Giving Kids Medicine Safely: Dosing by Weight, Measuring and Storage

Why it matters

• Every year, many young children are seen in emergency rooms after getting into medicine, and dosing mix-ups at home are common. Most are preventable with a few habits.
• Grandparents' pill organizers, visitors' bags and purses, and gummy vitamins or sleep supplements are frequent sources, not just the medicine cabinet.

Dose by weight, not age

• Children's doses are based on weight. Use the chart on the package or the dose your pediatrician or pharmacist gives you, and update it as your child grows.
• Under 12 weeks, call the pediatrician before giving any medicine, including fever reducers.
• Never give aspirin to children or teens. Ibuprofen is for 6 months and older.
• Skip over-the-counter cough and cold medicines under age 4 unless your pediatrician says otherwise. See the colds and fevers guide for comfort measures that work.

Measure in mL with the right tool

• Use the oral syringe or cup that comes with that exact product. Kitchen spoons vary a lot.
• Read doses in milliliters (mL). A teaspoon and tablespoon mix-up is a classic error.
• Check the concentration. The same medicine can come in different strengths, so a dose from one bottle may not be right for another.
• Read every active ingredient. Many combination products contain acetaminophen, and giving two of them doubles the dose.

Avoid double dosing

• In homes with more than one caregiver, write down the time, medicine and amount, or use a shared note on a phone. This helps co-parents in two homes, grandparents and sitters too.
• If a dose is missed, don't double the next one; ask the pharmacist.
• Finish prescribed antibiotics as directed, and don't share prescriptions between siblings.

Storage

• Store all medicine, vitamins and supplements up high, out of sight, and ideally locked, right after every use. Child-resistant caps slow children down; they are not childproof.
• Keep medicine in its original labeled container.
• Ask visitors to keep bags up and away, and check purses and nightstands when visiting others.
• Call it medicine, not candy.
• Liquid nicotine, cannabis edibles and adult sleep aids belong locked up too.

Getting rid of old medicine

• Use a pharmacy or community take-back drop box when you can.
• If there is none, follow the label or FDA disposal advice, often mixing the medicine with something unappealing in a sealed bag before putting it in the trash.

When to check in

• Ask your pharmacist or pediatrician whenever you are unsure of a dose, a product or a mix.
• Save Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) in every caregiver's phone; call it right away if your child may have swallowed medicine or got an extra dose, even if they seem fine.
• If your child is hard to wake, having trouble breathing or having a seizure, call 911.