Calpol and other infant paracetamol pain relief

Many parents reach for Calpol to soothe their poorly child in the middle of the night. Our expert guide will run you through the essentials: ingredients, dosage and price.

Calpol's own range of products is vast, available in bottles, sachets, tablets and as a vapour plug-in. But there are also cheaper alternatives to consider from other brands, including Asda, Boots, Tesco and Morrisons. 

Keep scrolling for more information on how long Calpol takes to work, which is the most popular brand of pain relief, and if paying more really gets you a superior infant paracetamol.

For ways to keep your family living costs down, and kids of all ages happy, get our Family newsletter – it's free monthly

What is Calpol used for?

Calpol and other types of paracetamol for children are used to relieve pain and/or bring down fever in a range of conditions, including:

• teething
• headache
• cold and flu symptoms
• toothache, earache and 'other aches and pains'
• sore throat
• post-immunisation fever. 

Infant paracetamol or ibuprofen won't help a cough, although they could be helpful if your child has a high temperature that might accompany a cough.

You'll find a mixture of paracetamol and ibuprofen-based medicines in the Calpol range, depending on the age of your child and their preferences for taking medication.

See pictures of common childhood rashes, plus information on symptoms and how infant pain relief might help. 

What age is suitable to administer Calpol and other infant paracetamol?

Paracetamol is suitable for children aged two months or older, depending on what concentration of paracetamol you buy: 120mg per 5ml of liquid for babies and younger children (three months to six years old) or 250mg per 5ml of liquid for older children (six to 12 years old). The dosage will depend on their age. 

Ibuprofen can be given to children aged three months or older and who weigh more than 11lb. It comes in a standardised 100mg per 5ml formulation, such as Calprofen.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health advises giving the minimum necessary medication to your child in order to achieve the best effect. This includes not giving them pain relief if they've got a fever but are 'very happy and very well'. 

Always check the label before giving pain relief to your child to make sure the medication and dose is suitable for them.

Which is the most popular brand of infant pain relief?

As part of our latest baby survey, we quizzed parents on which brand of infant pain relief they'd bought for their child or children in the past year. 

We've collated and crunched the numbers, and there's a clear front-runner that three quarters of parents surveyed said they'd bought, followed by another popular product that was chosen by half.

Only logged-in Which? members can view the infant and child pain-relief survey results. Join Which? to get instant access to our survey scores below. 

• Brand 1 - 76%
• Brand 2- 48%
• Brand 3 - 29%
• Brand 4 - 26%
• Brand 5 - 12%
• Brand 6 - 12%
• Brand 7 - 6%

Cheapest place to buy Calpol and other infant paracetamol

At times when a child needs Calpol regularly, the cost of buying multiple bottles can soon add up.

Of course, there are also cheaper own-brand infant paracetamol alternatives available from your local supermarket. We’ve compared the price of Calpol with own-brand and generic infant paracetamol suspensions to find the cheapest place to get your infant pain relief.

Prices checked October 2022.

We found it's easier to get cheaper own-brand medicines in larger supermarkets. Smaller branches tend to stock more expensive, branded medicines, so try picking up your pain relief during your weekly shop if you want to save money. 

You could also save money by opting for bigger bottles – for example, a 200ml bottle of Boots Pain Relief Paracetamol Suspension 2 Months Plus costs £4.99 compared with £2.65 for 100ml, so the larger bottle is better value.

Is Calpol better than other infant paracetamol pain relief? 

As standard, both the generic and branded products have the same active ingredient, in the exact same concentration: paracetamol at 120mg per 5ml for the infant formulation (up to six years of age) and 250mg per 5ml for the age six-plus suspension.

So you can be rest assured that the generic option is just as effective as a branded variety, as well as being cheaper. 

For example, generic Care Infant Paracetamol suspension costs just £1, compared with Calpol's £3.30 bottle - but they both contain exactly the same active ingredient in exactly the same concentration.  

In our 2021 survey, just 10% of parents used supermarket own-label pain relief, but our 2022 research showed that this had almost trebled to 29%. 

Does your little one have a fever? See all our digital thermometer reviews or head straight to our round-up of the best digital thermometers.

Calpol sachets, liquids or melting tablets: which is better value?

Buying your medicine in sachets has its benefits. You can take them on a flight and they'll fit neatly into your hand luggage. Each sachet is pre-measured, too. 

However, you'll pay for this convenience - using Calpol's sugar-free sachets will cost you more than double the price of a liquid bottle of the same formulation.

It's also worth noting that, like all Calpol variants, the sachets aren't suitable for babies younger than two months. A single dose for children at two to three months is equal to one 2.5ml spoonful. But each sachet contains 5ml of medicine, so unless you're using the rest of the medicine on another child, you're likely to be throwing it away. 

A bottle of suspension will save you money, dose for dose. 

Calpol SixPlus Fastmelts (available in packs of 12 for £3.49 or 24 for £6.39) are another option for children over six years, and are good for taking on the go as they melt in the mouth without the need for water. 

However,  this could end up being a pricey way to give your child pain relief: they cost around 29p per dose of one 250mg tablet for children age six to nine, double that (58p per dose of two tablets) for 9 to 12-year-olds and even treble that for 12 to 16-year-olds (87p per dose of three tablets). 

