During this season when so many parents and children are struggling with illnesses, Brave Care wants to ensure you have all the tools and resources you need! We know that the flu, covid, and some other viruses are causing kiddos to have fevers, aches, and general discomfort. Many caregivers reach for Tylenol and Motrin to help treat these symptoms when they arise. Recently it has been challenging to find many medications and formulas that parents are familiar with due to low supplies at retailers. 

As providers of pediatric medicine we feel the need and desire to support each of these children and their families as they are navigating yet another challenge with health concerns. We wanted to share with you our parent tool, the Dosage by Weight Calculator. It can be used to help caregivers select the formula of medication they have on hand, and their child’s current weight, to give you the most accurate dosing information. Accurate dosing can be hard to do with adult tablets for babies and children, but with the use of our dosage calculator it can be done safely, as long as parents crush them well enough and add them to a safe age-appropriate liquid. This means if you are unable to find a child-specific formula of Ibuprofen you can take an adult formula (as long as they are not an extended release version ) you have on hand and calculate the appropriate dose for your kiddo. 

If your child is unable to swallow pills, don’t sweat it! You can take the appropriate dose and crush it up and mix it into a safe age - appropriate liquid! Here is a wonderful guide from Seattle Children’s on how to crush and mix pills into liquids. It includes what type of liquids work best and also provides guidance on helping your child swallow pills if needed.

One thing to keep in mind is that a fever does not have to be treated as long as your child is drinking and staying well hydrated. Check with your child’s pediatrician if you are unsure whether they are staying hydrated.

*Ibuprofen should never be used in children under 6 months of age.

*Aspirin should never be used in children under 18 to treat fever, even if there are no other options.