Which painkiller would you recommend for our family medicine cabinet? I have two children, aged five and ten, and an elderly mum.

Well, anything containing aspirin is absolutely banned for children these days because it can occasionally give them a really serious illness called Reye's syndrome. There's a lot to be said for paracetamol in one of its various forms tablets for adults and syrup for young children. However, you mustn't exceed the dose stated on the container. In the case of adults, more than eight tablets a day can cause serious liver damage.