WhenDose
Watch the video
Coming soon to Android, we hope
Know when the next dose is allowed.
A free app for New Zealand parents, to keep track of the paracetamol and ibuprofen you give your children.
Was the last dose at ten or eleven? Did someone already give them something?
When your child is sick, the nights are long and the doses blur together. WhenDose keeps the record for you: what was given, how much, when, and by whom. It shows when each medicine is next allowed under the usual limits, and can remind you then.
WhenDose never works out how much to give. You enter the dose from the label for your child's weight, or the one your doctor or pharmacist gave you.
When they're sick, it's hard to keep track
Two medicines with different gaps between doses, two parents taking turns, and not much sleep. WhenDose remembers, so you don't have to.
The video plays from YouTube when you press play. Watch it on YouTube, or see the Short. Music: an original piano piece, played on Salamander Grand Piano by Alexander Holm (CC BY 3.0).
How it works
1
See everyone at a glance
Each child has a card for each medicine: allowed now, or not yet and from what time. You can see the last dose, how long ago it was, and who gave it.
2
Record a dose in a few taps
Choose the child and the medicine, then enter the amount you're giving. WhenDose shows what that is in milligrams, and you check it before it's recorded.
Paracetamol and ibuprofen liquids are listed, including Pamol, Nurofen for Children and Fenpaed. You can add your own medicines too.
3
A check before every dose
If it's too soon, too many doses in 24 hours, or more than the most for one dose, WhenDose tells you, and when the next dose will be allowed. If a dose has already been given, you can still record it, so the record stays true.
If you add your child's weight, it also warns you when an amount looks high for it, to catch slips like 25 mL for 2.5 mL.
4
A reminder when the next dose is allowed
After each dose, choose a reminder. It tells you the medicine is allowed again. It never tells you to give it: that's still your call.
5
Share it with the other parent
Link two phones with a QR code, and you both see every dose, who gave it and when. Your records are locked on your phone before they're sent, with a key only your phones have.
6
A summary for your GP
Note temperatures and symptoms as you go. Then share, copy or print a short summary of recent doses for a GP visit or a call to Healthline. Only what you choose to share leaves your phone.
What WhenDose doesn't do
It's a careful record, and a check against the usual limits. It isn't medical advice.
It never works out the dose
Always give the dose on the label for your child's weight, or the one your doctor or pharmacist gave you.
It doesn't diagnose
If you're worried about your child, call Healthline on 0800 611 116, free, any time. In an emergency, call 111.
It doesn't replace your pharmacist
Not sure whether to give another dose? Ask your pharmacist or doctor, or call Healthline. You can still record any dose you give.
Where the limits come from
The limits WhenDose checks against come from published New Zealand sources, and the app shows where each one comes from.
- NZ Formulary for Children
- Medsafe data sheets
- The medicines' own labels
- KidsHealth NZ
- bpacnz
None of these organisations has reviewed or endorsed WhenDose.
Private by design
- No account, no ads, no analytics.
- Your records stay on your phone, unless you link a second phone.
- Linked phones share records locked with a key only your phones have. Our server passes them on, but can't read them.
- Android's own backup is turned off for WhenDose. A backup file is only made when you choose to save one.
Questions
Is it free?
Yes. No ads and nothing to buy. It's made by Fraser Adams, a dad in New Zealand, in his own time.
Does it tell me how much to give?
No, never. You enter the amount from the label for your child's weight, or the dose your doctor or pharmacist gave you. WhenDose checks it against the usual limits: how long since the last dose, how many doses and how much in the last 24 hours, and the most for one dose.
Which medicines does it work with?
Its limits cover paracetamol and ibuprofen, including combination products, which count towards each medicine they contain. The usual children's liquids are listed, and you can add your own. You can record other medicines too; for those it keeps the record, but has no limits, so follow the label.
Two of us look after the kids. Can we both use it?
Yes. Link your phones once with a QR code, and each phone sees every dose the other records, with who gave it. Reminders on both phones follow the latest dose.
Is my children's information private?
Yes. There's no account, and everything stays on your phone unless you link a second phone. Linked phones lock the records before sending them, with a key that only your phones have; our server can't read them. The privacy policy has the details.
Has it been checked by a doctor or pharmacist?
Not yet. Every limit comes from a published New Zealand source, and the app shows which. They haven't yet been reviewed by a pharmacist or doctor. The app's timing is tested automatically on well over a million worked examples, and on real Android phones.
When will it be ready?
We hope early in 2027. It will be tested by families first, and we'll share news here as it gets closer.
Is there an iPhone version?
Not yet. Android comes first. An iPhone version is possible later, if there's enough interest.