What to do at home, and when to call.
Fever and pain medicine doses by weight, the signs that need a call tonight, and the guides and phone numbers worth keeping on your phone.
Find a dose
By weight, not age. Check the strength on your bottle matches the one shown.
Enter a weight to see both medicines for it, from the charts below.
Dose by weight, not age
Medicine is for comfort, not for a normal reading on the thermometer. If your child is resting quietly, you do not need to wake them for a dose. More on fever.
Under 3 months with a fever of 100.4°F or higher? Call (541) 555-0148 before giving any medicine, day or night. Under 2 years? Call us for the dose the first time. Ibuprofen is not for babies under 6 months.
- Match the strength. Infants’ and children’s acetaminophen are the same strength. Infants’ and children’s ibuprofen are not, so read the mg per mL on the box.
- Measure with the syringe or cup from that bottle. Kitchen spoons vary too much.
- Go by weight. If weight and age point to different rows, use the weight.
- One of each at most. Cold and flu medicines often contain the same ingredient, so check the label before adding one. Do not alternate the two unless one of our providers suggests it.
Acetaminophen chartEvery weight
| Weight | Age | Infants’ liquid160 mg / 5 mL | Children’s liquid160 mg / 5 mL | Children’s chewables160 mg | Dissolvable packets160 mg | Adult tablets325 mg | Adult extra strength500 mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 to 11 lb3 to 5 kg | 0 to 3 months | 1.25 mL | Not at this weight | Not at this weight | Not at this weight | Not at this weight | Not at this weight |
| 12 to 17 lb5 to 7 kg | 4 to 11 months | 2.5 mL | Not at this weight | Not at this weight | Not at this weight | Not at this weight | Not at this weight |
| 18 to 23 lb8 to 10 kg | 12 to 23 months | 3.75 mL | Not at this weight | Not at this weight | Not at this weight | Not at this weight | Not at this weight |
| 24 to 35 lb11 to 15 kg | 2 to 3 years | 5 mL | 5 mL | 1 tablet | Not at this weight | Not at this weight | Not at this weight |
| 36 to 47 lb16 to 21 kg | 4 to 5 years | Not at this weight | 7.5 mL | 1½ tablets | Not at this weight | Not at this weight | Not at this weight |
| 48 to 59 lb22 to 26 kg | 6 to 8 years | Not at this weight | 10 mL | 2 tablets | 2 packets | 1 tablet | Not at this weight |
| 60 to 71 lb27 to 32 kg | 9 to 10 years | Not at this weight | 12.5 mL | 2½ tablets | 2 packets | 1 tablet | Not at this weight |
| 72 to 95 lb33 to 43 kg | 11 years | Not at this weight | 15 mL | 3 tablets | 3 packets | 1 tablet | Not at this weight |
| 96 lb or more44 or more kg | 12 years or older | Not at this weight | Not at this weight | Not at this weight | Not at this weight | 2 tablets | 2 tablets, at least 6 hours apart, no more than 6 tablets in 24 hours |
Ibuprofen chartEvery weight
| Weight | Age | Infants’ drops50 mg / 1.25 mL | Children’s liquid100 mg / 5 mL | Children’s chewables50 mg | Junior tablets100 mg | Adult tablets200 mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| up to 11 lbup to 5 kg | 0 to 5 months | Not for babies under 6 months unless one of our providers tells you to. | ||||
| 12 to 17 lb6 to 7 kg | 6 to 11 months | 1.25 mL | 2.5 mL | Not at this weight | Not at this weight | Not at this weight |
| 18 to 23 lb8 to 10 kg | 12 to 23 months | 1.875 mL | 4 mL | Not at this weight | Not at this weight | Not at this weight |
| 24 to 35 lb11 to 15 kg | 2 to 3 years | 2.5 mL | 5 mL | 2 tablets | Not at this weight | Not at this weight |
| 36 to 47 lb16 to 21 kg | 4 to 5 years | 3.75 mL | 7.5 mL | 3 tablets | Not at this weight | Not at this weight |
| 48 to 59 lb22 to 26 kg | 6 to 8 years | 5 mL | 10 mL | 4 tablets | 2 tablets | 1 tablet |
| 60 to 71 lb27 to 32 kg | 9 to 10 years | Not at this weight | 12.5 mL | 5 tablets | 2½ tablets | 1 tablet |
| 72 to 95 lb33 to 43 kg | 11 years | Not at this weight | 15 mL | 6 tablets | 3 tablets | 1½ tablets |
| 96 lb or more44 or more kg | 12 years or older | Not at this weight | 20 mL | 8 tablets | 4 tablets | 2 tablets |
Doses from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ dosing charts on HealthyChildren.org, checked 29 September 2026. If your bottle shows a different strength, do not use this chart: call us or ask your pharmacist.
Call, come in, or watch at home?
If you cannot tell which group your child is in, call (541) 555-0148. After hours, one of our own pediatric providers answers.
Call 911 now
- Struggling to breathe, or too breathless to talk or cry
- Blue or gray lips or skin
- Unresponsive, limp or very hard to wake
- A seizure lasting more than five minutes
Emergency department today
- A baby under 3 months with a fever of 100.4°F or higher: call us first
- No pee in 8 hours, no tears, a very dry mouth
- A swallowed button battery or magnet, even if they seem fine
- A head injury followed by repeated vomiting or confusion
Call us the same day
- Fever over 24 hours under age 2, or over 3 days from age 2
- Ear pain, sore throat with fever, or pain when peeing
- Vomiting or diarrhea in a child who is still drinking
- A cut that gapes open
Fine to watch at home
- A cold in a child who is eating, drinking and playing
- Vomiting once or twice, then keeping sips down
- A fever over 3 months that perks up when it comes down
The full guide: when to call us, and when to go to the ER, reviewed by Naomi Kestrel, CPNP-PC.
Symptom checker
On a practice’s live site, this space holds the American Academy of Pediatrics’ KidsDoc Symptom Checker, licensed by the practice and embedded in the page. A parent picks a body part and a symptom, and KidsDoc says whether to care for it at home, call, or go in. HealthyChildren.org keeps the advice up to date, and all of it is available in Spanish.
Not connected on this demo site, so nothing here checks symptoms. The AAP’s own version is free to use on HealthyChildren.org.
Read before you need them
Written by our providers for the nights you cannot reach anyone. All health tips.
Numbers worth saving
Poison Help
1-800-222-1222, day or night. It connects you to the Oregon Poison Center, who will tell you whether your child needs to be seen.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988 for a mental health crisis, for your child or for you.
HealthyChildren.org
The American Academy of Pediatrics’ site for parents. Our dosing charts come from here.
AAP vaccine schedule
The American Academy of Pediatrics’ schedule for children and teens, the one we follow.
Oregon Health Plan
Free coverage for children in households earning up to 305% of the poverty level, whatever their immigration status.
Not sure what to do?
Call any time. The front desk answers during office hours, and after hours one of our own pediatric providers does.