When your little one is sick, you want nothing more than to take her pain away. Tylenol — a specific brand of acetaminophen — makes a medicine that is specially formulated for babies. It can reduce fever and relieve pain, but you don’t want to give it to your child if she doesn’t really need it. Discuss your decision to give your baby Tylenol with your child’s doctor.

When to Give a Baby Tylenol

If your baby has a fever — a temperature over 100.4 F — then Tylenol can be a good solution for reducing the fever. Some doctors recommend giving babies a dose of Tylenol before their immunization shots to minimize pain and discomfort from the shot. Tylenol can also ease the pain that comes from teething, but check for signs of teething before you administer the medicine just because your baby is fussy.

When Not to Give a Baby Tylenol

According to BabyCenter, you should never give a baby under 3 months Tylenol, unless you are under orders from your doctor. A fever means that your baby’s body is fighting off an infection, so if he’s running a low-grade fever, you may want to hold off on the medication. The difficult thing with babies is that they can’t tell you when they’re feeling ill, so you have to do some guesswork. A baby might be fussy because he has teething pain or he’s coming down with a cold — or he may need a diaper change, a feeding or some extra cuddles. Giving Tylenol shouldn’t be your first line of defense in treating your baby.

Proper Dosage

Infant Tylenol comes with a medicine dropper that measures .8 mL. The correct dosage for your baby is based on her weight. Get the correct dosage from your doctor before you give your baby Tylenol. Additionally, you should only use the dropper that’s enclosed with the medicine so that you can be sure of the dosage.

Other Medications

Avoid giving your baby more than one medication at a time. If she’s already taken another acetaminophen-based medication or if she’s taken something else, you should not give her Infant Tylenol. Wait at least four hours before you change medications, unless your doctor has told you differently.

Warning

Note that Tylenol makes both Infant Tylenol and Children’s Tylenol. The infant version has a different concentration than the children’s version. If you purchase the wrong one, you may not be giving your baby the correct dosage.