The reason that the AAP recommends avoiding ibuprofen for infants under 6 months is because it's long-lasting compared to acetaminophen, and could mask a dangerous fever or illness in a young infant for a very long time. There is, however, a greater risk of overdose with acetaminophen. The school of thought on ibuprofen varies even among pediatricians. My ped never recommended it for this age, whereas my brother's ped did (for my 4 month old niece). So I don't think your GP is completely out of line recommending it for teething pain for an almost 6 month old, although I'd personally probably stick to the AAP's recommendation on this one (even though there are some AAP positions we've ignored). However, we probably would not have used Tylenol for suspected teething pain either. With this age group, it's so hard to really know why they are fussy, not sleeping, etc., and this is in fact the age when all of our good sleep came completely unhinged. I think we're very quick to diagnose/attribute to teething, typical baby behavior, and medicate it accordingly. We try our best to save medicines for when they're really truly needed (I.e. a fever that is causing a lot of discomfort). It's the approach we take ourselves and seems like a wise approach for our children, too. The Tylenol/asthma correlation came out after our DS was born, which made us glad we didn't reach for the Tylenol at every rough night. FWIW, we have also noticed that Advil has worked better than Tylenol for pain and fever when we've weighed the pros and cons and decided that medication was a good idea.

I

would never give a baby Tylenol. Way too easy to overdose, and several infant deaths associated with it. None with motrin that I have heard of. Acetaminophen is bad news.

+1

I would never give a baby Tylenol. Way too easy to overdose, and several infant deaths associated with it. None with motrin that I have heard of. Acetaminophen is bad news.

Costco carries it as I just bought some. Their in-house brand which is dye free.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6 months. I'd follow the pediatrician's recommendation, not the GP. And IMO, ibuprofen does work much better for teething and fevers than Tylenol, and it lasts longer.

Also, ibuprofen isn't linked to asthma, like acetaminophen. But don't use it before 6 months.

Exactly. Tylenol for over 6 mos is way more troubling, given that it increases risk for asthma!!!

There is a study that correlates it with asthma, not that it causes it.

So? That's how it usually goes. Causation is hard to prove. Why would I use acetaminophen if there is a more effective alternative that's not correlated with asthma? It's also something to keep in mind when dispensing medication to your baby. Don't give meds immediately for every little thing, like a little fussiness after vaccinations.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6 months. I'd follow the pediatrician's recommendation, not the GP. And IMO, ibuprofen does work much better for teething and fevers than Tylenol, and it lasts longer.

Also, ibuprofen isn't linked to asthma, like acetaminophen. But don't use it before 6 months.

Exactly. Tylenol for over 6 mos is way more troubling, given that it increases risk for asthma!!!

There is a study that correlates it with asthma, not that it causes it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6 months. I'd follow the pediatrician's recommendation, not the GP. And IMO, ibuprofen does work much better for teething and fevers than Tylenol, and it lasts longer.

Also, ibuprofen isn't linked to asthma, like acetaminophen. But don't use it before 6 months.

Exactly. Tylenol for over 6 mos is way more troubling, given that it increases risk for asthma!!!

6 months. I wouldn't have made it through teething without it. It's so much better than Tylenol.

6 months. The issue is that it can cause constriction of certain arteries. If they are too small, this can be a big problem.

Anonymous wrote:6 months. I'd follow the pediatrician's recommendation, not the GP. And IMO, ibuprofen does work much better for teething and fevers than Tylenol, and it lasts longer.

Also, ibuprofen isn't linked to asthma, like acetaminophen. But don't use it before 6 months.

We were always told 6 months...their bodies have trouble processing it before then. And it definitely has worked better for my kids than acetaminophen.

6 months. I'd follow the pediatrician's recommendation, not the GP. And IMO, ibuprofen does work much better for teething and fevers than Tylenol, and it lasts longer.

We gave our infant Advil for teething, but I don't remember at what age (she's 3 now). Our ped never cautioned us against it, and gave us a chart with recommended dosing by weight. I do recall that we gave Advil because it had to be given less often, and for whatever reason she seemed to accept it more readily than the acetominofen brand we were using. I guess she just liked the flavor better.

I was told at the 6-month appointment that we could use INFANT Advil- and we got a sample - we are sticking with Tylenol for now though!

My GP told me we could give our baby ibuprofen at 5 months (for teething). I don't trust him 100% and thought it interesting when I double-checked with the ped., who said it wasn't a good idea (Tylenol better). What have your docs told you?