Pediatric Dose Calculator

Guide

How to measure liquid medicine for a child

Use an oral syringe marked in mL, the one that came with the medicine if possible. Measure at eye level, give the medicine slowly into the side of the cheek, and never use a kitchen spoon. The AAP recommends that children’s liquid medicine be dosed in mL only.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Drugs · Pediatrics 2016;138(4):e20160357

Step by step

  1. Check the medicine and its strength on the box (for example, 160 mg per 5 mL). The mL dose depends on the strength.
  2. Shake the bottle if the label says to.
  3. Push the syringe plunger all the way in, put the tip in the liquid, and pull back past the dose line.
  4. Hold the syringe at eye level, push out air bubbles, and adjust to the exact line.
  5. Sit your child upright. Put the tip inside the cheek, toward the back, and push slowly so they can swallow in small amounts.
  6. Write down the time and amount.

Why not a spoon or a cup?

Kitchen spoons vary a lot in size, and teaspoon and tablespoon are easy to mix up. Cups are fine for larger doses but hard to read for small ones. A study of more than 2,000 parents found dosing errors were common, and fewer with oral syringes than with cups.

That’s why the AAP asks for doses to be written and measured in mL only. Convert teaspoons to mL.

If a dose goes wrong

If your child spits out most of a dose right away, ask your pharmacist before giving more. If you think you gave too much, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222, even if your child seems fine.

Common questions

Is a dosing cup or a syringe better?

A syringe. In a large study of parents, errors were more common with cups than with oral syringes, especially for small doses.

What if my pharmacy label says teaspoons?

Ask the pharmacist to write the dose in mL and give you a syringe marked in mL. 1 teaspoon = 5 mL.

What if I don’t have the syringe that came with the medicine?

Pharmacies give oral syringes for free or for very little. Don’t swap devices between products; the dropper in one box is marked for that product’s doses.

Sources

  1. Metric Units and the Preferred Dosing of Orally Administered Liquid Medications. American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Drugs, Pediatrics 2015;135(4):784-787. Checked 2026-09-18.
  2. Liquid Medication Errors and Dosing Tools: A Randomized Controlled Experiment (Yin et al.). Pediatrics 2016;138(4):e20160357. Checked 2026-09-18.