Never Use Household Spoons for Children’s Medicine Dosing: Why Accuracy Saves Lives
Every year, more than 10,000 calls are made to poison control centers in the U.S. alone because a child was given the wrong amount of liquid medicine. And in most of those cases, the mistake wasn’t caused by a pharmacy error or a doctor’s typo. It was caused by a teaspoon-the one sitting in your kitchen drawer.
You’ve probably done it. Your child has a fever. The doctor says, "Give 5 mL every six hours." You grab a spoon from the drawer, fill it to the brim, and think you’re doing fine. After all, a teaspoon is a teaspoon, right? Wrong. That spoon you’re using might hold 3 mL. Or 7 mL. Or even 9 mL. And that tiny difference? It could mean the difference between your child getting better and ending up in the ER.
Why Household Spoons Are Dangerous for Medicine
Not all teaspoons are created equal. A medical teaspoon is exactly 5 milliliters (mL). But your kitchen spoon? It varies. Studies show household teaspoons hold anywhere from 3 mL to 7 mL-up to 40% off from what’s supposed to be the standard. That means if your child needs 5 mL, and you use a spoon that holds 7 mL, you’re giving them almost 40% too much. If your spoon only holds 3 mL, they’re getting less than half the dose they need.
And it gets worse. Many parents confuse teaspoons with tablespoons. If you think you’re giving "one teaspoon" but grab a tablespoon instead? That’s three times the dose. A tablespoon holds 15 mL. If your child was supposed to get 5 mL, you just gave them 15 mL. That’s not a mistake. That’s a risk of overdose.
According to research published in Pediatrics, nearly 40% of parents mismeasure doses when using kitchen spoons. Over 41% make errors even when trying to follow the label. And it’s not because they’re careless. It’s because the system is set up to fail them.
The Science Behind the Numbers
Children aren’t small adults. Their bodies process medicine differently. Even small errors can cause serious side effects-vomiting, drowsiness, seizures, or organ damage. For antibiotics, underdosing means the infection doesn’t clear. That leads to longer illness, antibiotic resistance, and more doctor visits.
Oral syringes, the kind with clear milliliter markings, are the gold standard. They measure as precisely as 0.1 mL. That’s important because many pediatric doses aren’t neat numbers like 5 mL or 10 mL. They’re 3.5 mL, 2.2 mL, or 0.8 mL. You can’t measure those accurately with a cup or a spoon. But you can with a syringe.
A 2023 study in Frontiers in Public Health found that dosing cups-those plastic cups with lines at 5 mL, 10 mL, and 15 mL-are useless for anything between those marks. If your child needs 7 mL, you’re guessing. And guessing with medicine is never safe.
Labels That Confuse, Not Help
Here’s something most parents don’t realize: the way the label is written affects what you do. A 2016 study in Academic Pediatrics found that when labels said "give 5 tsp," 33% of parents said they’d use a kitchen spoon. But when the same label said "give 5 mL," fewer than 10% considered using a kitchen spoon. That’s a 23-point drop in dangerous behavior-just by changing the words.
Even the spelling matters. "Teaspoon" was worse than "tsp." People saw the full word and thought, "Oh, that’s a regular spoon." Abbreviations like "mL" feel more technical, so people pause. They look for the right tool.
That’s why the CDC, FDA, and American Academy of Pediatrics all push for milliliter-only labeling. No more "tsp," no more "tablespoon." Just mL. And if your child’s medicine still says "teaspoon," ask your pharmacist to clarify. Demand a syringe.
What You Should Use Instead
Forget the spoon. Here’s what actually works:
- Oral syringes - The most accurate tool. Especially for doses under 5 mL. They come in 1 mL, 3 mL, and 5 mL sizes. Look for one with clear, bold numbers. Always read the dose at eye level.
- Dosing cups - Only if they’re included with the medicine and marked in mL. Never use a random cup from your cabinet. And never guess between the lines.
- Droppers - Better than spoons, but less precise than syringes. Still useful if you don’t have a syringe handy.
Never use a kitchen spoon, a soup spoon, a coffee spoon, or a dessert spoon. They’re not tools. They’re decorations.
How to Give Medicine the Right Way
Follow these steps every single time:
- Read the label - Look for mL, not tsp or tbsp. If it says "teaspoon," ask your pharmacist what that means in mL.
- Use the right tool - Always use the syringe or cup that came with the medicine. If you lost it, go back to the pharmacy. They’ll give you a new one for free.
- Measure at eye level - Don’t hold the syringe up high. Don’t look down. Put it on a flat surface and look straight at the line. That’s how you avoid parallax errors.
- Don’t rush - Give the medicine slowly. Aim for the side of the mouth, between the cheek and tongue. Don’t squirt it straight to the back of the throat. That can cause choking.
- Write it down - If you’re giving medicine multiple times a day, keep a log. Note the time and dose. It helps you stay on track and prevents double-dosing.
What Pharmacies Are Doing to Help
Some pharmacies are finally catching on. Places like Aspirus now automatically include an oral syringe with every pediatric liquid prescription. They don’t wait for you to ask. They give it to you because they know most people won’t bring their own.
Pharmacists report that when families get the right tool and clear instructions, dosing errors drop by up to 20%. That’s huge. But not every pharmacy does this yet. Don’t assume you’ll get a syringe. Always ask.
And if your child’s medicine doesn’t come with a measuring tool? Go back. Say: "I need a syringe for this. I’m not using a kitchen spoon." You’re not being difficult. You’re being responsible.
Why This Still Happens-And How to Stop It
Despite decades of warnings, about 75% of American families still use kitchen spoons to measure medicine. Why? Because it’s easy. Because it’s what their parents did. Because they’ve never seen a syringe before.
It’s cultural. It’s habitual. And it’s deadly.
The CDC’s "Spoons Are for Soup" campaign isn’t just a slogan. It’s a call to action. If you wouldn’t use a spoon to measure oil for baking or detergent for laundry, why would you use it for medicine?
Start today. Throw out the idea that "a spoon is a spoon." Teach your partner, your babysitter, your grandma. Show them the syringe. Explain why it matters. This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being safe.
What to Do If You Made a Mistake
If you accidentally gave your child the wrong dose-whether too much or too little-don’t panic. Don’t wait. Call your doctor or poison control immediately. In Australia, call 13 11 26. In the U.S., call 1-800-222-1222.
Even if your child seems fine, get advice. Some side effects don’t show up right away. Better safe than sorry.
And after that? Make a plan. Get the right tools. Practice measuring water with the syringe. Make it routine. Make it normal.
Medicine isn’t guesswork. It’s science. And your child deserves science, not spoonfuls.