On Monday a new little boy starts in your pre-kindy room. His ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis is already stuck up in the kitchen. His EpiPen Jr is zipped into the medication bag. Then, over a quick cuppa in the staff room, a colleague mentions her last centre used Anapen. And that’s it. Now the whole Anapen vs EpiPen thing is sitting in your stomach like a stone. Which one would you grab? Are the steps even the same?
Here’s the reassuring part, and honestly it’s the bit nobody tells you at orientation. In childcare, you don’t pick between devices. You use the one on the child’s Action Plan. ASCIA’s guidance also says that if the prescribed device isn’t available, any available adrenaline device should still be given. So your job isn’t a choice. Your job is to recognise each device the second you see it, and know its steps without having to stop and think.
That’s what this guide is for. We’ll walk through how Anapen and EpiPen differ, why you’ll rarely see an Anapen in a childcare room in 2026, what the newer Jext and neffy devices mean for your centre, and how hands-on practice turns “I think I know” into “I’ve done this.”
Should You Use an Anapen or EpiPen?
You don’t choose between an Anapen and an EpiPen. You use the adrenaline device prescribed on the person’s ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis, because each brand is used differently. If the prescribed device isn’t available, ASCIA advises giving any available adrenaline device using the dosing guide.
- Both are injected into the outer mid-thigh. EpiPen has 3 steps and Anapen has 4.
- EpiPen Jr (150 mcg) is for children weighing 7.5 to 20 kg. EpiPen (300 mcg) is for those over 20 kg.
- Anapen now comes only as Anapen 500, for people over 50 kg, and it's currently out of stock in Australia.
- In childcare, you're most likely to see EpiPen Jr. Jext Jnr and the neffy nasal spray (for children aged 4 and over) are newer options.
⚠️ Important: Adrenaline device availability in Australia changed in 2026. We check this page against ASCIA guidance regularly.
Anapen vs EpiPen: How the Two Devices Differ
Because each brand is used differently, it helps to see them side by side. This is where a lot of educators get caught out. The devices look pretty similar sitting in a medication bag, but they’re not used the same way, so knowing one doesn’t mean you know the other. I’ve watched confident educators pick up an Anapen trainer for the first time and go straight for the wrong end, purely out of EpiPen habit.
What’s the Same
- Both contain adrenaline and deliver a single dose.
- Both are injected into the outer mid-thigh.
- Both are held in place for 3 seconds.
That last one surprises people. Anapen used to be held for 10 seconds, but the TGA approved the shorter 3 second hold in September 2022. If someone in your centre is still counting to 10, they learned it on the old rule.
How to Give an EpiPen (3 Steps)
Step 1. Form a fist around the EpiPen and pull off the blue safety release.
Step 2. Hold the leg still and place the orange end against the outer mid-thigh, with or without clothing.
Step 3. Push down hard until a click is heard or felt, and hold in place for 3 seconds. Remove the EpiPen.
How to Give an Anapen (4 Steps)
Step 1. Pull off the black needle shield.
Step 2. Pull off the grey safety cap from the red button.
Step 3. Place the needle end firmly against the outer mid-thigh at a 90 degree angle, with or without clothing.
Step 4. Press the red button so it clicks, and hold for 3 seconds. Remove the Anapen.
See the difference? With an EpiPen, you push the device into the thigh to fire it. With an Anapen, you press a button. Under pressure, that’s exactly the sort of thing your hands get wrong if they’ve never done it.
After Use: Why the Anapen Needle Needs Care
Once an Anapen has been used, the needle is left exposed. So set it aside and don’t touch the needle. Once the ambulance is called, put the needle into the wide end of the black needle shield, or place the whole device in a container.
In a room full of toddlers, “set it aside” needs a plan. Little hands grab everything. Put it somewhere up high and out of reach straight away, like the top of the bench or the medication cupboard, not on the floor beside you.
