Medicines for Children — How to Dose Them Safely

It is two in the morning. Your child is tossing and turning in bed, their forehead is hot, and they are starting to cry. Half awake, you get up, open the bathroom cabinet, and reach for a box of fever medicine. In the dark, you try to read the small print on the packaging. Is this the syrup for children, or the one for adults? Is the dose based on age, or on weight? And — wait — when did I actually buy this pack?

Most parents know this scene. Not because they are irresponsible. Quite the opposite: these moments are so stressful precisely because they care.

This article is for you. Not to frighten you, but to give you practical knowledge that helps you act calmly, even at two in the morning.

Can I Give My Child an Adult Medicine?

No — never split an adult tablet in half for a child. Adult tablets contain different concentrations of the active ingredient, and some have coatings that must not be broken. The dose will be imprecise. Always use paediatric forms: syrups, suppositories, drops. The dose depends on the child’s body weight, not only on age.

Basic medicine dosage: paracetamol 10–15 mg/kg every 4–6 h, ibuprofen 5–10 mg/kg every 6–8 h. Use the measuring device provided in the pack, never a kitchen teaspoon.

Medicines not to give to children:

• Aspirin (under 12 years) — risk of Reye’s syndrome
• Medicines containing codeine (under 12 years) — risk of respiratory depression
• Loperamide / Imodium (under 6 years)
• Adult nasal drops — different concentration

Not Every Medicine Is Safe for a Child

That may seem obvious, but in practice the line is less clear than we think. Many over-the-counter medicines that help adults every day can be dangerous for children — and even life-threatening.

Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is a classic example. In children and teenagers during a viral infection, aspirin can cause Reye’s syndrome — a rare but potentially fatal disease of the liver and brain. That is why aspirin is strictly contraindicated in children under 12 years of age, and in many countries up to 16 years of age.

Cough medicines containing codeine are another concern. Codeine is metabolised into morphine, and in some children (so-called ultra-rapid metabolisers), this can lead to dangerously high levels of morphine in the blood. Since 2015, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has banned the use of codeine in children under 12 years of age.

Other medicines often found in a home medicine cabinet that should not be given to children without consulting a doctor include:

• Loperamide (e.g. Imodium) — not for children under 6 years.
• Some first-generation antihistamines at excessively high doses.
• Sore throat tablets containing lidocaine — risk of choking in young children.
• Nasal drops containing oxymetazoline — adult and children’s products have different concentrations.

The rule is simple: just because a medicine is available over the counter does not mean it is safe for your child.

How to Recognise a Safe Medicine

In theory, read the leaflet. It contains information about dosage by age and body weight, contraindications, and age restrictions.

In practice? A leaflet is several pages of tiny print, folded like an accordion and squeezed into a small box. Reading it at two in the morning, while your child is crying, is almost impossible. And even if you do read it, another question often appears: “Does my child weigh 18 or 22 kilos?” — because the dose depends on weight, and you last weighed them three months ago.

That is why it is worth checking this information in advance — before an emergency happens. Calmly, during the day, with a coffee in hand.

What to look for:

• Age restriction — does the packaging say “from 6 years”, “from 12 years”, or “do not use in children”?
• Dosage by body weight — many paediatric medicines give the dose in mg/kg of body weight. Keep your child’s current weight in mind.
• Medicine form — syrup, suppositories, chewable tablets? Not every form is suitable for every age.
• Expiry date — an expired medicine may be less effective or less safe.

Paediatric Classification — What Does It Mean?

In mojApteczka, we introduced a paediatric classification system that answers the question “is this medicine safe for my child?” before you even have to ask it.

Each medicine in your cabinet receives one of four categories:

• CHILD — a medicine safe for children at the right dose. You can reach for it calmly (of course, according to the leaflet).
• ADULT_STANDARD — a medicine intended only for adults. Standard OTC medicines that are not authorised for use in children.
• ADULT_STRONG — a prescription-only medicine for adults, often with a strong effect. Absolutely not for children.
• VETERINARY — a veterinary medicine. Not for use in humans.

With this classification, when you open the app at two in the morning, you immediately see which medicines in your cabinet you can safely give your child — without trawling through leaflets.

It does not replace consultation with a doctor or pharmacist. But it gives you an immediate overview of what is in your home medicine cabinet and who each medicine is intended for.

5 Rules for Safely Dosing Medicines for Children

These rules are simple, but applying them consistently really makes a difference.

1. Always check the age restriction on the packaging. Do not rely on memory. Even if you gave this medicine to an older child, a younger one may have different restrictions.

2. Dose by body weight, not only by age. Age is an estimate. Two five-year-olds may weigh 16 and 24 kg — a huge difference for dosage. If the leaflet gives the dose in mg/kg, use it. Weigh your child every few weeks and write the result down.

3. Use the measuring cup or dosing syringe provided. A kitchen teaspoon is not a measuring device. The difference between a “small teaspoon” and a “large teaspoon” in different homes can be twofold. Manufacturers include measuring devices for a reason — use them.

4. Never give an adult dose “split in half”. This is an unsafe shortcut. Adult tablets have different concentrations of the active ingredient, different excipients, and sometimes even different active ingredients than paediatric equivalents. Half an adult tablet is not the same as a full dose of a children’s medicine.

5. Write down what you gave and when. At three in the morning, you may not remember whether you gave the medicine at one or at two. The interval between doses is crucial. A note on the fridge, a note in your phone, an app — anything. The important thing is to write it down.

How to Organise a Medicine Cabinet for a Family with Children

A well-organised medicine cabinet is half the battle. Here are a few proven rules:

A separate shelf for children’s medicines. Physically separating paediatric medicines from adult ones minimises the risk of mistakes. Top shelf — adult medicines. Lower shelf (but still out of children’s reach) — paediatric medicines. Clear and simple.

Label medicines that are safe for children. A coloured sticker, a marker, anything — so you can recognise them immediately. In mojApteczka, this happens automatically thanks to paediatric classification.

Check expiry dates once a month. That may sound like a lot, but in practice it takes five minutes. Take everything out of the cabinet, check the dates, and discard anything expired. You can also set expiry alerts in mojApteczka — the app will remind you before a medicine expires.

Group medicines by purpose. Fever medicines separately, cough medicines separately, allergy medicines separately. With medicine grouping, you can do the same digitally and get a complete picture of what you have — without opening the cabinet.

Use the dependants feature. If you have more than one child, dosage differences can be significant. The dependants feature in mojApteczka lets you assign medicines to a specific child and track what each child takes.

Keep the medicine cabinet out of children’s reach. This is obvious, but worth repeating. A lockable cabinet placed high up is the best solution. Children are resourceful and can reach things that seem safe.

You Do Not Need to Be a Pharmacist to Be a Good Parent

The fact that you are reading this article already says a lot about your approach. Most medication mistakes at home do not come from neglect — they come from not having access to the right information at the right moment.

No one expects you to remember the ibuprofen concentration in every syrup in your home medicine cabinet. But you can do one thing: prepare before it becomes urgent.

Review your medicine cabinet today. Check which medicines are safe for your children. Discard expired ones. Label the paediatric medicines. And if you want to do this faster and keep the information always close at hand — try mojApteczka.

Check which medicines in your home medicine cabinet are safe for children

The Android app is also available on Google Play.