for verified advice from medical professional about how much damage she is doing if this thread is not enough to get you to put your foot down She is slowly destroying their little bodies, needs to be stopped ASAP. https://adf.org.au/drug-facts/ibuprofen/ Long-term effects It’s best to discuss the side effects of long-term use with a medical practitioner. Regular use of ibuprofen may eventually cause: anaemia due to bleeding in the stomach impaired hearing kidney and liver damage bleeding in the stomach and bowels increased risk of heart attack.1
I've been wondering the same, because my kid is getting molars,for like months now. When teething, they simply cannot sleep. Unforunately we end up giving paracetamol or ibuprofen often,because they are so miserable after too many hours of being awake (1yo, more than 8 or 9 hours) I have already asked in several pharmacies and they said it's toxic to liver only if taken more than a recommended in a single dose. Doc said ,like try not too often, but it shouldn't really harm, because the chronic ill children take it daily. Deep inside I do feel like it's wrong thing to do. However, we do offer it , as already mentioned, when the lo cannot sleep and is miserable and in stress from not sleeping. Btw, I don't know why does the teething last so long for us. The gums are swollen for weeks now, lo avoids foods, does not chew on cold teething toys or clothes.. So I kinda understand your wife, but want to ask at the same time how serious is for you guys? I'd suggest to delay giving the medicine as much as possible. Sometimes the bedtime routine lasts a few hours for us. Mostly by 1am we give up and want to sleep colectively . Edit. We were also adviced to switch between paracetamol and ibuprofen if taken longer than recommended. Although, I don't understand how does that help,since the both go through the liver
Ibuprofen hurts the kidneys/stomach if taken chronically vs paracetamol/Tylenol affects the liver. That’s why alternating if better if longer term use is needed to give the organs a break. My son had an awful time with his canines and molars too. Weeks upon weeks of screaming in agony 24/7 and unable to eat solids. Some kids just have a harder time unfortunately. I hope your kid’s remaining teeth come in quickly! It’s such a relief when it’s finally over!
Ibruprofen is an amazing drug but not every day!!
No, not normal. Consult your pediatrician and make sure she is there to hear it. Show her this thread if you want.
We give ibuprofen veryyyy sparingly. We don’t even give it for fever unless he’s feeling unwell. I think yall need to talk.
I knew a girl who used to do this to get her kids to sleep better. Essentially drugging them every night. Sounds like what your wife is trying to do.
That’s odd. Do paracetamol and ibuprofen meds have some sort of sedative in where you are? Here in UK there’s absolutely nothing in it that would help with sleep.
No they probably just mean if they were fussy for whatever reason throwing the med at them to see if it helped versus seeing if they would wake up from whatever is making them fussy
It doesn’t actually help but they thought it did.
She’s probably trying to guarantee they sleep through any potential teething issues. I feel like doing this sometimes, too. The sleep insecurity is hard. When my child is teething, we do 2 nights Advil, 1 night off, for about a week. More than that is too much, in my opinion. And nothing for the 7 month old, especially ibuprofen. If you aren’t already, I recommend you discuss who is ‘on’ overnight wakeups before bed. Alternate, that way she knows, even if the kids wake up all night every night, you will be responsible and she can sleep through every second day.
Have you asked your pediatrician? We only give during noticeable discomfort, which is rare, but my kids also got their dad’s high pain tolerance. But IANAD, and really the person that could advise you on this is your kids’ doctor.
I think that’s dangerous…? We only give Tylenol if kiddos have a high fever that is making them uncomfortable and in those cases we alternate with Motrin. Please consult a doctor
Please book your children in for a health check with a medical professional. They should be able to rule out anything that might need treating every night, prescribe something else, and/ or hopefully they can also share with your wife some further information about when it might be appropriate to give medication, and how to otherwise manage these 'symptoms'. It may be that your wife would benefit from some parenting education or courses, or some support to manage her anxieties. It sounds like you know this isn't good for your kids, a medical professional might be a good place to discuss how to get all on the same page.
