Tylenol Child Dosage Chart: Weight-Based Acetaminophen Dosing for Parents

By Kurt Hansen, MD · Emergency Physician

The drug label on children's acetaminophen (Tylenol) groups kids into a few wide age bands, and those bands cover an enormous range of body weights. A 24-month-old at the bottom of the "2–3 years" band can weigh half as much as a 3-year-old at the top — yet the label recommends the same dose for both. That is why emergency physicians dose by weight, not by age: a weight-based dose follows your child's actual body size and reduces the chance of under- or over-dosing.

The calculator below uses the standard 15 mg/kg pediatric acetaminophen dose (maximum 650 mg per single dose, no more than 5 doses in 24 hours, and at least 4–6 hours between doses). Enter your child's weight, confirm the formulation you have at home, and the calculator returns the exact mL or tablet count for the bottle in front of you.

Calculate your child's acetaminophen dose

How Perfect Dose calculates doses — FAQ

Looking for the same chart under the generic name? See our Acetaminophen Dosage for Children.

About the Author

Kurt Hansen, MD, is an Emergency Physician and the founder of Perfect Dose App. He has counseled thousands of parents on pediatric medication dosing during more than a decade of emergency medicine practice.