While paracetamol and ibuprofen are equally safe for children under age two, ibuprofen may bring down fevers more quickly in the first four hours of use, a study suggests.

Researchers also found that ibuprofen resulted in reduced temperatures and less pain at 24 hours compared with paracetamol, in a review published in JAMA Network Open.

Co-author Dr Stuart Dalziel, a professor of paediatrics and emergency medicine at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, said the study showed ibuprofen was better with respect to pain control between four and 24 hours of use.

“Given this limited evidence I would be happy using ibuprofen first in my own infant.”