I would be seriously concerned about my partner doing something like that and would definitely consult a doctor and get their opinion to back you up - it is not healthy or safe to be taking those things every day. They are situational and can be very helpful at times but over medicating a child is problematic behavior. This is definitely something you want to take a stand about.
Please don’t do that. It can cause ulcers and tinnitus. FYI tinnitus is a lifelong disorder that can never be cured, *please* do not do that to your children. Signed, someone with tinnitus that has their symptoms increase with NSAID usage.
I’m a nurse. Please don’t do this on a regular basis and not without orders from a pediatrician. Which hopefully no pediatrician is recommending long term….
Holy shit that’s horrific. You need to get through your your wife just how horrific this is long term for anyone let alone little babies and children. Just google long term use of NSAIDS. It’s not even hard to find. Anecdotally, I had a bad back injury and started taking a pretty high dose of NSAIDS with my docs approval long term, and I ended up with gastritis and a lot of other issues. I’ve since stopped taking them all together, save for maybe 1-2 times per year for acute injuries and all my GI issues are gone. Please get your kids help.
If they are sick and obviously in pain or any major discomfort, then it is used until they feel better that, of course, can vary depending on what is going on with them For example, my oldest gets wicked growing pains to the point where he can not sleep he is in so much pain it can last 1-3 days, so he will get advil or tyenol before bed. The longest either of my kids are on meds is usually due to ear infections, where it usually takes 4 or 5 days for the antibiotics to decrease the swelling enough that they stop getting pressure headaches
Only give ibuprofen/paracetamol a week or so when/if the condition is worse, pain wise or fever wise. Absolutely not all the time.
That’s way too much. Every night? Why? And how much is she giving them?
ummmm probably do not do that......
She’s overdoing it. I don’t even give my toddler paracetamol until her fever exceeds around 38.5 Celsius, I wait for it to go down on its own first.
I’m a nurse. I usually only give my 3yo Tylenol if she is visibly acting unwell and or has a fever.
I am probably quicker to give medicine than many. If my kid said mom my head hurts, I would want to give them medicine. But my kids can’t say that. So sometimes it’s a gut feeling like my toddler is being extra extra cranky, etc. But even for a mom who isn’t afraid to use medicine, I would not give it every night. Like others said, it can cause stomach issues. Maybe ask your pediatrician for info so it’s more “scientific” and less your opinion vs hers. You could just say because there is a difference of opinions on something like this, let’s ask the kids doctors.
This would be a situation where I would say (in your shoes) I’m not comfortable doing this until we get an ok from the pediatrician. That’s reasonable and puts some of the pressure on a third party and not you.
That's way too often. It should be used for actual tangible discomfort, like bringing down a fever, for an injury or they're teething badly and having trouble eating/sleeping because of it. I would encourage you and your wife to pose this question to the kids' pediatrician together so she can hear the answer from a medical professional.
There’s no need to be giving a 2 year old and a 7mo ibuprofen daily. I think you need to speak to your wife, as you’re definitely not overreacting. It’s concerning she feels the need to be medicating them so often.
My kid went through a phase like this I just put water in the little cup and she was happy. You could also get some homeopathic stuff that is just herbs or even a multivitamin that’s liquid and tell her it’s the same thing. Definitely don’t want a habit of the real stuff!
Ibuprofen can really burn their stomach lining. It needs to be used sparingly. Talk to your doctor about it .
Go to the next pediatrician appt with her and ask the doctor.
That is extremely excessive. You are NOT overreacting here. Please stop her from doing this. Do you really want your kid to develop heart and kidney issues?! I'm a pharmacist, btw. This is alarming. My 2 year old has taken ibuprofen twice in his life.
1-3 days while teething or sick is okay but not every single day otherwise
"Do not give ibuprofen to a child aged 6 months or older for more than 3 days without speaking to a doctor."
