Sick child: how to avoid missed or double doses when several people are caring for them

A sick child, a course of medicine lasting several days, and several adults around them: both parents, a grandparent, the nanny, sometimes the nursery. Everyone does their best, but nobody has the full picture. And then, every evening, comes the question every parent knows: "Did you give them their medicine?"

A missed dose makes the treatment less effective. A double dose is a real risk. Here are six simple habits so that everyone knows, at any moment, where the treatment stands.

1. Write down every dose, straight away

Memory is the first trap: "I think I gave it at lunchtime." Write down every dose the moment you give it: the time, the medicine and the amount. Not after the bath, not after dinner: right away.

2. One place to write it down, for everyone

A note on the fridge, a message in a family group chat, a note on one person's phone, a notebook at the nanny's: when information is scattered, nobody has all of it. Choose one single place, known and accessible to everyone who looks after the child.

3. Plan the next dose, not just the last one

Knowing when the last dose was given is not enough: you need to know when to give the next one, respecting the interval set by the doctor or pharmacist. Write it next to the last dose, so the person taking over doesn't have to work it out.

4. Hand over out loud

When you leave the child with someone else (the nanny in the morning, your partner in the evening), take thirty seconds to go over it: what was given, at what time, what is still to come. This is often exactly when mistakes slip in.

5. Note the date the bottle was opened

Many syrups, children's antibiotics and eye drops only keep for a few days or weeks once opened. Write the opening date on the box, and check the leaflet or ask your pharmacist how long it keeps.

6. If in doubt, don't give it again "just in case"

If nobody knows whether the dose was given, don't give it again as a precaution. Call your doctor or pharmacist to find out what to do. If you are worried that a child has had too much, contact a poison control centre or the emergency services straight away.