EpiPen | Anapen | |
Steps | 3 | 4 |
How it activates | Push the orange end into the thigh until it clicks | Press the red button |
Hold time | 3 seconds | 3 seconds (reduced from 10 in September 2022) |
Needle after use | Covered once removed | Exposed, needs careful handling |
Doses available | EpiPen Jr 150 mcg, EpiPen 300 mcg | Anapen 500 only |
Current availability | Available | Out of stock in Australia |
Why You’ll Rarely See an Anapen in Childcare in 2026
Knowing the Anapen steps still matters, but in a childcare room in 2026, you’re unlikely to see one. The range has shrunk a lot, and most of what’s left isn’t made for little kids.
The Child-Sized Anapens Are Gone
Anapen Junior 150 and Anapen 300 are no longer available in Australia. Those were the two versions that suited the children in your room. So if a family enrols a toddler with a new prescription, it won’t be an Anapen.
Anapen 500 Is for Older Children and Adults, and It’s Out of Stock
The only Anapen left is the Anapen 500. ASCIA recommends it for adults or children over 50kg, which usually means over 12 years. And right now, it’s out of stock in Australia too. So the Anapen shortage isn’t something pre-kindy educators need to lose sleep over.
When You Might Still See One
That said, never say never. An Anapen could still turn up in:
- OSHC or vacation care, where you're looking after older children.
- A family with an older Anapen that hasn't expired yet.
My advice? Don’t assume anything based on what you saw at your last centre. Check the child’s Action Plan, check the device in the bag matches it, and check the expiry date. Every time.
Date | What changed |
2003 | EpiPen listed on the PBS |
1 Sep 2021 | Anapen listed on the PBS |
Sep 2022 | TGA approves the 3 second Anapen hold (previously 10 seconds) |
2025 to 2026 | Anapen Jr 150 and 300 discontinued; Anapen 500 out of stock |
1 Jun 2026 | Jext and Jext Jnr listed on the PBS |
1 Jul 2026 | neffy 1mg and 2mg listed on the PBS |
educator practising Anapen vs EpiPen technique on the outer thigh with a trainer device
The New Devices Arriving in Centres: Jext and neffy
What you’re more likely to see in coming enrolments are two newer devices. The plan is still the plan. There’s just more variety now.
Jext and Jext Jnr
Jext and Jext Jnr were PBS-listed from 1 June 2026, so expect to start seeing them alongside EpiPen Jr as new children enrol. Jext is another adrenaline injector, but like Anapen, it’s its own brand with its own steps. Don’t assume your EpiPen muscle memory will carry you through.
neffy Adrenaline Nasal Spray
This is the big one. neffy is an adrenaline nasal spray, and neffy 2mg and 1mg were PBS-listed from 1 July 2026. No needle at all.
- For children 15 to 20kg, the options are EpiPen Jr, Jext Jnr or neffy 1mg.
- neffy requires the child to be 4 or older.
- If a second dose is needed after 5 minutes, give a new neffy (ideally in the same nostril) or use an injector such as an EpiPen.
So in a pre-kindy room you might see it with some of your older children, but not the little ones.
What This Means for Your Room
Your medical conditions policy, your risk minimisation plans and the way your staff actually practise should reflect the devices that are enrolled at your service right now. Not what the last centre used. If a child with a Jext or neffy starts next term, that’s the device your team needs to be confident with before day one.
💡 Good to know: Seeing a nasal spray on a child's plan for the first time? It's an approved adrenaline device. Follow the plan exactly as you would an injector.
Which Device Does Each Child Use? Reading the ASCIA Action Plan
With more devices around, the child’s Action Plan is your single source of truth. If it’s on the plan, that’s the device and that’s the dose.
Device and Dose by Weight
The adrenaline dose is worked out by weight. Here’s how ASCIA’s dosing guide lines it up:
Child’s weight | Device options |
7.5 to 15kg | EpiPen Jr 150 mcg, Jext Jnr 150 mcg |
15 to 20kg | EpiPen Jr 150 mcg, Jext Jnr 150 mcg, neffy 1mg (must be 4 years and over) |
20 to 30kg | EpiPen 300 mcg, Jext 300 mcg, neffy 1mg (must be 4 years and over) |
30kg and over | EpiPen 300 mcg, Jext 300 mcg, neffy 2mg |
50kg and over | Anapen 500 mcg, EpiPen 300 mcg, Jext 300 mcg, neffy 2mg |
adrenaline device and dose by child weight from the ASCIA dosing guide
The Plan Names the Device, So Check It at Enrolment
The best time to get this right is the day the child enrols, not the day something happens. When a new Action Plan comes in, run through this quick check:
- Device brand: Does the device in the bag match the plan?