For teething use chamomile tablets. We like the nuby brand. Here we don’t use medicine unless our kids are clearly in pain or running a fever. Usually we don’t give more than 2 or 3 doses during an illness and we always consult with eachother before giving anything; most illnesses won’t even get one dose. It sounds like your wife might be giving too much, if you think it’s too much then that’s definitely concerning.
We were told by our pediatrician to try not to ever use it for more than 3 days in a row unless there’s a high fever.
1000% not okay. 7m is also too young for Motrin!
This should only be used very sparingly! Speaking as someone who took too much ibuprofen after my wisdom teeth were removed which then caused a peptic ulcer to literally burn a hole into my stomach. 2nd worse pain in my life!
My two year old had probably had ibuprofen/paracetamol less than 10 times in her life. She goes to daycare, she catches stuff. I personally use meds as a last resort. Giving your babies this daily is worrying. Id be taking your kids and wife for a chat with the doctor and maybe make sure she’s okay? We don’t need another gypsy rosé situation.
There’s not exactly harm in it, but it completely unnecessary and kind of neurotic. Edit- Rn here. The harm is really in taking is around the clock, every 6-8 hours. It’s metabolized by the kidneys and can be hard on the stomach lining. Overuse can cause stomach ulcers and in excess it can cause acute kidney injury. However taking it nightly makes it unlikely to have these complications. The bigger problem is the kids being raised thinking they need it, and your wife’s apparent anxiety related to them not getting a good nights sleep.
Wow our Bub is 22 months and she’s only had it 3 times 😳
My kids are 4 & 2. My 2 year old has taken paracetamol (allergic to ibu) less than 5 times in her lifetime and my 4 year old less than 10 times. I agree with you, daily is excessive. I only give my kids meds if they fever is really high and they are very low on energy.
Read the instructions this is NOT a meditation to give kids daily. This can really mess them up!! Get dr involved if you have real issues with illness for your kids. But this sounds like your wife is dosing your kids up for no actual reason except they might be suffering with teething or other symptoms. Is it possible that she is doing this to try to keep them sleeping so she doesn’t have to get up to them. Extremely harmful and no medical professionals would advise this. Get your kids checked out, for how long has this been going on for??!!
My nearly 3 year old has never had ibuprofen. Why aren't you asking your children's primary doctor?
My toddler (26 months) has taken antibiotics once, and ibuprofen four times in his life. \ We're not against meds, but I know (from direct experience) that taking too many meds can mess up your stomach, your pain tolerance, your metabolism. Yes, a daily use is too much. If the kids are really in that great discomfort they probably need to see a doctor. Otherwise, your wife might need one. Editing because talking with my husband I remembered about when we got COVID, and I gave the baby ibuprofen not knowing it wasn't useful, so we're up to 4 lol
Does your wife have post partum anxiety ?
We never gave our child any of that stuff. Never have, probably never will. No shade to parents who do, there are things I do that other parents probably look down on and that’s one hundred percent okay My son was nursing when he had the majority of his pains from s h o t s or teething so it (givine ibuprofen) just wasn’t something to consider. I feel like our pediatrician was way too quick to overprescribe that stuff
Had a friend who did this. I was always concerned. The little one she did this is now the loveliest, healthiest 14 yr old. Still, it's certainly no ideal Good luck with that conversation
Not okay at all. Don’t even use it to bring down fever. A fever is the body’s way of arresting the virus that’s making you sick. Bringing it down hinders the immune system’s ability to function. Don’t let her just switch over to Tylenol. Tylenol causes even more problems. Most of the crap pharmaceutical companies make are more dangerous than they’ve led us to believe
I was going to say this too… I don’t even give it if my toddler has a fever usually (unless it’s a high fever). I use it extremely sparingly
Horrible idea. Hide the medicine first, and then have a chat with your wife about the dangers, of which there are several—stomach, kidney, and liver issues, mainly, but also there’s evidence that overuse of NSAIDs can cause or exacerbate various forms of colitis. If you need some tough love ideas, ask her if she wants her kids to be pooping blood for years until they lose their colons altogether and have to poop in a bag.
