If you’re in the baby/toddler stage like me, you probably find yourself on occasion holding a feverish child and asking, “How much tylenol should I give her this time? . . . Is she still at the 0.4 ml level? or is it 0.8? or maybe up to 1.2 ml?”
If it’s a particularly high or persistent fever, I may find myself calling the pediatrician or the pharmacist to determine how much tylenol or ibuprofen to give.
Dr. Sears wrote a very helpful post about the use of acetaminophen, which you can read here. With the simple equation “7 milligrams per pound of bodyweight,” you can determine exactly what dose your child needs. This Works for Me!
He even discussed if (and when) you can double up on the tylenol for a really high fever and alternating between tylenol and ibuprofen in an effort to reduce a stubborn fever.
The most helpful part of his column is a Dosage Chart which lists weight in the left-hand column, and then showing the milligrams needed and the “translation” for infant drops, children’s liquid, and children’s soft chewables.
Yesterday I checked this chart to see how much tylenol Carissa should have after her shots. (I have copied a portion of Dr. Sears’ chart below.)
| Weight: | Milligram Dosage |
Infant Drops 80mg/0.8ml |
Children’s liquid 160mg/5ml |
Children’s soft chews 80mg each |
Junior strength Caps or chews 160mg each |
| 5-8 lbs | 40mg | ½ dropper (.4ml) |
¼ tsp (1.25ml) |
N/A | N/A |
| 9-10 lbs | 60mg | ¾ dropper (.6ml) |
1/3 tsp (1.8ml) |
N/A | N/A |
| 11-16 lbs | 80mg | 1 dropper (.8ml) |
½ tsp (2.5ml) |
N/A | N/A |
Carissa is 15 lbs., 4 ozs., so I gave her 1 dropper (.8ml).
With three under four, I know I will be referring back to this chart often!
Hello. I am visiting from iFellowship. Dr. Sears has a lot of good information on his website. I used to use it often. Happy Wednesday!
~Theresa
http://www.beingrefinedassilver.blogspot.com
Oh I remember those days, I had a chart my Dr. gave me and I had copies of it everywhere. Medicine cabinets, bathrooms, kitchen, diaper bags. LOL It was SO handy!
Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting! I love your post! When my children were young they were SO small, that I always just guessed, and gave about half the dose! Back to your questions…I also had huge money issues, but I did limit baby stuff. That way, I felt that I had more control. Sometimes too much stuff can drain me emotionally. I also kept 7 outfits from an older child to a younger child. Often, when I uncovered the clothing that I had saved, there would be spots that weren’tt there when I put them away, or the elastic was worn out, etc. I saved what I loved, and then if I needed clothes later, it seemed that I was always blesses with gifts, or donations! You could always set a larger limit like 20…:) Have a great and relaxing day!!!
I am so inspired, Bonni! I want to go down in the basement and go through all those clothing bins right now! (But I need to make dinner.) Sometime soon, I will take your advice and limit clothing!!! Especially the hand-me-downs.
Thanks for the comment from a fellow Southeastern Pennsylvania person!
My doctor gave me one of those dosage charts a few years ago. They are wonderful!
I’m not sure what the comment was about the clothes, but as a mom of five, keeping the clothing stash is overwhelming and frugal. I have plastic bins with labels that I keep in our attic crawlspace. I go through them at least once a year to declutter since I have a mil who loves to buy my kids clothes. To save some space, I don’t buy my daughter much as the only girl, and just use the more gender-neutral stuff from the boys’ boxes. I also have four under the bed boxes of shoes. I hit Kohl’s several times a year and found shoes on clearance for $7 and under. I keep a list in my purse of the sizes to make sure I don’t over buy or under buy.