? about Benadryl dosage

We just got back from peds office. both girls are sick The doctor said we could give them Benadryl at night before bed to help them with the cough and to get a better nights rest (although I've heard it could have the opposite effect). However, we forgot to ask the doctor how much of a dose to give them. The bottle says under 6 yrs to consult a doctor. We tried to call our Peds office but they are closed and I don't think it would be appropriate to call the emergency number for this. We figured a 1/2 teaspoon but we're not sure. Anyone ever give it to babies around 13 months and if so, how much? TIA!!!!!!!

 

At that age I gave my kids 1/2 the 6 year old dose. The dosages are all based on weight, and I think they show 6 years old as around 45 lbs. Mine were over 20 lbs at 1 year, so that worked for us.

 

The same thing happened to me -- my doc said we could use Children's Benadryl, but I didn't notice until I got home that the dosage was only for ages 6-up.

The Dr. Sears website has a dosage chart based on weight: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/T088800.asp

For 17-21 lbs. the dose for that is 3/4 teaspoon, which is where my girls were around that age.

HTH and good luck!