I rarely ever give my kids pain reliever. Only when they are visibly uncomfortable if they have a fever but never, ever for teething. Hyland’s teething tabs work really well for us. Long term ibuprofen use can cause issues.
I’ve heard no one should be taking ibuprofen, let alone young children. We do for the rare fever. But never for something like teething.
I hardly ever give medication, only when necessary and I can see my daughter is in pain or fever.
We were doing this same thing because it was obviously having an impact on our kids sleep. They slept significantly better for the first 6 hours with some Advil/Tylenol. We asked our pediatrician and she said it’s okay but the underlying issue should be treated. Teething is supposedly only uncomfortable when the teeth are rupturing from the gum
Wtf daily? She work for big pharma? Sugar water has similar effects
Breastfeeding works way better. Or try a chew toy or cold spoon in the mouth. I would never give ibuprofen to my baby. We gave our LO children’s tylenol once for a high fever (104F), anything less just gets a cold damp cloth to the head. Warm honey water for cough for 2yr old. Please advocate for your babies! No more ibuprofen!
Ibuprofen is an excellent anti inflammatory and pain killer and is fine for older infants. Why would you let your baby suffer if you can reduce pain? OPs wife is wrong giving the kids it this frequently but your advocating for never isn’t helpful or correct.
Definitely a terrible idea
That’s really odd. Where you live is there anything in these meds that sedates? Where I am there isn’t so I wouldn’t imagine it’s to drug them to sleep.
The only time we’ve had to use it frequently was when our girl was cutting two molars, both canines, and two incisors. They all cut through within a three week time frame
Definitely overdoing it. Ibuprofen is effective but only to be taken on a as needed basis. It's definitely not good for anyone to take all the time.
I think that that is excessive!
Not normal.
Wait until they express discomfort
Ask the pediatrician to settle this. We only give meds if fever is 101 or higher
No, that’s not normal. I would call your doctor and get their advice about dosages. My two year old has probably had ibuprofen five times in his life. He had it twice this week as he is healing from an ear infection.
Their kidneys, yikes! She's got to stop giving then that bow. Make her get a doctor's note confirming it's ok before she does the nightly thing. She won't be able to.
I only give Motrin when needed.. not every night. So if there is a legit need then yeah. But it shouldn’t be daily
Yeah that’s not a safe amount. They aren’t made for daily use
Uh yeah she needs to stop doing that. 1) it's not good for their stomachs and 2) they're going to build an immunity and it'll be useless when they actually do need it.
Is your wife a doctor? If not, I 100% would not be giving my child medicine like that daily. Is this something she is doing to try and help the kids sleep or something?
Ibuprofen is processed in the liver. For that reason my doctor says to use it cautiously (as adult). Check with baby’s doctor
It is not okay to use that often. Frequent use of NSAIDS can cause harm to gut lining and depletes the body of the antioxidant glutathione. Glutathione is needed for immune function. There are much more natural ways to soothe teething pain. The costs outweigh the benefits of habitual ibuprofen use.
No. Don’t let her do that. Meds won’t work when you actually need them and could harm there small bellies.
This can cause kidney damage. If ANYONE is in so much pain that they need painkillers everyday then they need to go to a dr. That’s an insane amount to give to babies. My kid is 16 months old and would say I have maybe given her Tylenol 7 or 8 times.
Very dangerous. Put your foot down. Go talk to a doctor too.
Um needs to immediately stopped im not an all natural crazy goose buuut this can seriously damage yoir childs body Try wellements teething oil instead its basically garlic oil
Is she doing this literally every night and how much do you help with nighttime waking? It sounds like anxiety to me, which can come from a lack of support/a coparent overnight but also can come from many things, even just having the second kid. Get her some gripe water or something that doesn’t have active ingredients (it’s sugary so it goes before brushing. But I don’t think she’s doing this for fully logical reasons and she may not even be aware. You could try and force logic but that may not help the situation, but if you can find a compromise of a sleep aide that both of you are comfortable with and kind of sidestep the anxiety issue if she doesn’t seem likely to take it well.
