can i give dd 2.5mls calpol every 3 hours?

[SPBInDisguise]

she's 5 months, would rather give little & often, is thar ok?
she won';t stop screaming, res;lly real;ly unhappy, no temp. thin k its her tummy

[SPBInDisguise]

desperate bump

[BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny]

no. You need to give her the right dose at the right time or it will not be strong enough to work.

You really should call NHS direct and get her seen by the out of hours GP if she's like this, it sounds like she's in pain. Paracetamol doesn't normally work on abdominal pain, she needs checking over to find out what the problem is.

[Ledodgy]

Every 4 hours not 3.

[nailpolish]

calpol wont help a sore tummy IME

have you tried infacol?

just feed as normal and lots of cuddles

hth

[SPBInDisguise]

yes but they say 1 or 2 2.5ml spoons every 4 hours
so I'm givig her less than the max

[SPBInDisguise]

not tried infacol thx
assume I can give with calpol? will check

[BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny]

No, 2.5 ml every 3 hours (see your title) is too much. Call NHS direct and get her checked over unless you know it's colic. If it's colic then try to get hold of some infacol.

[BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny]

Calpol won't do anything for colic, colic's cramp/spasm.

[BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny]

2 times 2.5 ml =5ml every 4 hours sounds too much. How strong is the paracetamol?

[SPBInDisguise]

But I dont understand if I can give 5ml every 4 hours, how is half that every 3 hours too much? Just wondered if it's too frequent in some way?
Infacol seems OK with calpol, they say each feed, I assume they mean every 2 hours ish? She can have a feed every 10 mins - most are aborted

[SPBInDisguise]

just says 3-12m half to one 5ml spoon
and then leave at least 4 hours beetween doses

[BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny]

My fault, sorry. 5ml every 4 hours could be too much but it depends on the strength of the paracetamol. I see what you mean now. Are you sure it's colic pain?

[BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny]

Nooo, stop!!

[SPBInDisguise]

stop?
not 100% sure but she had lots of dirty nappies yesterday, a few today, pain crying, arching back. DH is gettibg over a tummy bug

[BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny]

Right, got the BNF.

The dose for a 3 month old would be 2.5ml every 4 hours. Depending on her weight, 2.5ml every 3 hours could be either a larger dose then she needs because it's too frequent or a smaller dose so wouldn't do anything.

[stripeywoollenhat]

if it's a tummy bug i'm not sure calpol will help. i'd phone nhs direct if i were you to check what to do.

[SPBInDisguise]

shes finally asleep
she is 5m, label says 5ml every 4h is ok
sorry for not being clear, was stressed
my poor girl

[BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny]

If 5ml is the max dose (2 times 2.5ml = 5 ml) then this is the dose for a 12 month old, not a 5 month old. There's a huge age range and change in weight from a 3 month old (who should have the smallest amount) to a 12 month old (who has the max amount).

[IciCeSoir]

Stealth, potentially you are overdosing due to how much the liver etc can metabolise in a 5 mo. I would be v careful. As mentioned above 5 mls is top dose, so 2.5 every 3 hrs means her body is metabolising this constantly?

Sorry I know how shit it is to have a poorly one, just concerened for you

[IciCeSoir]

Apols just seen your post above

[BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny]

I'm crap at explaining things, you did it far better.

[SPBInDisguise]

thanks everyone
she seems much better now and only had 2x2.5ml
she is 5mo, not 3mo btw
so do you mean that at 3mo they should be having 2.5ml and at 12 5ml? then why doesn't it say thatr? the way it is on the box it implies that as long as the baby is over 3mo she can have either 2.5ml or 5ml
I really think that is unclear

Just to clarify:
age:3-12 months
dose: Half (2.5ml) to one 5ml spoonful

leave at least 4 hours between doses

so i interpret that to mean i can give a 5 month old 5ml every 4 hours, as long as i don't give more than 20ml in 24 hours (which it also says)
If that isn't the case then it's highly ambiguous - if top dose is for 12mo only, then that needs spelling out

[SPBInDisguise]

who would be best to call to clarify this? nhs direct or manufacturer?
I do think it implies i could give her 5ml every 4 hours, if not i want that spelling out. think i was worried about the constant metabolising, as Ici says, but couldn't explain. Sounds like it's a bad idea, thank you

I do want to know though whether i could give her 5ml every 4 hours, as that is what the box says buit you all seem to thik that's too much.

As it happens she had 2.5ml at 5.50 and another at 9.15. I won't do it again but am not going to panic this time.

[oddgirl]

You can only give 60mg/kg in a 24 hour period and no more frequently than 4 hourly-if its not working the frequency you give it wont make any difference. As others have said calpol is not that effective for cramping abdo pain and dont use ibuprofen as this can irritate the gut even more. I would be tempted to get her seen asap-any vomiting/diarrhoea? It may be trapped wind which can be extremely painful-peppermint water is quite good for this or a drug called buscopan-BUT you need to see a dr first.
HTH