While searching the children’s cold medicine aisle, we noticed that Infants’ and Children’s Tylenol are the same strength. Why make the distinction then? It makes you stop and wonder, wait, what did the pediatrician say? Didn’t they specify which one to use? Also, Infants’ Tylenol costs a lot more than Children’s for a tiny bottle. What’s going on here? How does Infants’ Tylenol differ from Children’s?
What is really going on?
We did some digging, and it turns out that for decades, Infants’ Tylenol was more concentrated than the Children’s one. On the one hand, it would have been great to have to give an infant less medicine. It used to be three times more concentrated. But, this caused a lot of confusion, and some babies got sick. And tragically, some cases were even fatal.
The result
Consequently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pushed companies to make them consistent, and in 2011, Tylenol followed through. The old formulation of Infants’ acetaminophen was 80 mg/0.8 ml. Now, Infant’s Tylenol does not differ from Children’s Tylenol. Both are 160 mg/5 ml.
However, the price remained the same. The manufacturers justified the price difference by the expense of the dosing syringe and special bottle. The smaller bottle on the Infants’ Tylenol has a smaller opening. Therefore, it limits the quantity of the medicine babies can get out of the bottle if they somehow get their hands on them.
Measuring Tylenol and all medication:
In any case, great care should be taken when administering acetaminophen to children of any age. Please note that eating utensils are not accurate tools for measuring medication. The Texas Poison Control provides the following equivalents to follow:
- 1 teaspoon (tsp) = 5 milliliters (ml)
- 3 teaspoons (tsp) = 1 tablespoon (tbsp)
- 1 tablespoon (tbsp) = 15 milliliters (ml)
Don’t forget dosage depends on weight and not age. And, check with your doctor before administering medicine. Also, make sure to get updated dosages whenever your child gets weighed.
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Curated Picks
For your convenience, we’ve listed our go-tos.
Tylenol: Dye-free is always a preferable option. The syringe is essential to accurate dosing. We actually keep them after the box is complete and save them as back-up when you have to administer medicine at night. Then, you don’t have to worry about washing them in the middle of the night.
Tylenol: Once you don’t need the dosing syringe, you can get the children’s version. We always stock up on this flavor at our house. If they fight you when it comes to medicine, you’ll sometimes get a better reaction to another flavor.
Tylenol: The chewables are great for travel and to keep in your bag in case of emergency. Sometimes, fevers can come on suddenly and it’s always nice to be prepared.
Publications:
(1) “Know Concentration Before Giving Acetaminophen to Infants.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/know-concentration-giving-acetaminophen-infants.
(2) “You Need to Know: Infant’s & Children’s Acetaminophen Medicine Changes.” Texas Poison Center Network, 12 Aug. 2016, www.poisoncontrol.org/you-need-to-know-infants-childrens-acetaminophen-medicine-changes/.
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