The dose helper
The dose helper works out an amount for some common children’s medicines from the child’s weight and age, the concentration on the bottle, and the cup or syringe that came with it. It works on a fresh install, with no account and no network.
Can I work out a child’s dose before setting anything up?
Not medical advice. This is a calculator, not a diagnosis: it states what the medication data says for the weight, age and concentration you entered. Check the product label and consult your clinician or pharmacist.
- On Today, tap Dose helper, or Answer a dose question first at the start of setup if nobody is set up yet; it needs no account and no network.
- Choose the medication, then enter the child’s weight and age.
- Choose the concentration printed on the bottle and, for a liquid, the cup or syringe you’re measuring with.
- Read the answer, and tap Save this child as a subject to keep the child for next time.
What it is, and what it isn’t
The answer always comes with this notice:
Not medical advice. This is a calculator, not a diagnosis: it states what the medication data says for the weight, age and concentration you entered. Check the product label and consult your clinician or pharmacist.
It also names where its data comes from and which version of its dosing data it used.
When it gives no number
Sometimes the helper can’t give an amount: the child is younger than the medicine is dosed for, the weight is outside its chart, or the daily limit has been reached. It then says why, what to do now, and what would change the answer. When the limit is the reason, it gives the next time a dose is allowed.
Check the weight’s unit
A weight in pounds entered as kilograms would more than double the dose. When a number could be either, the helper asks which you meant.
Keep the child for next time
After the answer, you can save the child, with the weight and age you entered, so their doses and reminders live in the app from then on. The dose helper is free, whatever your plan.