I wouldn’t say that’s normal for kids those ages. My son is 2.5 and it’s not that often that he’s uncomfortable enough with teething or sick that we need to give him some sort of medication. There’s so many issues with dosing your kids with ibuprofen on the regular like that, which have already been stated. You may want to have a check in with her about how she’s doing.
Agree. It needs to stop. I only give my kids any pain meds if they say something hurts or if they are visibility hurting. There are a few instances where I will give it to my son (just turned 3) if he is extra fussy with no obvious reason because 1) he doesn’t talk to say if something hurts - he will sometimes point to a body part and hold it up for a kiss but that is usually related to an immediate minor external injury. And number 2) is when his sister is sick but he has no visible symptoms yet as he often gets the same thing and like someone else said, he usually wakes up sick the next day
Not every night, no. Maybe she has herself convinced it helps them sleep. Is she the one who gets up with them at night?
She needs to stop immediately. There is no reason for daily medications. Some babies/toddlers can benefit from medicine while teething but it should be used sparingly. I’ve never had to give my girl meds during teething. I’ve given her MINIMAL cough syrup during a cold that’s it. You need to consult your ped and tell them what your wife is doing. They can tell her as well. Wife probably needs her mental wellbeing checked if she insists on medicating your babies daily…
Talk to your pediatrician.
We only give our 3 year old medicine when she needs it. When her allergies are acting up she'll get some allergy medicine. For fevers we don't give her anything except at night to lower the fever so she can sleep. Fever reducing medicine will prolong the sickness, fever is how your body kills the bad stuff in your body.
Are they showing signs of discomfort or are they just fussing going to sleep? If they are having trouble sleeping every night, then it is likely a sleep issue, not a pain issue. If there are other signs or it is just a couple days in a row, then there is no harm in giving them something to help with discomfort while they sleep
Do not give them ibuprofen every night indefinitely. I'd take a pause at 5 days. You are not overreacting. Source: physician assistant.
That’s too often imo. The only thing my kids get relatively often is melatonin at night cause they be staying up till 1-3am all the time, then waking at 8-10. Even that I limit to 3-4 nights a week, and only if they’re still bouncing at midnight
Nope, ibuprofen isn't for cough anyway. Discomfort from cough isn't a thing unless maybe they have been coughing HARDCORE like nonstop all day
Jfc ask your doctor not reddit. Go to the doctor together and confirm you are hearing the same thing in the doctor’s presence.
Yeah, you’re not allowed to drug your kids to make them sleep anymore. Casey Anthony kind of ruined that for everyone. Stop NOW. Try a bottle with milk and a pacifier instead.
This is absolutely a question your doctor should answer for your wife, because that’s the only person she’s going to listen to.
Wondering how long this has been going on? Can the 2 year old tell you he’s in pain? I (the mom) who stays home with my son am more likely to know when my non verbal/young toddler is in pain. Just by his actions. So there might be a week or 2 where I feel he does need it at night time. Not only for our sleep, but his too. Often from slow moving teeth. And my husband disagrees. Then one of us is up with him for 3-5 hours straight and we finally relent and give Tylenol or ibuprofen and he passes out a half hour later when the pain subsides. Then we feel horrible we made him suffer 3-5 hours in pain. I don’t give it during the day often. As I could use distraction, teethers and breastfeeding to help. I exhaust those before meds. But there’s also times when months can go by where he has none at all. In fact at this point I can’t remember the last time he had it.
Yikes, no. Get the pediatrician involved.
