Information for consumers and carers

It is common for medicine misadventure to be a cause of poisoning in little ones. It's really important to read the label, to make sure that it is the correct modification for that child and also, so they know what the active ingredient is. The brand name is the product name, the commercial name whereas the active ingredient is the chemical name. If you don't read the label that might mean unintendedly you could be giving the same medicine twice or you might not be giving the correct dose. Medicines are best given to children based on their weight. One method we suggest is that parents know their own weight and then weigh themselves and their baby on a set of floor scales, then subtract their weight from the total weight. They’ll have the weight of their baby and then they will be able to deliver the correct dose of medicine. If the weight range isn't listed, it's really important to check with a health professional as to what the correct dose for your child is. It's really important for parents and carers to record what medicine their child is currently having, the active ingredient of the medicine, the dose that's been given, the time that it's been given so that they've got that accurate record if there are multiple people looking after a child, if they need to visit a health professional. There are a number of ways to do that including our medicines list. We recommend that people take medicines that are no longer in use to their community pharmacist where they can be disposed of safely and appropriately.

Medicine misadventure to be a cause of poisoning in little ones. Find out how to safely give medicines to your child.