Calpol frequently for teething

I would say if they need it then there isn't a problem as long as following the appropriate doses and time s etc, sometimes if I don't know what is wrong with my lo I will give painkillers because she isn't able to tell me if her teeth hurt/belly ache etc x

I’m in exactly the same boat- I try not to give nurofen if I can help it, but sometimes the calpol doesn’t cut it and he has bright red cheeks and struggling, so I give him a dose. It seems to be one calpol dose a night now just so I can get some sleep 😩

@Katherine horrible isn’t it! I feel bad for giving it or not giving it to him! Reading the health effects if used long term scares me so bad, but I just feel terrible to just give him teething gel. I have friends who let their kids ride it out without medication but I don’t think I can do that 😩

If you’re giving daily doses of calpol (paracetamol) this can also have long term effects as their kidneys and liver have to process the drug. If teething is unmanageable without daily painkillers then it might be worth a trip to the GP as there could be another reason for their discomfort. I’ve only ever given paracetamol and ibuprofen with high fevers when teething or in very extreme discomfort which is normally a single dose as it’s the eruption stage at night that causes pain with mine. I would be concerned too if I was needing to reach for it daily.

@Jenny the long term potential effects on the kidney, stomach and heart are what I’m concerned about. Even though we only give two doses on a bad day (mainly one when we feel he needs it) it’s enough for me to be worried. Problem is that my baby has his premolars coming through and he’s not coping with them coming through as well as he did with his other teeth. Is your baby managing without pain relief for their premolars too?

Yes we’ve got a premolar popping through. We’ve not had to medicate him yet. He’s a bit grumpy and we find it’s disturbing his sleep a bit and he gets a bit fussy with food when teething but not significantly enough to give him pain killers. All children suffer differently though and some will really feel it - poor things. With my eldest we didnt even realise her molars had come in as it didn’t phase her at all.

I spoke to my gp and they advised me that if the child is clearly suffering badly (which my boy really can) it’s perfectly fine to give a low dose to help them out

@Katherine thank you so much. I spoke with a nurse today too who also said giving a daily dose or two of calpol or neurofen is fine if your baby needs it, as long as you don’t exceed it

Don’t let people scare you, you can’t do anything for your kid without someone giving you some horrible scary script