Giving Calpol to a small baby

[BelfastSmile]

DD is 9 weeks old, but was born 5 weeks early, so is quite small (around 7lb 6, at a rough guess). She had her vaccinations at 7.5 weeks, and HV advised giving a dose of Calpol, which I did.

Now she has a cold, but reading the Calpol bottle suggests that she shouldn't really have it at this stage apart from post-vaccinations.

She was really miserable, though (I have the cold too, and it's giving me sore ears etc, so if it's the same one then I think she needs something). I gave her a small dose (1.5ml instead of 2.5ml), last night before bed, which seemed to help, but it says not to give more than 2 doses, so I'm just concerned about giving her more today.

Is it ok to give her some before bed if she had some this morning?

I'm just scared of paracetamol overdose in such a tiny baby! Thanks!

I wouldn't give it unless she has a really high fever but would see the GP first. The risk is you mask something more serious and miss it.

Colds aren't nice but they get bloody loads of them. Lots of cuddles, breastfeeds (if possible), time in n a steamy room can make them a bit more comfortable.

My DS was the opposite in that he was so large we were told by our DR to go straight onto 5ml dose for his first vaccinations. The dr said the dosage is worked out by weight and then approximated by age so if your little one is roughly the weight of a newborn I would say they can't have any. I would seek medical advice as soon as possible before giving anymore.

Try propping up the head of her mattress (put a towel underneath it). It will help with congestion/ear pain.

I wouldn't give any more calpol without talking to 111 first.

Try a sitting in a steamy room with her, use some books to prop her bed up at one end. Put some olbas oil on a tissue near her.

I definitely wouldn't give her Calpol at this stage, especially as she was premature and is small.

DS (9 weeks) had a cold recently and he was congested so we used Sterimar Baby (saline nasal spray) which really helped him to breathe and feed more comfortably.

I would just keep an eye on her temperature and if it's raised you could call 111, they should be able to get a doctor to call you back and advise whether or not to give Calpol.

Our daughter was 10 weeks prem and only weighed 5lb when she had her first round of injections. We were given a dose based on her weight by our dr. I'd give them a call and ask for some advice x

Thanks everyone. We don't have 111 here, so I can't really get advice until the morning when I can get to a chemist.

I'll hold off on giving her any more. Thankfully she seems much better this evening anyway.

Dose is 15mg/kg but in babies this age (

Thanks, @opinionatedfreak , that's really helpful. As I said, she's much better now anyway, but that's good to know just in case.