Is Tylenol safe for babies under age of 1?

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen are safe for babies during the first year of their life, a recent study revealed.

As per the research published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, painkillers were not found to be tied with some conditions such as eczema, asthma, or other lung problems.

For the study, 4,000 babies were involved from New Zealand. Nearly half of them were prescribed acetaminophen and the other half ibuprofen whenever medication was required to treat fever and pain.

Scientists discovered similar health results in both groups. Eczema affected nearly 16% of babies who were given acetaminophen and 15% of those given ibuprofen, while respiratory conditions such as bronchiolitis or wheezing happened in nearly 15% of infants in every group.

Adverse effects were rare, and none were associated with either drug. Senior researcher Stuart Dalziel from the University of Auckland stated, “We know that two‑thirds of children who are wheezy at age 3 years don’t develop asthma by age 6.

Thus we need to wait until school age to ultimately test if paracetamol in the first year of life causes asthma.”

These results give parents and health professionals high confidence to continue using these important medicines,” Dalziel added

Scientists plan to continue after the children until the age of six to monitor longer-term results, including asthma, autism, and ADHD.