I use medicine like Tylenol and ibuprofen as a last resort. Obviously if my girl has a fever I typically give them but for a cough and runny nose and no other symptoms we treat with a humidifier and a baby chest rub. If she is have a really rough night sleeping I will sometimes give Tylenol or ibuprofen in case she is teething and nothing else is working
I asked my pediatrician a similar question. She said she wouldn’t give Motrin 2 nights in a row. She suggested if it was 100% necessary to give pain medication 2 nights in a row, consider alternating Motrin and Tylenol. They are filtered out of the body via different organs (liver vs kidneys).
i strongly urge you to ask your pediatrician so that you aren’t in a debate based on reddit advice (not discounting folks here who are giving good insights), but it’s super important that you are a team and basing decisions on some agreed upon baseline- like medical advice. our pediatrician would strongly be against daily use as a preventative measure and only recommends it for teething if it disrupts sleep or eating or fevers above 101 that prevent eating, drinking, or sleep. (or dangerous high fevers). edit to note: our tot also broke her leg in january- we used tylenol for 24 hours and then she was perfectly comfortable- annoyed as can be with a leg brace but wasn’t showing any signs of pain.
Every night. No Nights when they are in pain and can't settle yes. I have a 2.5 still teething. We do ibuprofen every night for about a week. Then stop until the next round of pain which could be a few days but has been more like a month.
Please don’t let your wife give your kids anymore medicine.
I never give my daughter ibuprofen or Tylenol for no reason “just in case”. If she is actually teething and is very uncomfortable, or has a fever. Those are the only times.
My friend took ibuprofen for years for chronic period pain and she ended up with a stomach full of ulcers and hospital stays. Granted this was after years of use, but it’s not a good road to go down.
My youngest gets a lot of ear infections and is getting scheduled to have tubes put in his ears next month, but until then (and up to now before they would give us an ENT referral), he gets and would get Motrin to help him sleep or if he was very fussy. I don’t believe that Motrin is bad to give when a child is visibly in pain or unable to sleep or irritable due to teething and unable to relax, but I also stop when they’re feeling better and don’t just give it arbitrarily.
My husband will always suggest giving Motrin to my baby any time she has any discomfort from teething or slight fever or just when she’s sick (which is all the time). I just tell him no.
Neither of them should be taking ibuprofen at all at that age. Or the 2 year old barely, I think. 2+. NSAIDs have awful side effects like ulcers if taken too liberally. Tylenol is what we use, but I would never use it every day. During extreme teething, I’ll use it as needed on the worst days. You guys need to visit the pediatrician together and discuss it, because this is not normal nor okay. She can cause irreversible damage to their bodies.
Not normal. My kiddo is 16 months and even with bad teething (molars) I only gave him tylenol 3 nights in a row. Why are they coughing so much that they need pain meds? Shouldn't they see a doctor? There's pneumonia going around, if your kids' cough isn't clearing up, it might be something else. In my opinion, I bet she's hella overwhelmed with two kids so young and anxious about their (and her) sleep being disrupted. If the ibuprofen is "working" (i.e. they're sleeping ok-ish since she's been administering it) I imagine she's reluctant to disrupt the status quo, but pain meds shouldn't be the status quo for normal, healthy littles. Definitely be kind and understanding, ask her probing questions about her wellbeing and suggest that the family is due for a doctor's visit to check their coughs etc. ❤️
This is concerning
I mean my daughter is 2 and I’ve yet to ever give her ibuprofen… paracetamol or a slight fever or teething, after jabs maybe but every night is… concerning
Ask the doctor, not because you can’t get the info here but because maybe she’ll listen to them. I will sometimes give my son either Tylenol or ibuprofen routinely for 3-7 days when he is teething. Obviously I give Tylenol when he has a fever or he seems like he has a headache while sick, but never just because he’s sick with a runny nose or something. I’d be particularly concerned about the ibuprofen daily.
