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Ibuprofen dosing by weight
10 mg per kilogram per dose, every 6–8 hours, from 3 months and about 5 kg — and the situations where it is the wrong choice.
This is a reference, not a prescriber: the package insert of the bottle in your hand outranks every number on this page, aspirin is never for children, and in a baby under three months any measured fever is urgent — call now, do not dose. If the child is on other medicines, or has a known liver, kidney or stomach condition, dosing belongs to a clinician.
The rule
Ibuprofen is dosed at 10 mg per kilogram per dose, every 6–8 hours, with no more than three doses in 24 hours — a 30 mg per kilogram daily ceiling. It is licensed from 3 months of age and about 5 kg of weight; below that it is not a home medicine. Give it with or after food or milk, because it can irritate the stomach.
Where it beats paracetamol
Ibuprofen works by a different mechanism — it reduces the inflammatory signals as well as the set-point — and its effect lasts longer, which makes it the natural choice for a fever that spikes in the evening or for a clearly painful illness like an ear infection. Where a single medicine is enough, either is fine; the choice is usually about the longer interval.
Where it is the wrong choice
Ibuprofen is avoided in chickenpox — the association with severe skin and soft-tissue infection is why paracetamol is the standard choice there. It is also the wrong choice in a child who is significantly dehydrated or has poor fluid intake (the kidneys need the fluid), in anyone with known kidney disease or a stomach ulcer, and in asthma where a clinician has advised against it. Aspirin is never for children with a fever, whatever the brand name — the Reye association is why it is not on this page at all.
Worked examples
A 10 kg child: 10 × 10 = 100 mg per dose. A 16 kg child: 160 mg per dose. A 22 kg child: 220 mg per dose. Three doses a day at most, spaced 6–8 hours — and the insert of the bottle in your hand is the authority on its own strength and ladder.
The weight ladder
| Weight | Dose (10 mg/kg) | Interval | Daily ceiling (3 doses) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 kg | 50 mg | every 6–8 h | 150 mg |
| 10 kg | 100 mg | every 6–8 h | 300 mg |
| 15 kg | 150 mg | every 6–8 h | 450 mg |
| 20 kg | 200 mg | every 6–8 h | 600 mg |
| 25 kg | 250 mg | every 6–8 h | 750 mg |
| 30 kg | 300 mg | every 6–8 h | 900 mg |
Fever thresholds and red flags: the national paediatric guidance in the region. Dosing: the standard weight-based rules — paracetamol 15 mg/kg per dose every 4–6 hours, at most four doses a day (60 mg/kg/day ceiling); ibuprofen 10 mg/kg per dose every 6–8 hours, at most three doses a day (30 mg/kg/day ceiling), from 3 months and about 5 kg. Febrile seizures: the standard paediatric emergency guidance (simple vs complex, the five-minute line). Checked 2026-09-06.
Frequently asked questions
Is ibuprofen stronger than paracetamol?
It lasts longer and has an anti-inflammatory effect paracetamol lacks, but "stronger" is the wrong frame — they are different tools with different ceilings and different exclusions. For a chickenpox fever the answer is paracetamol, not the stronger medicine.
Can I give ibuprofen on an empty stomach?
It is better with food or milk: ibuprofen can irritate the stomach lining, and a feverish child is often eating little. If nothing else, a glass of milk or a slice of bread with it.
The rest of the fever pages
Fever at every age
All seven fever pages, with the thresholds, the ladders and the red flags.
What counts as a fever at each age
The measurement thresholds, why the site matters, and the one age where any fever is urgent.
Measuring temperature: which thermometer at which age
Rectal is the reference, the armpit is the compromise, and the ear is only as good as its aim.
Paracetamol dosing by weight
15 mg per kilogram per dose, every 4–6 hours, four doses a day at most — with the arithmetic worked.
When to call instead of waiting
The red flags that override the thermometer — by age, and the combinations that are always urgent.
A medicine log that answers the call
TempoLife timestamps every dose so the daily ceilings stay visible and the doctor gets exact numbers instead of a guess.