Calpol and other infant paracetamol pain relief

Many parents reach for Calpol to soothe their poorly child in the middle of the night. 

Calpol comes in bottles, sachet and tablet form, as well as vapour plug-ins. 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 branded or generic 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.

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 otherwise 'very happy and very well'. 

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

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

Paracetamol is suitable for children aged two months or older, depending on what concentration of paracetamol you buy.

Babies and younger children (three months to six years old) can have a formulation containing 120mg per 5ml of liquid, while older children (6-12 years) can have a formulation that has 250mg per 5ml of liquid (e.g. Calpol SixPlus suspension).

Ibuprofen comes in a standardised 100mg per 5ml formulation, such as Calprofen or Nurofen For Children, which can be given to children aged three months or older and who weigh more than 5kg, with dosage depending on their age.

The NHS says that babies aged 3-5 months can have a maximum of 2.5ml of ibuprofen three times in 24 hours (3-4 times in 24 hours if they're aged 6-11 months).

For all other ages it's a maximum of three times in 24 hours at the following dosages: 1-3 years (5ml), 4-6 years (7.5ml), 7-9 years (10ml) and 10-11 years (15ml).

Whether you're giving your child paracetamol or ibuprofen, it's important to always check the label beforehand to make sure the medication and dose is suitable for them.

9 things every parent needs to know about chickenpox – what it is, how it's spread and how to treat it

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 frontrunner 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

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 November 2023.

Tips for buying cheap infant pain relief

• Expect higher prices at local stores. We found it's easier to get cheaper own-brand medicines in larger supermarkets. Smaller stores tend to stock expensive branded versions, so add pain relief to your big shop to save money.
• Scale up to save money. 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. 
• Check delivery prices before ordering online. Independent online pharmacies can be competitively priced on both branded and generic formulations compared to the high street, but make sure delivery costs don't cancel out any savings. 

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

For example, Parapaed Junior paracetamol suspension is £1.89 per 100ml bottle compared with £3.09 for a bottle of Calpol the same size, but they 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 2023.

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

In a nutshell, buying it in a bottle is the cheapest way to buy Calpol. Any other way means you'll be paying for the convenience factor.

Calpol's sugar-free sachets can cost you almost three times the price of a liquid bottle of the same formulation, and this works out even more if you have to discard a half-used 5ml sachet when administering a single 2.5ml dose to a baby aged 2-3 months.

Calpol SixPlus Fastmelts (available in packs of 12 for £3.95 or 24 for £7.59, Superdrug) may be ideal if your child needs pain relief and doesn't like swallowing a pill. However this convenience can be expensive, depending on their age.

It costs around 33p per dose of one 250mg tablet for children aged six to nine, double that (66p per dose of two tablets) for nine to 12-year-olds and even treble that for 12 to 16-year-olds (99p per dose of three tablets). 

However, you may find that the convenience is worth the extra cost, such as if you're after something pre-measured and fuss-free to take on a flight or to give to a child who won't take pain relief any other way.

Cold and flu medicine price rises – our guide to the cheapest options

Calpol Vapour Plug & Nightlight: how does it work?

If your child has a stuffy nose, you might want to experiment with the Calpol Vapour Plug & Nightlight – a plug-in device containing a blend of aromatic oils including menthol, camphor and eucalyptus, which is said to help ease breathing (suitable from three months).

We spotted the plug element and three refill pads for £5.89 in-store at B&M or £7.50 online at Tesco, and additional refill pads (to be replaced every eight hours) for £7 for a pack of five or £11 for 10, also from Tesco.

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

7 things you should never do to keep your baby warm this winter – expert advice on keeping your little one safely snug

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 and bust common myths about formula feeding

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 to 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.

Staggering them means your child can have some medication if needed every few hours to control symptoms. 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?

Don'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 (for example, at nursery or with grandparents). 

If you’re giving your child any other medicine at the same time, 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 the best baby monitors that aced our tough tests

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