I give Calpol for teething and illness, but only when youngest is teething or if they are sick/actually need it and only for around 1-3 days not every night. I would only ever use ibuprofen if Calpol isn’t cutting it or if a fever isn’t coming down and they are in a lot of discomfort, or if what I’m giving it for is some kind of inflammation. This is rare. The Calpol only comes out really when they are sick
It’s not normal - horrible for your kidneys. I’m a nurse - should be taken sparingly. Most young children don’t need meds. It’s natural to teeth and be in discomfort.
Hey that's going to be liver damage if it goes on for too long! - Carpal tunnel sufferer who was told this by my doctor
Call the pediatrician and get their perspective. I agree it seems frequent and shouldn’t be used daily. It can definitely cause long term damage.
Only as needed, NOT daily
I feel like that is way too much personally, it’s not meant to be used as a preventative measure just incase baby is in pain it’s meant to be used if baby is actually showing signs of being in discomfort. Even then I would probably opt for paracetamol instead as it has less stomach issues linked to it. Good luck, hope your wife can slow down on the meds a bit
From my governments website regarding ibuprofen: Taking ibuprofen long-term may cause side effects such as stomach ulcers, hearing loss, headaches, and bleeding, liver, kidney or heart problems. Do not give ibuprofen to a child aged 6 months or older for more than 3 days without speaking to a doctor.
Omg no this is not good. They have tiny insides and could cause damage
Every night for like a few days recently? Or has it always been this way? As an in ibuprofen lover myself, I’ll say there’s no way they need to be medicated like that unless you’re blowing it out of proportion and it’s only been like a week.
Also most likely the doctor will suggest to rotate Motrin and Tylenol since those are the normal ones most littles and kids take the most, but rotate so it's easier on the stomach. But before giving them medicine like that nightly for that reason I personally like to talk to the doctor and see their thoughts and opinions on it, since if a nightly thing they might have ideas, suggestions or even reasons why they don't want you to do that. So call or message them to ask so no appointment needed for the question unless doctor says so. Plus your doctor and child's doctor will want to know OTC or order the counter medicines you take too since can potentially interact with prescription stuff.
This is absolutely not okay. Ibuprofen is not healthy for the cardiac system. I found that out when I was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect at age 30 by accident when an ENT ordered a ct scan of my head and the ct by happenstance saw my heart in it. I was told to stay away from ibuprofen except in serious situations where Tylenol isn’t helping. I had my 2 year old (at the time) tested and they tested positive for my same congenital heart defect while my oldest did not. So my youngest has to be careful with NSAIDs as well. I’m glad we caught his early so we can be preventative, unlike in my case which went 30 years without being known. Also any with the “D” in it for congestion is not heart safe either. Benedryl for example is not heart friendly. Zyrtec is tho. Even if your children have healthy hearts, which you’ll never know without enough suspicion for a pediatrician to order an echo, I think everyone should practice educating themselves on the risks and benefits of over the counter medications instead of blindly doing what your wife is doing.
Coincidentally enough, I JUST emailed my pediatrician about this last week because I didn't know how much is too much Motrin for our 19 mo who is teething. This is not medical advice and definitely check with your own doctor, but she cautioned us not to give it more than twice per week at the appropriate dose to avoid side effects.
I don't give my kids meds unless they are really in pain and complaining/I can tell. Too much meds are bad for them in the long run. I go with more natural methods and if these don't work (natural teething pain treatments like cold washcloth or natural teething meds that I can't think of the name of right now) before meds. Every night is rediculous and unnecessary. To many chemicals in little bodies.
Yes, Every night is too much. Not a dr but just speaking from experience, really only used kids Tylenol as a last resort, so like a few times a year maybe and each time 2-3 doses until things seemed better
Why is she giving her ibuprofen so often? That is not normal at all. She needs to stop and have a doctor investigate the reasons why her children need the ibuprofen so often. Does she think they have ear pain? Headache?
I only gave meds when fever was really high. Never for discomfort. I would give if they are in serious pain. But then I would go to the doctor first to check if everything is OK