What is dehydration?

If your child's dehydrated, it means that he doesn't have as much fluid in his body as he needs. Children are more prone to dehydration than adults, and it can happen if your child takes in less fluid than he loses through vomiting, diarrhea, fever, or sweating. Dehydration can be mild and easily corrected, moderate, or severe and life threatening.

How can I tell if my child is dehydrated?

Any of these signs could indicate that your child is dehydrated or is becoming dehydrated:

  • More than six hours without urinating
  • Dark yellow, strong-smelling urine
  • Lethargy
  • A dry, parched mouth and lips
  • No tears while crying

These signs indicate that your child may be seriously dehydrated:

  • Sunken eyes
  • Hands and feet that feel cold and look splotchy
  • Lightheadedness, dizziness, or delirium
  • Excessive sleepiness or fussiness

What should I do if my child shows signs of dehydration?

Young children can quickly become dangerously dehydrated, so if you think your child shows signs of serious dehydration, take her to the emergency room immediately. She may need to receive liquids through an intravenous (IV) tube until she's rehydrated.

Otherwise, give her doctor a call for advice. He may want to see your child to make sure she's okay. If he decides that she's mildly dehydrated, he may instruct you to give her a special liquid to replenish the water and salts (electrolytes) that her body has lost.

Electrolyte liquids are available in most pharmacies. Pedialyte, Infalyte, and ReVital are some of the name-brand products. (Ask your pharmacist about generic brands, too.) Don't substitute sports drinks such as Gatorade. Although they do contain electrolytes, sports drinks have a higher concentration of sugar than the electrolyte liquids that are specifically made to help rehydrate children.

Your child's doctor can give you exact directions for using electrolyte liquids, based on your child's age and weight, but a general guideline for the amount of total solution she should ingest over the course of three or four hours is about 5 teaspoons (25 mL or cc) per pound of your child's weight. So, for example, if your child weighs 30 pounds, this would equal 150 teaspoons (750 mL or cc), or about 3 cups.

Not all kids appreciate the taste of electrolyte liquids, so if your child refuses to drink them, increase the amount of the liquids he normally drinks and ask your doctor about alternatives. Ice pops and ice chips may be an appealing way to help rehydrate kids who are old enough to eat them.

How can I prevent dehydration?

Make sure your child drinks plenty of fluids, especially on very hot days and when he's ill. Offer him water frequently.

Don't give your child carbonated soda drinks, though, as they're terrible for his teeth and health. If he drinks juice, don't increase the amount of juice he drinks in a day, but you might try diluting it with water. So if he's drinking 3 or 4 ounces of juice a day, for example, you could dilute this to 6 or 8 ounces of liquid. If he drinks 6 ounces of juice in a day, you could dilute it to make 12 ounces of liquid. (The American Academy of Pediatrics [AAP] recommends limiting your child's juice intake to 4 to 6 ounces per day until age 7. For children 7 and older, the AAP recommends limiting juice intake to 8 to 12 ounces per day.)

Be especially alert to symptoms of dehydration under these circumstances:

  • Fever: Offer your child plenty of liquids whenever he has a fever. He may prefer an ice-cold drink, or he may find warm liquids more soothing. If he's having trouble swallowing, you may want to give him a pain medication such as children's acetaminophen or ibuprofen to help with the discomfort. (Never give a child aspirin, which is associated with a rare but serious condition called Reye's syndrome.)
  • Overheating: Too much activity on a hot day or just sitting in a stuffy, sweltering room can lead to sweating and fluid loss. Give your child more fluids than usual during hot weather or if he's involved in strenuous activities.
  • Diarrhea: If your child has an intestinal illness, especially acute gastroenteritis, he'll lose fluid through diarrhea and vomiting. Don't give him fruit juice, which could just make the situation worse, and don't give him over-the-counter diarrhea medicine unless his doctor recommends it.

    Just encourage your child to drink plenty of water. If you think your child may be becoming dehydrated, you can give him an electrolyte drink as well.

    By the way, if your child has dehydration caused by diarrhea, his stools will be loose. If fluid loss from vomiting or another source causes dehydration, he'll have fewer bowel movements.
  • Vomiting Viruses and intestinal infections can lead to vomiting. If your child is having trouble keeping liquids down, he can easily become dehydrated.

    Try giving him very small amounts of fluid frequently. Again, an electrolyte drink may be helpful if you think that your child may be becoming dehydrated. Start by giving him slow, frequent sips when his tummy settles down – about 1 teaspoon (5 mL or cc) every 10 minutes for a couple of hours. Then, if all goes well, you can increase the amount to 2 teaspoons (10 mL or cc) every five minutes.
  • Refuses to drink A sore throat or ailment such as hand, foot, and mouth disease can cause so much pain that a child stops drinking. Give your child some children's acetaminophen or ibuprofen to ease the discomfort, and then offer him liquids, frequently and in small amounts.

    Cold liquids may be soothing, but avoid citrus drinks, like orange juice and grapefruit juice, because they'll sting and burn the irritated tissues of his throat.