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Measuring Your Child’s Medicine With A Spoon Could Be Dangerous, Warn Paediatricians

Health professionals are vying for parents to be more careful with the doses of medicine they give their child

We’ve all been there – scrambling around looking for the Calpol spoon and making do with a tablespoon from the kitchen drawer instead.

But using the wrong device to measure your tot’s medicine could have scary consequences.

Steer clear of using spoons to measure your child's medicine [Rex]
Steer clear of using spoons to measure your child's medicine [Rex]



Experts are warning parents to avoid using spoons to dispense their child’s medicine, suggesting that tens of thousands of children in the US end up in hospital each year after parents unintentionally overdose them.

“Even though we know metric units are safer and more accurate, too many healthcare providers are still writing that prescription using spoon-based doings,” says Dr Ian Paul, the lead author of new metric dosing guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics (APP).

“Some parents use household spoons to administer it, which can lead to dangerous mistakes.”

Spoons like this one don't measure the dose exactly [Rex]
Spoons like this one don't measure the dose exactly [Rex]



He suggested that using a tablespoon in the place of a teaspoon would triple the amount you give the child – potentially leading to disastrous consequences.

Instead, doctors advise parents to use cups or syringes (oral ones - not actual syringes with needles, people) to measure out the recommended dosage. These should be labeled using precise metric units, such as mililitres (ml), rather than guessing the approximate amount by using a spoon.

A cup is safer to use than a spoon, but a syringe will help you give your child the most accurate dosage, says Dr Robert Poole, director of the pharmacy at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.

Experts suggest parents use a syringe or cup with mililitre measurements [Rex]
Experts suggest parents use a syringe or cup with mililitre measurements [Rex]

A syringe may sound scary, but it’s pretty simple to use. Put it in the side of your child’s mouth and release the medicine slowly, explains Dr Poole.

“It's easier for the child to swallow and you know the dose you get into the child is accurate,” said Dr Poole.

“Those little cups that come with the medicine should really only be used to pour out liquid that you then draw into an oral syringe.”

It’s not all down to how parents give their child medicine, though. The researchers are campaigning for manufacturers to get rid of all instructions and dosage devices that don’t have metric units. This will make it much easier for parents to know exactly how much of each medicine they should be administrating to their child.

The guidelines, published in online journal Pediatrics, also state that electronic health records should make it impossible for non-metric doses to be prescribed.

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