Calpol Vapour Plug & Nightlight: how does it work?

If your child has a blocked nose, you might want to experiment with the Calpol Vapour Plug & Nightlight. Suitable for babies from three months, this plug-in device contains a blend of aromatic oils including menthol, camphor and eucalyptus, which is said to help ease breathing. 

The refill pads tucked inside the plug will need to be replaced every eight hours or so. The plug element costs around £7.50 (comes with three refills) then additional refills cost around £6.50 for a pack of five or £10.50 for 10.

If you shop around you'll spot some alternatives to the Calpol plug-in. For example,  Boots stocks the Easy Breathing Vapour Plug-in (£5.99), which is suitable for children older than two years. 

How much Calpol liquid should I give my child?

Whatever form you choose for your child, Calpol should only be used in small doses and for a short time. 

Dosage guidelines have changed in recent years, and we know that parents can get confused about how much paracetamol to give their children, with concerns about giving too much.

It doesn't take too much above the normal dose over a couple of days for paracetamol to start causing problems (mainly to the liver). While a couple of millilitres extra on a one-off dose one day shouldn't be a problem, administering the maximum dose over a few days might start to pose a health risk.

Consult our table below for more information on Calpol Infant Suspension dosage, but remember to always check the packaging on the specific product you're administering.

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children recommends putting the tip of the oral syringe between the gums and the inside surface of the cheek, then squirting small amounts in so the child doesn't choke. Or, use the spoon provided rather than a household spoon, which won't give an accurate dose.

Can I put Calpol in juice or milk?

Knowing how much you've administered is crucial both for safety and effectiveness, so it's best to avoid mixing Calpol with other liquids. Instead, offer the child juice or milk after they've had the medication to help take the taste away.

Are some formula milk brands better than others? We compare the leading brands in formula milk to discover whether one infant formula is better than another.

How long does Calpol take to work?

You'll be pleased to hear that Calpol and other types of infant pain relief usually get to work quite quickly.

According to the Calpol website, its Infant Suspension medicine (suitable for most babies from two months) will start working within 15 minutes. The same applies for SixPlus Fastmelts.

Our 2022 research revealed that a third of parents we surveyed found that their child's pain started to ease between 21 and 30 minutes, and a quarter said the pain typically began to subside within 31-40 minutes.

Can you give Calpol and Nurofen two hours apart?

Both the NHS and NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) say you should avoid giving an ibuprofen-based medicine and a paracetamol-based one (such as Calpol) together to a baby or a child under 16 unless a doctor has specifically advised it.

However, you can give them one at a time - in other words, alternately - if you've already given a dose of one of them and your child is still distressed before the next dose of that same medicine is due.

If you stagger them it means your child can have some medication if needed every few hours. For example, give paracetamol at 8am, ibuprofen at 11am then paracetamol at 2pm (six hours after the first paracetamol dose). 

How often should I give my child Calpol or paracetamol?

You mustn't give more than four paracetamol doses in 24 hours - this means you might have to wait up to six hours between doses. 

Write down the time you've administered it to help you to stick to this timeframe, or pass on this information if a child is being looked after by a few different people in the day (eg at nursery or with grandparents). 

If you’re giving your child any other medicine at the same time, it’s important to check that it's not contraindicated, especially if it also contains paracetamol that might result in 'doubling up'. 

Keep an eye on your baby while they're sleeping, using one of our best baby monitors. 

Calpol and other infant pain relief: side effects and allergenic ingredients

We’ve pulled together a table of some of the most common side effects and potentially allergenic ingredients in paracetamol suspensions to help you spot any risks. 

You can find details about the ingredients in patient information leaflets, which you should always consult before use.

Ingredients in children's medicine

Signs of Calpol or paracetamol overdose in infants

An infant who has taken too much paracetamol might have nausea and vomiting that settles within 24 hours. If nothing is done immediately, the symptoms can start again after two to three days, along with tummy pain on the right hand side - and this indicates the development of liver damage.

If your child has had more paracetamol than is recommended (or you're uncertain about how much they've had), seek immediate medical advice.

Can adults take Calpol?

There's nothing to stop adults or children over 16 from using Calpol or other pain-relief medication intended for children.

Calpol advises adults and children over the age of 16 to try Calpol SixPlus (suitable from six years). It contains paracetamol and is used to help with fever, colds, earache, sore throats and general pains.

The recommended dose in this case is 10-20ml up to four times in 24 hours. Read the label if you're unsure.

Make sure you're prepared for minor emergencies at home. Head over to our first aid advice.

Can you give Calpol for coronavirus?

Calpol can help to reduce fever and temperature in children, so if your child is experiencing symptoms of Covid, a dose of Calpol or similar infant paracetamol might help. 

Early on in the pandemic, experts were advising people to avoid ibuprofen to relieve coronavirus symptoms, but now we know that either paracetamol or ibuprofen is safe to use.

For more information on Covid, visit the NHS website.

For ways to keep your family living costs down, and kids of all ages happy, get our Family newsletter – it's free monthly