- Dose: Is it the right strength for the child?
- Expiry: When does it run out?
- Location: Where is it kept, and does every educator know?
- Spare: If the family supplied a second one, where is it?
Children Grow Out of EpiPen Jr
This one sneaks up on people. EpiPen Jr is for children 7.5 to 20kg, which is about 1 to 5 years. EpiPen is for children over 20kg, so over 5 years. A plan written when a child was two might not suit them at four and a half. Gently remind families to get an updated plan as their child grows.
📋 Free room poster: Get the "Adrenaline Devices at a Glance" room poster. Every current device, the steps as ASCIA presents them, weight bands and a QR code to ASCIA's official instructions.
What to Do If the Device in the Bag Isn’t the One on the Plan
Plans are clear on paper. Real days aren’t always that tidy. Maybe the child’s own device is at home, maybe it’s expired, maybe the one you can reach is a different brand. In that moment, please don’t freeze trying to work out whether you’re “allowed” to use it.
If the prescribed brand or dose isn’t available, still give any available adrenaline device using the dosing guide. A different brand given now is better than the right brand that isn’t there.
Some centres also keep a general use injector. That’s an addition to the child’s prescribed injectors, not a replacement for them, and it’s stored with the ASCIA First Aid Plan.
Once the adrenaline is in, hold young children flat, not upright, and keep them in that position until they’re fully recovered. It’s tempting to scoop a frightened little one up for a cuddle, but flat is safer. If there’s no response after 5 minutes, further adrenaline may be given. When the ambulance crew arrives, hand them the used device along with the time it was given.
🙋 Ready to practise? Not sure you'd remember the steps under pressure? A hands-on session fixes that.
Practice Every Device Before It’s Real
Reading the steps is one thing. Doing them with a crying three-year-old in front of you takes practice. Your heart’s going, the room’s loud, and your hands just do whatever they’ve done before.
Why Hands-On Practice Matters
A Royal Children’s Hospital study looked at 100 participants who were new to both devices, comparing how easy each one was to use and how well people remembered the steps. Even ASCIA says its e-training should always be completed alongside practice with trainer devices. Watching a video is a start. Feeling the click under your own hand is what sticks.
ACECQA-Approved Anaphylaxis Training
Our anaphylaxis training gets you hands-on with EpiPen and Anapen trainer devices, using child scenarios that actually look like your room. No lecturing, no judgement, just practice until it feels natural.
On-Site Training for Your Whole Centre
If you’re a director, you already know the hard part isn’t the course. It’s getting everyone trained without wrecking your ratios. That’s why we come to you, before opening, after close or on a staff development day.
on-site anaphylaxis training for childcare staff at an early learning centre
Calm Hands Come From Practice, Not Luck
Think back to that new little boy starting in your pre-kindy room on Monday. His Action Plan on the kitchen wall, his EpiPen Jr in the medication bag, and that knot in your stomach after your colleague mentioned Anapen. By now, I hope that knot has loosened a bit. You don’t have to choose between devices. You just have to know the one in front of you.
The device market changed a lot this year. The child-sized Anapens are gone, Anapen 500 is out of stock, and Jext and neffy are starting to show up in new enrolments. But one thing hasn’t moved at all: the child’s ASCIA Action Plan tells you exactly what to use and how much. And if the right device isn’t there, any available adrenaline device should still be given.
So here’s what I’d do this week. Walk around your room and check the device on each child’s Action Plan against what’s actually in the bag, including the expiry date. Then grab the “Adrenaline Devices at a Glance” poster for your staff room, so the steps are right there when someone needs a quick refresher. Small habits like these are what turn a scary morning into a handled one.
After that, book a hands-on session so the steps become second nature. Reading this guide was a good start, but your hands need to feel the difference too. And if you’d rather your whole team learn together, we can train on-site at your centre, so nobody has to leave the room short-staffed.
At the end of the day, the Anapen vs EpiPen question matters less than whether you’d act fast and act right. You don’t need to have every device memorised today. You need to have practised it once with someone beside you.
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