Amoxicillin Pediatric Dosage Calculator
Table of contents
What is amoxicillin, and what is it used for?How to use the amoxicillin pediatric dosage calculator?How to calculate amoxicillin dosage pediatric?Amoxicillin dosage charts by weightFAQsOur amoxicillin pediatric dosage calculator provides you with a recommended dose of amoxicillin for children, according to their age, weight, and chosen indication.
Anything more? Our pediatric amoxicillin dosage chart allows you to check whether your dosage follows the WHO & American recommendations regarding both the dosage range and the maximum dose possible. 💊
🙋 Remember: this tool cannot replace a real medical consultation, and shouldn't be used on its own to make clinical decisions.
We try our best to make our Omni Calculators as precise and reliable as possible. However, this tool can never replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All information on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to and should not serve as a substitute for medical consultation. Always seek the advice of a health provider.
What is amoxicillin, and what is it used for?
Amoxicillin is a type of antibiotic, a substance that kills bacteria or prohibits its further growth. It can be used in both in- and outpatients.
Amoxicilline is in use worldwide and nowadays is one of the most favored prescription drugs in the United States, and the most popular antibiotic.
💡 Amoxicillin is usually combined with clavulanic acid — a substance that enhances the bacteria-killing ability of this antibiotic. This way amoxicillin can be used for a wider range of pathogens.
Amoxicillin can treat a variety of bacterial infections: ear, throat, urinary system.
Pediatric amoxicillin dosing is based on weight; the drug itself is usually taken by mouth. 👄
How to use the amoxicillin pediatric dosage calculator?
Our amoxicillin ped dose calculator requires only a few pieces of information — in this section, we'll guide you through all of them step by step.
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Your child's Age
You can give it in months or years. This tool works only for children aged 1 month to 18 years. old 👶
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Your child's weight
Our amoxicillin dose calculator works on various weight units — find the one that best suits your needs.
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Enter the strength of amoxicillin
Our tool works mostly as an amoxicillin suspension pediatric dosage calculator; strength describes how much amoxicillin can be found in a given volume of suspension an antibiotic. The higher the value, the more substance can be found within 1 ml of the solution. You can choose between the following strengths:
- 125 mg / 5 mL
- 250 mg / 5 mL
- 200 mg / 5 mL
- 400 mg / 5 mL
For example, amoxicillin 400mg 5ml dosage for a child means that there's 80 mg of amoxicillin in every milliliter of solution.
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Choose the indication:
- General dosing — for most benign bacterial infections
- Strep A dosing — for infections caused by a specific type of bacteria: Strep A
- Endocarditis prophylaxis — is used, for example, in the dentist's office 60 min before the procedure. You need it for people with immunodeficiencies, artificial heart valves, or other important comorbidities.
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Choose the route
Although you usually take amoxicillin by mouth (oral, PO), it is also possible to administer it intravenously (IV).
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You may also use the Check your dosage field below to ensure that everything's ok.
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Your results and recommendations are here! 🎉
We used recommendations taken from and .
Are you happy with your results? Try our other pediatrics tools:
How to calculate amoxicillin dosage pediatric?
Amoxicillin dosage for kids is generally based on their weight. To compute the amoxicillin syrup dose for a child, you'll also need to know the amoxicillin solution strength and a given indication.
To obtain the number of mg needed
Use our charts presented below. If the dosage is given as per kg per dose, multiply your child's weight in kilograms (kg) by the recommended amount of amoxicillin.
If the dosage unit is per kg per day, you need to multiply your child's weight by the number of mg of substance and then divide it by the number of doses per day.
To obtain the number of mL needed
Calculated the strength value per 1 ml: divide the milligrams by the number of the mL: 400 mg / 5 mL = 80 mg / 1 mL
Divide the number of mg calculated in the previous step by the calculated strength per 1 mL.
For example, for a child of 10 kg, and the strength of the solution equal to 125 mg/5 mL:
Recommended general dosing: 15 mg/kg/dose => 15 × 10 kg = 150 mg of amoxicillin per dose.
Recalculated strength: 125 mg/ 5 mL = 25 mg/ 1 mL 150 mg/ 25 mg = 6 mL needed.
Amoxicillin dosage for infants over one month is the same as for older children.
Amoxicillin dosage charts by weight
General dosing
Oral (PO) route
- Maximum dose: 500 mg/dose
- Daily maximum dose: 4 g/day
Amoxicillin dosage by weight: 15-30 mg/kg/dose
This indication requires 3 doses, taken every 8 hours.
Intravenous (IV) route
- Maximum dose: 1 mg/dose
- Daily maximum dose: 4 g/day
Amoxicillin dosage by weight: 30-60 mg/kg/dose
This indication requires 3 doses per day, taken every 8 hours.
Strep A dosing
Weight | Dosing |
|---|---|
<15 kg (<33 lb) | 50 mg/kg/dose |
15-29 kg (33-64 lb) | 750 mg/dose |
>30 kg (>66 lb) | 1000 mg/dose |
❗ Be cautious — dosing for children over 15 kg is per dose, not per kilogram per dose. You don't have to multiply it by your child's weight.
This indication requires 1 dose per day, taken for 10 days.
Endocarditis prophylaxis
Amoxicillin dosage by weight: 50 mg/kg/dose
1 dose, administered 30-60 minutes before the procedure.
Maximum per dose: 2 g
How to calculate amoxicillin dose for a 22 lb child?
To calculate the amoxicillin dose for a 22 lb child:
- You need to know the child's age, as the dosage varies with age.
- Find the proper indication for amoxicillin — 'plain' bacterial infection, streptococcal pharyngitis, or endocarditis prophylaxis.
- In most cases, the amount of antibiotics needed is determined by the child's weight. Multiply the dose by the weight.
- What you'll get is the dose for the whole day. Don't forget to divide it into 2 or 3 doses (every 12 or 8 hours, respectively).
How to get a child to take amoxicillin?
To get a child to take amoxicillin:
- Choose a suitable form of the drug — syrup, pills, or chewable tablets. Ask your child which they'd prefer.
- Choose the flavored version of the medicament if available.
- Explain to the child why medication helps, how long the treatment will last, and how many times a day they should take it.
- Mix the drug with food they like. Very often, a little bit of yogurt, fruit, or juice can do wonders.
- Reward your child after they take the medication.
What is the maximum dose of amoxicillin in pediatrics?
A maximum daily dose of amoxicillin is 4 g per day. If taken per os (oral route), one maximum dose is 500 mg per dose. The maximum dose is 1 g per dose when using an intravenous route. For infective endocarditis prophylaxis, you use only one dose — it can be a maximum of 2 g.
Can a child overdose on amoxicillin?
Amoxicillin overdose in children is not likely, but technically possible. Symptoms of an overdose include nausea & vomiting and diarrhea & belly pain. More severe cases can end up in convulsions and renal failure. The treatment for amoxicillin overdose is hemodialysis.