Parents have long advocated the use of Calpol for children. For the uninitiated Calpol is simply liquid paracetamol cunningly disguised as a yummy strawberry goo! Pink medmed, as it is known in our house, is a great panacea for irritable and uncomfortable children (used always in moderation) and junior knows what to ask for when he's feeling a bit off.

Sometimes, though, paracetamol just won't cut it and you need something a bit stronger. As the child gets older there are more options open to you and one option is the ability to introduce ibuprofen as a medicine. Ibuprofen is particularly good as reducing fever and inflammation and so is particularly good for aches (including headache) and teething. The symptoms of normally untreatable colds also seem to respond to it's use and although it won't stop a runny nose it does seem to lessen the associated discomfort and aches.

Calprofen is the trade name that the makers of Calpol have given to their liquid ibuprofen. Again the syrup is a sickly sweet strawberry flavour, but this time rather than a bright pink colour, Calprofen is a clear sticky liquid.

The taste of Calprofen is not quite as sweet and sickly as Calpol but it's still paletable and tolerated by my little one. It's a sugar-free preparation but does contain sweeteners and so those who are intolerant of such things need to be careful.

I've found that Calprofen is quick acting and, generally, within about 15-20 minutes some relief can be seen.

Dosage is clearly stated on the box, bottle and leaflet that comes in the box and a measuring spoon is provided. Like all medicines, care should be taken that the right dose is given.

Calprofen comes in a dark glass bottle with a child-proof lid. The lid is relatively easy to remove once you get the knack. The dosage spoon that is provided is lipped meaning that although it's hard to spill the medicine from the spoon and easy to measure the correct dose it's actually quite hard to get junior to take all of the medicine off the spoon.

If you spill any of the medicine, especially down the sides of the bottle, do wipe it up as it will go very very sticky very quickly.

Calprofen is a great alternative to Calpol and particularly useful when you need something a little bit stronger or with an anti-inflammatory action. Guaranteed it won't be as popular as "pink medmed" but it does the trick!