Acetaminophen and children

Find out how children can safely be given acetaminophen.

Usage

Acetaminophen is found in many medications for children and is used to treat:

flu
pain
fever
sinus
allergies

Safety

Always check the ingredients before giving medication to your child.

You should never give your child:

an adult product if they're younger than age 12
more than the recommended dose in a 24-hour period
more than one medication that contains acetaminophen at the same time, such as:
- a pain reliever
- cold and flu medicine

Before giving medication with acetaminophen to your child:

check the date the medication expires
read and follow the instructions on the label
check how much acetaminophen is in the medication

Proper dosage

The right dose of acetaminophen for your child is based on weight or age (if weight is unknown).

If you have concerns or questions, talk to your pharmacist or health professional, especially if your child:

is younger than 4 months of age
weighs less than 5.5 kg (12 lbs.)

Different formulations of acetaminophen are available at varying concentrations. For infants up to 23 months old, the typical concentration is 80 mg/1 mL. For children 2-12 years old, liquid forms commonly include 80 mg/1 ml and 160 mg/5 mL, and chewable tablets 80 mg and 160 mg are also available. The 325 mg strength is recommended only for children older than 6 years.

Severe or possibly fatal liver damage may occur if you give your child more than the recommended dose within 24 hours or if your child takes other drugs containing acetaminophen at the same time.

Always:

use the oral syringe or plastic cup that comes with the medication
- a kitchen spoon does not hold the right amount of medicine
keep track of when and how much you give your child
check with the caregiver so you don't accidentally give a dose that has already been given

After each use:

put the cap on tightly
store out of reach and sight of children

Dosage guide

Infants 0-23 months

Table 1. Acetaminophen 80 mg/mL drops^{Table 1 footnote *} dosing information for infants (0-23 months)
Age	Weight		Single oral dose (every 4-6 hours)	Maximum daily dose (do not give more than 5 doses in 24 hrs)
months	lbs	kg	mL	mL
0-3	6-11	2-5.4	0.5	2.5
4-11	12-17	5.5-7.9	1.0	5
12-23	18-23	8-10.9	1.5	7.5
Table 1 footnote * Type of liquid form Return to table 2 footnote * referrer

Children 2-12 years

Table 2. Acetaminophen 80 mg/1 mL syrup^{Table 2 footnote *} dosing information for children (2 to 12 years)
Age	Weight		Single oral dose (every 4-6 hours)	Maximum daily dose (do not give more than 5 doses in 24 hrs)
years	lbs	kg	mL	mL
2-3	24-35	11-15.9	2	10
4-5	36-47	16-21.9	3	15
6-8	48-59	22-26.9	4	20
9-10	60-71	27-31.9	5	25
11-12	72-95	32-43.9	6	30
Table 2 footnote * Type of liquid form Return to table 2 footnote * referrer

Table 3. Acetaminophen 160 mg/5 mL oral suspension^{Table 3 footnote *} dosing information for children (2 to 12 years)
Age	Weight		Single oral dose (every 4-6 hours)		Maximum daily dose (do not give more than 5 doses in 24 hrs)
years	lbs	kg	mL	tsp	mL	tsp
2-3	24-35	11-15.9	5	1	25	5
4-5	36-47	16-21.9	7.5	1½	37.5	7.5
6-8	48-59	22-26.9	10	2	50	10
9-10	60-71	27-31.9	12.5	2½	62.5	12.5
11-12	72-95	32-43.9	15	3	75	15
Table 3 footnote * Type of liquid form Return to table 3 footnote * referrer

Table 4. Acetaminophen 80 mg (chewable) tablet dosing information for children (2 to 12 years)
Age	Weight		Single oral dose (every 4-6 hours)	Maximum daily dose (do not give more than 5 doses in 24 hrs)
years	lbs	kg	tablets	tablets
2-3	24-35	11-15.9	2	10
4-5	36-47	16-21.9	3	15
6-8	48-59	22-26.9	4	20
9-10	60-71	27-31.9	5	25
11-12	72-95	32-43.9	6	30

Table 5. Acetaminophen 160 mg (chewable) tablet dosing information for children (2 to 12 years)
Age	Weight		Single oral dose (every 4-6 hours)	Maximum daily dose (do not give more than 5 doses in 24 hrs)
years	lbs	kg	tablets	tablets
2-3	24-35	11-15.9	1	5
4-5	36-47	16-21.9	1.5	7.5
6-8	48-59	22-26.9	2	10
9-10	60-71	27-31.9	2.5	12.5
11-12	72-95	32-43.9	3	15

Children 6-12 years taking 325 mg acetaminophen tablet

Table 6. Acetaminophen 325 mg^{Table 6 footnote **} tablet dosing information for children (6-12 years)
Age	Weight		Single oral dose (every 4-6 hours)	Maximum daily dose (do not give more than 5 doses in 24 hrs)
years	lbs	kg	tablets	tablets
6-8	48-59	22-26.9	1	5
9-10	60-71	27-31.9	1.25	6.25
11-12	72-95	32-43.9	1.5	7.5
Table 6 footnote The 325 mg strength is the standard adult dose and should only be used as a last option, as per the recommended age bracket (≥ 6 years of age) shown on the table. Return to table 6 footnote referrer

Health risks

While acetaminophen is safe and effective when used as directed, taking too much can harm your child's health. Misuse may lead to:

an overdose
liver damage
liver transplant
death

Liver damage may occur if too much acetaminophen builds up in the liver. The risk of liver damage from acetaminophen may be higher for children who:

have liver disease
use acetaminophen for longer than recommended

If you think your child has taken too much acetaminophen, call your provincial poison control centre right away.

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2026-01-09

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