Dehydration

From Mommyplace.com WiKI Page

Recognizing dehydration in a baby or toddler

1) Crying but not producing tears

2) Eyes appear sunken into the head

3) Lips and tongue are dry

4) Baby refuses to drink anything

How to prevent dehydration When my son had rotavirus he literally gave up eating and drinking because he was so ill. Here are tips our Pediatrician and ER doctors provided to us:

1)Try to get baby/toddler to drink Pedialyte in a bottle

2)If baby/toddler will not drink Pedialyte on it’s own, purchase the plain/clear Pedialtye (not the flavored kind), and melt a popsicle into it. See if baby will drink this mixture in a bottle.

3)If baby/toddler will not drink anything from a bottle, get a 5 mL or 10 mL dropper from your nearest grocery store or pharmacy…they should provide these free of charge. Create the mixture in #2 above and use a dropper to administer the mixture. Go very slowly. Start with 1mL at a time and do it every 5-10 mins. Only increase the amount of mL if Baby does not vomit or have diarrhea.

4)If baby/toddler does not keep this mixture down or refuses the dropper, call your pediatrician. Your baby might need to be admitted to the hospital for IV fluids.

5) For toddlers, you can also try Gatorade. Check with your Pediatrician on the exact age you can give a toddler Gatorade if they have a stomach virus.

6) Do not give babies or toddlers Ginger Ale. Apparently most marketplace Ginger Ales do not contain natural ginger which is what soothes a sour stomach. Rather, most marketplace brands contain ginger sweetner. Also, the carbonation in the Ginger Ale might cause your baby/toddler more discomfort.

7) Follow the BRAT diet for toddler who have stomach virus and have kept in/down gatorade or Pedialyte for more than 4-5 hours. BRAT = banana, rice, applesauce and toast