When dealing with children it is inevitable that they will get sick. Sometimes it’s mild but other times it is more serious.
Often things like diarrhea, vomiting and fevers can cause concern in terms of fluid intake. It is when our kids need it the most that they may not even want to take that liquid they desperately need.
The purpose of this article is to empower you as a mother or maybe even a grandmother to learn about the signs of dehydration so you can feel confident next time a child gets sick.
Prevention is key!
Once your child is severely dehydrated things can look very different. Below are some signs that you can look out for, some things you can do in order to not have it escalate into dehydration and also some warning signs that you can look for to know when to take your child to the doctor.
What is it?
According to Mayoclinic “Dehydration occurs when you use or lose more fluid than you take in, and your body doesn’t have enough water and other fluids to carry out its normal functions. If you don’t replace lost fluids, you will get dehydrated.”
Simply put it is when your child has lost body fluid that their body cannot function properly. This happens when they have already lost too much fluid or does not drink enough to have the ability to maintain the proper balance.
Sometimes they cannot drink enough for that fluid balance to happen in the body and need IV fluids which requires a trip to the hospital.
The process itself can happen rapidly with babies and toddlers so it is that much more important to know their signs because they may lack the language to express themselves.
Symptoms
If your child is having any form of diarrhea, vomiting or a fever then they are more likely to become dehydrated so you would need to monitor them carefully. But mild dehydration can be managed at home in most cases.
Infant mild dehydration signs:
- Fewer tears (newborns do not have e tears until 1-3 months of age)
- Fewer than 6-7 diapers in a 24hr period
- Dry mouth
- Sunken soft spot on top of head
Toddlers/older kids dehydration signs:
- Urinating less that once every 8hrs
- Mild headache
- Irritability
- Darker urine
- Thirsty
Severe dehydration for all ages symptoms:
If you do take your child to the ER when you notice any of these symptoms know that it can be life saving.
They will most often run an IV and have them rest. Some doctors also run bloodwork to measure electrolytes or recommend different fever reducers or anti vomiting medications.
- Rapid breathing
- Dizziness or confusion
- Less than 6 wet diapers or no urine in 8 hrs for older kids
- Dry skin, lips and tongue
- Very sunken soft spot in infants
- Cold blotchy hands
- Sunken eyes
- Tearless crying (with infants after 3 months)
- Extreme lethargy with no ability to get out of bed
- Increased diarrhea/vomiting with other signs of dehydration present also
Natural Care
When thinking fluids during an illness for your child the best advice that was given to me was small and often.
Meaning offering small sips often.
It may seem like it’s not a good idea to offer fluids often to your child that is actively vomiting but there is a level of absorption that does happen so it’s important to keep trying.
When kids seem to not be very motivated to drink anything because they are sick, there are plenty of ways to get creative.
A special cup is something my smaller kiddos often know is going to be handed to them when they are down on our famous blue “sick couch.”
Infants under 6 months:
- Breast milk or formula of your choice often in small amounts.
- Can be given in a syringe into the corner of the cheek to avoid choking
- In a dropper much like the droppers from a tincture bottle
- Can be frozen and put into a teething cup like this one.
Children over 6 months:
The added benefit of kids over 6 months is that they have often started solids. If your baby is still on breast milk then use the above remedies to keep them hydrated. The remedies below are often a good addition to or for kiddos that are not breastfeeding.
- Make a DIY pedialyte (recipe below)
- Coconut water
- White organic grape juice
- Cucumber water, celery water
- Electrolyte powder mix
- Water rich fruits like watermelon, apples or grapes
- DIY popsicles with breast milk, coconut water, diy pedialyte, grape juice or smoothies
For fevers:
If your child is dealing with a fever then the body is using up a lot of resources to fight off the infection making them easily prone to being dehydrated.
If your child is older and can take a tea then some herbs you can use in a tea need to be cooling or ones that stimulate the body to release heat.
- Yarrow
- Catnip
- Spearmint
- Peppermint
For full article on fever cooling herbs and recipe click here.
For vomiting/diarrhea:
In your child is vomiting or has diarrhea then it’s that much more important to look at dehydration signs. A good thing for vomiting to have on hand is activated charcoal.
I usually give it right at the onset of the vomiting.
Doses of course vary according to a child’s age. Just make sure to get the activated charcoal and not your bbq charcoal from your backyard.
Another great thing to have is a probiotic specifically with the Saccharomyces boulardii strand which has been shown to reduce diarrhea and duration of vomiting
For diarrhea more than 3 days a visit to your doc is not a bad idea. If it does persist though it may mean a parasitic infection which I hope you find a Naturopathic Doctor for in your area to pinpoint which parasite you could be dealing with.
DIY pedialyte:
- 6 tsp (30ml) organic cane sugar
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) Himalayan salt
- 5 cups (40 oz) filtered water
- Mix it all ingredients well and serve
Final Thoughts
The main thing for you to really pay attention to is mild to severe dehydration signs.
The smaller your child is the harder it will be to communicate with them so you would have to be more observant.
The mild dehydration can most often be managed at home while severe dehydration needs medical attention.
Start with always taking a deep breath and going slow offering small sips as often as you can. There are plenty of ways to get creative with getting fluids down ranging from teas to smoothies to freezing breast milk.
Allow plenty of rest and monitor the child to see which way their illness is going.
If you need further help, do not hesitate to reach out! Visit the online wellness clinic to see if we can schedule a call.
God bless you and yours,
Krystina
