Nurofen for babies - age adjusted???

I was wondering whether nurofen for babies is safe for a baby that's 6 months - age adjusted 4.5months? My dd was born at 34 weeks, so I'm not sure whether it's safe or not. My MCH nurse doesn't believe in giving any form of medication to babies i.e. panadol so she's no help.
Thanks in advance,
Page

I don't think neurfen is ok before 6 months.

Though, I will admit I am not a fan of ibuprofen for any age, so I am biased.

Did you MCHN suggest any alternative for you, or is she advocating leaving your child in pain? Sounds odd.

Sorry, I don't mean to sound harsh. I would just go with whatever is recommended on the label, so if its 6 months and over, then use panadol instead.

Also WRT adjusting - I always adjust to weight rather than age.

I would stay away from nurophen while they are smaller and stick to panadol apparently nurophen can do nasty things to their tummys and cause bleeding.
Also always weight gauge rather than age
Bec

Hi Rayray,
My MCHN didn't offer any other suggestions for her. She was adamant that nothing should be given. I was mainly interested in when she starts teething, immunisations etc.... Only recommended a cold teething ring, and from what I've read, they're limited in their effectiveness.
Bec - I've never been told about weight gauge for her at all. It was always adjusted age - which I think is not very accurate, given she's not a big baby anyway. For feeds I've always measured her weight and calculated what she should be getting based on this. Works well for her. I'll bear in mind what you've said about nurofen, I'm actually amazed that they'd say it is ok for 6 months old babies if it can cause internal problems, I would also expect that this problem would've been made public - it's unusual for nothing to be said about a drug that is known to cause bleeding in babies.
Cheers,
Page

There was a story on it on ACA or that type of program a while back, though I don't htink it was specifically aimed at babies.

I had given milo panadol twice after his immunisations (but not before them or otherwise it can mask a reaction) and other times for pain/fever etc.

My GP told me off for NOT giving it to him.

For teething etc, you can try bonjella or similar, or brauers teething relief?

Milo cut teeth @ 3months, and would only have bonjella, spat out the brauers. Now its the other was around.

I've actually been advised not to give her bonjela. I called the MCHN line to enquire about what to give for teething. A few different people have said this as well - something to do with the anaesthetic in it. It's hard to know what to believe sometimes. My sister used it for her kids and had no dramas with it. Once again, if things like bonjela aren't really safe, why sell them???
I saw that story on ACA, and no it didn't discuss babies at all, only the adverse reactions in adults, and pregnant women as well from memory. I'm glad I stopped taking it before I fell pregnant, can be quite nasty! Does brauers work?
Page

Theresa, thank you for your feedback. It worries me that nurofen for babies is being recommended for babies 6 months and over when it's capable of causing internal problems. I can understand why you would only want to try lighter remedies. It's so hard isn't it? You do not want to see your child suffer yet you also don't want to give them something that's a little too harsh for their bodies.
Regards,
Page

Hi there Page

They say 6 months on the bottle of Nurofen but it's actually from 8kg's - i asked the chemist some time ago as Brodie was a month early and suffering very badly with the teething.

HTH - atleast you know if the baby is over 8kg's it should be OK.

good luck - teething sux badly!!!! i'm in the middle of the 4th tooth as we speak

My advice would be not to use it until your baby is 6 months adjusted, and after that point, give it based on weight, although your pharmacist is the real expert in this area, so I'd go to them for the definitive answer.

And a boo to your MCHN - allowing her own personal beliefs to prevent her giving unbiased advice is very unprofessional. For all she knows, you might just go and give ibuprofen (or whatever else she disagrees with) anyway, without proper advice, instead of at least being advised on how to do it safely.

Hi Dianna and Schmickers! Thanks for your advice. I realised when my mchn didn't agree with nurofen for babies that I'd need to ask elsewhere for the correct information. I'll definitely double check with the pharmacist - but it does help to know that weight is important - as she's not a heavy baby.
Thanks again!
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