panadole and weight question

[workin'mumof2]

even though it says that you can use the 1year plus bottle after 1 year

i cant use it because my ruby isnt 10kilos because its spose to be administered by weight..

thats right isnt it?

im still using the 1month to 2year baby panadole for her.

and a seperate bottle for my son who is 13kilos

[sara86]

When i went to the chemist to buy more panadol for my DD (14months), i looked at both bottles, and the baby one you give them 1.5mls-ish, but the 1yr+ one you give then 6-8mls!
which is a hell of alot more then what my DD is used to and she is great taking just the 1.5mls but 6-8mls i dunno if she will willingly take all of that!?

The 1yr+ one is less concentrated than the 1month-2yr one - im pretty sure anyway, therefore thats why you need alot less in the 1month-2yr one.

So i am still giving her the 1month-2years one, which im fine about.

Panadols are meant to be given by weight, yes.

I know my post doesnt really help a whole lot, haha, but just thought id post my experience!

[pixiemum2]

Yes dosage is by weight and not age. They just give an approx age next to the weight. The baby panadol is more concentrated than the childrens one so you use less. When my DS (who is nearly 3) was recently sick I was giving him the baby panadol so he didn't have to have a whole syringe full of the childrens one. Was a lot easier on him.

[2boysmama]

Panadol or Paracetamol is available over the counter (OTC) easily. There are over 100 forms/brands of Paracetamol on the market in Australia! How confusing.

You must never use it for more than 48 hours unless a Doctor is prescribing it and regularly checking your child. It is very easy to overdose children. And an overdose causes liver failure.

So... you must ALWAYS measure it with a proper measure, not just a teaspoon or tablespoon. You can get 1mL, 2mL, 3ml, 5mL, 10mL and 20mL syringes from the chemist. Don't squirt it straight down the throat, but gently, in little bits towards the cheek. Be aware that a syringe could damage your child's mouth if they wriggle.

You need to be pretty up with your maths to work out the proper dose by their weight, otherwise you need to check the maths with someone else.

The thing you have to look for on whatever sort of Paracetamol you have is the strength (put in milligrams, or mg) per volume (put in millilitres, or mls). eg 100mg/mL or 120mg/5mL, or 240mg/5mL. This is written on the front of the bottle.

Paracetamol is usually given using the guide of 15mg per kg of the child's weight.

Example:
So, if your child weighs, say 10kg, then they would have a dose of 15x10=150mg.

If you have the baby drops (100mg/mL), this would be 1.5mL See Dose chart below:

Colourfree Baby Drops
Age Average Weight Dose
1 - 3 Months 4.2 - 6 kg 0.6 - 0.9 mL
3 - 6 Months 6 - 7.8 kg 0.9 - 1.2 mL
6 - 12 Months 7.8 - 10.2 kg 1.2 - 1.5 mL
1 - 2 Years 10.2 - 12.6 kg 1.5 - 1.9 mL

If you have the Children's 1-5 years (120mg/5mL), this would actually be 5.3.mL See Dose chart below:

Age
Average Weight
Dose
1 - 2 Years 10 - 12 kg 6 - 7.5 mL
2 - 3 Years 12 - 14 kg 7.5 - 9 mL
3 - 4 Years 14 - 16 kg 9 - 10 mL
4 - 5 Years 16 - 18 kg 10 - 11 mL
5 Years 18 - 20 kg 11 - 13 mL


If you have the Children's 5-12 years(240mg/5mL), this would be 3.166mL See Dose chart below

Age
Average Weight
Dose
5 - 6 Years 18 - 20 kg 6 mL
6 - 7 Years 20 - 22 kg 6 - 7 mL
7 - 8 Years 22 - 25 kg 7 - 8 mL
8 - 9 Years 25 - 28 kg 8 - 9 mL
9 - 10 Years 28 - 32 kg 9 - 10 mL
10 - 11 Years 32 - 36 kg 10 - 11 mL
11 - 12 Years 36 - 41 kg 11 - 13 mL


So you can see how they work out the dose advice on the bottle. It's all maths!

If you are EVER in doubt about the dose to give, you only need to phone your Pharmacist.
Cheers :)