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Background Inappropriate medication use for children by caregivers such as mothers and nursery staff has been reported in Japan. The pharmacists have the responsibility to support adequate medication administration and should consult effectively. However, it is not clear how much pharmacists are aware of the knowledge of medication use by caregivers. This study aimed to examine the knowledge related to administering medication for children among mothers and nursery staff and to evaluate the awareness of that understanding among pharmacists. Methods Three online surveys involving 600 mothers living with nursery school children, 558 nursery staff at nursery schools, and 584 pharmacists in Japan were conducted separately (Cross-sectional data, in 2019/2021). Ten statements about the knowledge related to administering medication for children such as “You could give the medicine that has been prescribed before if similar symptoms are shown”, “You should give children the medicine using favorite beverages such as milk and juice, regardless of the kind of medicine” were shown and measured using a 5-point Likert scale. The answer: “disagree”, was considered as correct understanding. The pharmacists were asked how much they think mothers/nursery staff answered correctly using a 5-point Likert scale. Results The proportion of correct answers for ten statements by mothers and nursery staff were 35.8%-76.0% and 43.0%-69.9%, respectively. Most answers from pharmacists were in the category range of 40%-59%. Only 11.5%-33.0% of pharmacists chose the correct category in each of ten items with mothers' answers and 24.0%-83.4% of them had lower awareness. Conclusions Overall, the pharmacists were less likely to be aware of the mothers'/nursery staff members' knowledge related to administering medication. The pharmacists need to instruct mothers to administer medication after confirming their understanding at the pharmacy. Key messages The awareness of knowledge related to administering medication for children by mothers and nursery staff among pharmacists was lower than the answers. The pharmacists need to instruct mothers to administer medication at the pharmacy after confirming their understanding of medication use.