Written for Stock My Medicine and clinically reviewed by Hajra Dhanchora, MPharm (GPhC 2216990).
Every parent has stood in a dark kitchen at 3am trying to remember the Calpol dose. Here it is by age, along with the questions that come up next: how often, how long it takes, whether it helps a cough, and the Calpol-and-Nurofen question nobody gives a straight answer to.
Calpol dosage by age
Calpol Infant is paracetamol 120mg per 5ml; Calpol SixPlus is 250mg per 5ml. Always use the syringe in the box, not a kitchen spoon.
- 2 to 3 months: 2.5ml of Infant, only for fever after vaccinations, repeated once after four to six hours if needed. For anything else at this age, see a doctor.
- 3 to 6 months: 2.5ml of Infant.
- 6 to 24 months: 5ml of Infant.
- 2 to 4 years: 7.5ml of Infant.
- 4 to 6 years: 10ml of Infant.
- 6 to 8 years: 5ml of SixPlus.
- 8 to 10 years: 7.5ml of SixPlus.
- 10 to 12 years: 10ml of SixPlus.
Sizes matter for the shelf: the 100ml Calpol Infant is general sale, while the 200ml bottle and SixPlus are pharmacy packs with a short questionnaire.
How often can you give Calpol?
Leave at least four hours between doses and give no more than four doses in 24 hours. Write the times down; sleep-deprived parents double-dose more often than they think. Don't give it for more than three days without a doctor checking why it's needed, and never alongside any other product containing paracetamol, which includes many cold remedies.
How long does Calpol take to work?
Usually 15 to 30 minutes, with the effect lasting four to six hours. If the temperature hasn't dropped at all after an hour, don't give more; a fever that won't respond is one of the signs to get a child seen.
Can you give Calpol and Nurofen together?
Paracetamol and ibuprofen are different medicines and both can be given to a child over 3 months, but the NHS advice is not to give them together routinely. Start with one. If it hasn't helped after an hour, you can give the other, and yes, that can be two hours apart; it's the other medicine, so the four-hour gap doesn't apply. What you shouldn't do is alternate them all day by the clock: it doesn't bring a fever down faster, and it makes double-dosing easy. Calprofen is the children's ibuprofen, given with food and not in chickenpox.
Does Calpol help a cough, teething or a cold?
Calpol treats pain and fever, nothing else. It won't stop a cough or clear a nose, but if the cough is keeping a feverish, sore child awake, it helps the child feel better, which is often the point. For teething, yes: from 3 months, at the age dose, for the days a tooth is genuinely hurting. Don't hide it in milk or juice; the child who leaves half the bottle has had half the dose.
Can adults take Calpol?
Yes. SixPlus at 10 to 20ml is an adult paracetamol dose, and it's a reasonable option for anyone who can't swallow tablets. Infant Calpol would take 40ml for the same dose, which is a lot of strawberry syrup. And to answer a question we see often: don't give Calpol to a dog or cat. Paracetamol is dangerous to cats at any dose and to dogs at the wrong one; call a vet.
When a feverish child needs a doctor
Seek urgent help for a baby under 3 months with a temperature of 38°C or above, a rash that doesn't fade when a glass is pressed on it, a stiff neck, unusual drowsiness or a high-pitched cry, difficulty breathing, a fit, or a child who isn't drinking or has had dry nappies for 12 hours. A fever lasting more than three days, or a child who seems to be getting worse rather than better, needs a GP. Everything else in the children's pain and fever range is here, and our pharmacist will answer dosing questions.
Calpol with other medicines
The one rule: never give Calpol alongside another product that contains paracetamol. That includes many children's cold and flu remedies and some adult products a teenager might reach for; check every label for the word paracetamol. Antibiotics, inhalers, antihistamines and children's cough medicines don't contain it and can be given at the same time. Ibuprofen (Calprofen or Nurofen for Children) is a different medicine, covered below. If your child takes regular medicines for a long-term condition, ask a pharmacist once, and you'll know for good.
When a fever doesn't need Calpol
A fever is the body fighting infection, and the temperature itself does no harm at the levels a normal infection produces. The NHS advice is to treat the child, not the thermometer: a child who is hot but drinking, playing and comfortable doesn't need paracetamol, and giving it won't shorten the illness. Give it when the child is miserable, in pain, or too uncomfortable to drink. The exception is the MenB vaccine at 8 and 16 weeks, where three doses of paracetamol are recommended to prevent the fever it commonly causes; your health visitor or nurse will explain.
Infant, SixPlus, sachets or Fastmelts?
Calpol Infant (120mg/5ml) is for 2 months to 6 years and comes as the original and a sugar-free version in the same strength. SixPlus (250mg/5ml) is double strength for over-6s, so the doses are half the volume. Sachets are single doses of the same suspensions for travel and school bags. Fastmelts are 250mg tablets that dissolve on the tongue, for over-6s who won't take a liquid. Whatever the format, the dose in milligrams for the age is the same, so don't mix formats in one day without checking the numbers.
Storage, spills and syringes
Keep the bottle at room temperature out of a child's reach; it doesn't need the fridge. An opened bottle is fine until the expiry date on the label. Use the syringe from the box, filled with the plunger pointing down and the bottle level, and wash it in warm water after each use. If a child spits out most of a dose, give it again; if they vomit twenty minutes later, wait until the next dose is due. Keep a note on the fridge of the time of each dose; it's the double-dosing that gets tired parents, not the amount in the syringe.
Frequently asked questions
Is Calpol just paracetamol?
Yes. Calpol Infant is paracetamol 120mg/5ml in a strawberry suspension; supermarket own-brand children's paracetamol at the same strength is the same medicine.
What if my child spits it out?
If most of it came straight back, give the dose again. If it went down and came up later, wait for the next dose time. Aim the syringe at the inside of the cheek, not the throat.
Can Calpol cause constipation?
Very rarely. If a child is constipated during an illness, it's usually the reduced eating and drinking, not the paracetamol.
Can I give Calpol before a vaccination?
Only for the MenB vaccine, on the nurse's advice. For other vaccines, give it afterwards if the child is uncomfortable rather than beforehand.