Scared I’ve overdosed baby

[strangerhoes]

14 week old has caught a terrible cold from me.
I gave her baby nurofen at 4 pm and she’s still feeling poorly. Just gave her calpol at 7.20 pm. I thought it would be okay but now I’m scared! 111 call answer waiting time is 23 minutes and I’m scared! Have I hurt my baby?

Keep in mind that the recommend doses are really low, they are done that way to stop accidental overdosing.

Ibuprofen and paracetamol are two different drugs. I don't know the recommend time gap for your aged dc but it's four hours for older children/when the next dose is due. (If I remember correctly)

Thank you everyone. Sorry for panicking.

Also worth keeping a note of which you give at which time in the notes section of your phone - makes it much easier to check where you are up to when sleep deprived in the middle of the night!

As said above. You're good

Worked in a baby room in an nursery for many years...we were even recommended to give calpol and nurofen at the same time if a baby was very poorly (high high temp) and then alternate the doses after (for example, nurofen and calpol at 9am, calpol at 1pm, nurofen at 5pm and then they could have more calpol at 9pm). Your baby will be fine provided it was the correct dose of both, they are totally different drugs.

It’s terrifying being responsible for a tiny person! Be kind to yourself.
You have done no harm giving the pain relief; as others have said they are two different drugs which can be used together for maximum relief.
Calpol contains paracetamol.
Nurofen contains ibruprofen.
They are not the same thing and it is perfectly safe to give both, provided you stay within the recommended dose amounts and leave the recommended time between doses of each.

What you're doing is perfect. Don't worry!

You are absolutely, one hundred 💯 percent fine to do this. I do it when my kids need it. You don't need 111.

When my little boy had a very high temperature the doctor advised me to alternate paracetamol and ibuprofen to keep his temperature down.

Obviously you stick to the stated proper dose of the medicine. If I remember right you can give paracetamol/ibuprofen once every 8 hrs so you would give one then 4hrs later give the other then in another 4 hours it will be time for another dose of the first and so on, if you get what I mean. Stick to the recommended dose for her age and you'll be fine.

So your baby is fine and you're doing well sweetie, how are you?

DS2 used to have both due to chronic tonsillitis. I wrote out a timetable for the doses and ticked them off so I didn’t get muddled. It’s hard to remember when you are tired and worried.

Everyone gave good advice but I just wanted to say - don't be sorry for panicking! I was 32 having my first and v confident, owned my own home, married to a v helpful man etc, and omg I think I spent the whole first 3 months in a state of panic. It's so normal even when your situation is as theoretically ideal as mine was! You're going to do this so well. Try not to panic but when you do, remember we ALL do.

My youngest is 12, she suffered concussion recently (school incident) I picked her up and took her to the GP.
I was advised to give calpol and piggyback nurofen at 4 hourly intervals.

Your baby will be fine. I hope they get better soon.

Oh @strangerhoes don't worry!

Calpol (paracetamol) and infant neurofen (ibuprofen) are two different drugs- they work differently, so are fine to give together.

My DS has awful fevers very often (he's had a long long run of back to back tonsillitis / hand foot and mouth/ bronchiolitis) to bring them down, we give a dose of both together, and then alternate for as long as needed. For example :

If he had tonsillitis and was in pain, with a fever of 39.4 at 6am id probably follow a pattern like this until he was better (i.e. The fever wasn't breaking through the drugs/ he wasn't in pain as they started to wear off) :

6am- ibuprofen and calpol
11am - calpol
1.30pm- ibuprofen
4.30pm- calpol
9.30pm- ibuprofen
Midnight- Calpol

For MY DS (who is older than your DC), this would be the right spacing to keep on top of his pain and fever. All kids are different though- some don't get on with nurofen, some (like my DS) don't respond to just calpol when the fever is that high. Unfortunately it's one of those Mum learning curves - how to give medicine at optimum times/ knowing when your kid really needs it etc.

The important thing to remember is no more than 3 doses of ibuprofen, and 4 of calpol in a 24 hour period.

