Pedemy All toolsTap your child’s age, then the medicine you have. You’ll see the label dose and how often to give it.
This tool shows how much children’s Zyrtec (cetirizine), Claritin (loratadine) and Benadryl (diphenhydramine) to give by age, using the doses on the products’ drug facts labels.
Allergy medicine labels give doses by age, not weight. For ages 2 to 5, children’s Zyrtec is 2.5 mL once a day (up to 5 mL in 24 hours) and children’s Claritin is 5 mL once a day. For ages 6 and up, Zyrtec is 5 to 10 mL once a day and Claritin is 10 mL once a day. Under 2 years, ask a doctor.
The AAP says not to give Benadryl to children younger than 6 unless your pediatrician advises it, and that newer antihistamines are generally a safer choice for routine allergy symptoms.
The children’s Zyrtec label (5 mg per 5 mL) says 2.5 mL once a day for ages 2 to 5. If needed, up to 5 mL once a day or 2.5 mL every 12 hours, but no more than 5 mL in 24 hours.
The AAP says do not give diphenhydramine (Benadryl) to children younger than 6 years unless your pediatrician advises you to. The label says do not use under 2.
For children under 2, the Zyrtec and Claritin labels say to ask a doctor, and the Benadryl label says do not use.
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