Children's paracetamol dose
Right dose, right concentration. Enter your child's age and (ideally) weight — we'll work out the ml of Calpol Infant or Calpol Six Plus. Built from BNFc paediatric reference dosing.
When to skip the calculator and call NHS 111 or your GP
- Under 3 months with any fever ≥ 38 °C — same-day medical advice.
- 3-6 months with fever ≥ 39 °C — same-day medical advice.
- Fever lasting more than 5 days at any age.
- Signs of dehydration — sunken eyes, dry mouth, fewer wet nappies, lethargy.
- Non-blanching rash (doesn't fade when pressed with a glass) — call 999.
- Breathing difficulty, repeated vomiting, prolonged drowsiness, fits — call 999 or NHS 111.
Calpol vs Nurofen — which one
- Paracetamol (Calpol) works on pain and fever and is the first line.
- Ibuprofen (Nurofen for Children) works as an anti-inflammatory — useful when paracetamol isn't enough, or for inflammatory pain (teething, post-vaccine soreness).
- If one isn't enough on its own, you can alternate them every 4 hours (e.g. 4-hourly Calpol staggered with 4-hourly Nurofen, so each gets dosed every 8 hours) — but tell us if a fever's persistent enough to need this.
- Don't give both at the same moment unless we've advised it for a specific reason.
Source
BNFc — paracetamol, 15 mg/kg per dose, max 60 mg/kg/day, every 4-6 hours, max 4 doses in 24 hours. Calpol Infant suspension is 120 mg/5 ml (24 mg/ml). Calpol Six Plus is 250 mg/5 ml (50 mg/ml). This calculator follows the same logic any pharmacist would.
After the dose — what next?
If your baby is under 3 months (or under 4 kg), seems very unwell, or a fever has lasted more than 5 days, speak to our pharmacist first — call 0113 244 1551 or walk in, no appointment needed. Ear pain, sore throat and some skin infections in children can be assessed free under NHS Pharmacy First.
The right product for this dose maths: Calpol Infant Suspension (120 mg/5 ml, from 2 months). If your child also needs ibuprofen, use the children's ibuprofen dose calculator — the two can be alternated when one alone is not enough; ask our pharmacist how.