I hope your baby is okay- have you had them checked over? Colds can easily turn to chest infections in very small babies at this time of year. Warning signs that your baby needs to see a doctor include (from NHS website)

your baby is under three months old and they have a temperature of 38C (101F) or higher

your baby is three to six months old and has a temperature of 39C (102F) or higher

you think your child may be dehydrated

your child develops a red rash that doesn't fade when a glass is rolled over it

your child has a fit (convulsion)

they are crying constantly and you can't console or distract them, or the cry doesn't sound like their normal cry

has a high-pitched or unusual sound when crying

the fever lasts for more than five days

your child's health is getting worse

you have any concerns about looking after your child at home

And I'll add this one-

If YOU think your child is possibly
More unwell than just a cold/ get a "gut feeling"/ feel worried that your baby needs a doctor- take them to one. And if that has to be at a&e then fine. At that age you cannot be too careful. No doctor will be cross to see a 14 week old, and will be delighted to be able to say they're fine.

well done - you're doing so well- the fact that you're so on the ball/ so concerned shows what a good job you're doing

Totally fine. Paracetamol (calpol) and nuerofen (ibuprofen) is not contraindicated which basically means it’s fine to give together. In fact it’s the right advice to give calpol and then nuerofen later on if calpol alone hasn’t controlled a fever for example.

When my DD was about 3 months old she had terrible flu, I took her to the GP who weighed her and gave me the "true" doses she was allowed and had me do that for 3 days! It was over double the packet recommended amount of calpol and about an extra third of the neurofen and he listed out the times to do each - as per posters above it worked out about 3 hours between each dose during the day with a couple in the night too!

I would never have dreamed I could give her so much but he said they have to err on the side of caution and label the drugs with doses meant for the smallest of babies.

I'm not recommending anyone does this without seeing a dr but Im sure your little one is fine and it sounds like has the perfect mummy! We all panic and worry whatever our situation - after all we're suddenly responsible for a little person!

That’s fine she’ll be fine x your doing great xx

Definitely not an overdose - hope she gets well soon it's horrible when they're poorly

You’ll be alright. They doubled those up when my LO has an op at 8 months.

We've all had moments of panic like that, perfectly normal. It's fine to layer both, I usually give them 2-3 hrs apart and stagger the doses. It's a great way of getting a high temperature down.

Is there anyone at the refuge who you can speak to who will put your mind at ease?

I hope you are getting the support that you need.

You can absolutely alternate both.
The chemist/dr recommended when dealing with tricky fevers
they are different medicines so can be used together
do not give more than the recommended dose for either but very safe to combine alternately
please ask chemist etc for advice so you feel confident
I always taped a bit of paper up with the times and doses I gave as its easy to lose track.
And please trust your instincts.
You are DC mother and should trust your gut-if you think you need dr etc then insist.
don't let anyone make you doubt yourself-
And your DC is lucky to have such a loving mother.

It doesn't matter that you are 18, I was 29 when I had my first and still didn't have a bloody clue what I was doing. It's like you are thrust into this entirely different world and a very steep learning curve!

I will say though, and please don't panic, but if she is very, very congested and not feeding properly, please call 111 again. My daughter is a student paramedic and they were called out to a baby who had a bad cold and she was so congested she was struggling to get enough oxygen into her system. Similarly the baby across the road from us also ended up in hospital with very low sats because she just couldn't get enough air into her.

Don't ever think you are wasting anyone's time by asking for help or even just advice or a second opinion. Your baby is still very young and not old enough to be able to expel mucus from her nose. So if in doubt, ask 111 for some advice. If you notice laboured breathing (tummy pulling right in to expose the bottom of the rib cage) please call for an ambulance.

Definitely write it down, I get so confused when I'm doing it, especially when everyone is tired and grumpy.

I normally do every 3 hrs to give a different one as there is a maximum dosage per 24hrs

You are doing an amazing job. I hope the 111 operator answers soon and reassures you too, but you have definitely not harmed your baby based on what you've just said and you're doing absolutely the right thing by double checking.