Checklist
Match the liquid medicine, its instructions and its measuring device
A familiar bottle shape does not guarantee a familiar strength.
When it fits
- You are preparing to give a child a liquid medicine.
When to avoid it
- This card selects no dose. Do not convert unclear units, guess a child's dose or compensate for a missed dose on your own; suspected overdose needs prompt poison-service or emergency advice.
Checklist
- Read the child's current instructions and the exact bottle label.
- Match the units and choose an appropriate device for the instructed volume.
- Confirm any discrepancy with a pharmacist or prescriber before giving the medicine.
Why it matters
Check the actual medicine and concentration, the current instructions and the units on the measuring device together. Use the supplied or pharmacist-approved tool, not a household spoon. When anything is unclear, ask the pharmacist to demonstrate and watch you measure the instructed amount.
An example
A replacement bottle has a different concentration. The caregiver checks the instructions instead of repeating a volume remembered from the old bottle.
Check your result
The medicine, concentration, instructed amount and tool markings agree.
Keep this limit in mind
- This card selects no dose. Do not convert unclear units, guess a child's dose or compensate for a missed dose on your own; suspected overdose needs prompt poison-service or emergency advice.
Connected ideas
Useful withUse the prescribed antibiotic plan, not leftovers from a similar illness
Evidence and sources
AAP recommends checking the actual liquid medicine's strength and instructions and using an appropriate measuring device rather than a kitchen spoon.
A remembered volume from a different concentration is not a valid dose; unclear instructions require a pharmacist or prescriber.
How to Use Liquid Medicines for Children · Different strengths; measuring tools