The following table gives ibuprofen dosing guidelines by weight. It can be used for both Children's Motrin and Children's Advil. Ibuprofen can be administered every six hours.
Ibuprofen is a very effective medicine for fever and for pain. Unlike acetaminophen, it is also a very effective anti-inflammatory medication. Like acetaminophen, it has no effect on other symptoms related to a cold. Please remember to never use ANY fever medicine for INFANTS UNDER FOUR MONTHS OF AGE without talking to our office first. In addition, please **DO NOT USE IBUPROFEN FOR FEVER IN INFANTS UNDER SIX MONTHS WITHOUT SPEAKING WITH OUR OFFICE FIRST**. If your child has a stiff neck, is unusually lethargic or unresponsive, or might be dehydrated please call our office immediately.
The most common side effects of ibuprofen are abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Giving the medicine with a full stomach is the best way to help prevent these side effects. If your child already has these symptoms, it might be better to use acetaminophen instead.
Note that ibuprofen is now available in a variety of dosage forms and concentrations. Please be sure to use the dose appropriate for the type of medication you are using. In addition, use only the dropper provided with the oral drops to measure the dosage of ibuprofen. This dropper is a very different size than the dropper provided with acetaminophen drops and other droppers available, and improper use could result in over- or under-dosing.
| Weight | Dose | Oral Drops (50 mg/1.25 ml) |
Suspension (100 mg/5 ml) |
Chewables 50 mg |
Chewables 100 mg |
Caplets 100 mg |
| 12-17 lbs | 50 mg | 1.25 ml | 2.5 ml | |||
| 18-21 lbs | 75 mg | 1.875 ml | 4 ml | |||
| 22-32 lbs | 100 mg | 2.5 ml | 5 ml | |||
| 33-43 lbs | 150 mg | 3.75 ml | 7.5 ml | 3 | 1 ½ |
|
| 44-54 lbs | 200 mg | 5 ml | 10 ml | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 55-65 lbs | 250 mg | 12.5 ml | 5 | 2 ½ |
2 ½ |
|
| 66-76 lbs | 300 mg | 15 ml | 6 | 3 | 3 | |
| 77-87 lbs | 350 mg | 17.5 ml | 7 | 3 ½ |
3 ½ |
|
| 88-98 lbs | 400 mg | 20 ml | 8 | 4 | 4 |