The AAP has long warned against using kitchen spoons to measure out medicine, finding that parents who do so are likelier to overestimate the amount of medicine their kids need. So, why, then, I’ve wondered, are so many pediatric liquid medicine manufacturers still offering directions in teaspoons? What’s more, why do they include two different units of measurement on those little cups that come with the bottles—“tsp” on one, “ml” on the other? When you stumble out of bed to tend to a child who’s crying with fever for the third night in a row, those tiny acronyms are barely distinguishable—and that’s if you’re lucky enough to be dealing with a cup that has black writing, rather than clear raised letters, which you try to make out with your fingers, Braille-like, when holding the thing up to the bathroom nightlight proves fruitless. Nothing at 3 a.m. should be that hard.
Turns out, the AAP has the same concerns. In a recent report, they’re advising that medicine companies ditch the teaspoon directives, and stick just to milliliters in their labels and measuring cups. In the meantime, think about designating a medicine syringe or cup per child per medicine bottle, and marking them up with a Sharpie. Put the child’s initials, the name of the medicine, and a line for correct dosage on the measuring device. Change them out as your child moves up the weight charts. Arrange possible needed meds in Tupperware bins, out of reach in a bathroom or bedroom closet. The next time you hear that telltale midnight wail, you’ll thank yourself.
Leave a Reply