Spoonful of medicine may be too much, parents warned

Parents are being warned not to give their children medicine using an ordinary teaspoon because of the risk of overdose.

By The Newsroom

Published 15th Jul 2010, 12:51 BST

Updated 15th Jul 2010, 12:51 BST

A study found that teaspoons vary from a capacity of 2.5ml to 7.3ml, meaning children could be receiving an inaccurate dose.

Instead, parents should use the spoon provided with a medicine or buy a syringe or spoon with measurements on it.

They should also consult the medicine's packaging to make sure their child is given the right dose for their age.

Experts from Greece and the United States looked at 71 teaspoons and 49 tablespoons collected from 25 households.

A parent using one of the biggest teaspoons would give their child 192 per cent more medicine than a parent using the smallest teaspoon.

The experts, writing in the International Journal of Clinical Practice, said that not only was there a risk of overdose, but some children could be given too little medicine.