Dealing With Dehydration in Children

The months of May and June bring with them, scorching heat, followed by July and August, which are humid to the core. A major health issue cropping up during this period is dehydration in Children. As a parent, we all need to be dealing with dehydration in children in summer.

While all of us use this term very often in daily life, little do we know what exactly does dehydration mean. So WHO defines dehydration as the condition that results from excessive loss of body water. And what is the precise cause of dehydration? Dehydration occurs when free water loss exceeds free water intake, most commonly due to exercise, diseases like diarrhea and vomiting or exposure to heat. And who suffers the most? Children.

Children may present dehydration with the symptoms in varying intensities.

Here goes the list!

1. Dry cracked lips and tongue; Dry mouth
2. Oliguria – a decrease in 24-hour urine output
3. Low blood pressure and rapid but feeble radial pulse
4. Mild fever with headache and/or nausea
5. Muscle cramps and/or generalized body ache
6. Lethargy and drowsiness and/or irritability
7. Sudden unconsciousness shows severe/acute dehydration

Preventing Dehydration in Children

At Home

• Children should be encouraged to carry water bottles to school and sip water frequently. During extreme summers, a sipper with a little lime juice or apple cider vinegar added to water may be given to the child, in addition to his usual water bottle.

• Giving sugary snacks in lunch should be avoided.

• Certain vitamins like thiamin, riboflavin and niacin are essential and must be supplemented with the usual diet. Green vegetables and fruits are rich in vitamin B and C and minerals like zinc and selenium. Five portions of fruits and four portions of vegetables per day provide all vital vitamins and minerals.

• Processed foods – trans fats or hydrogenated fats found in pastries, cakes, cookies and chips and other ready-to-cook meals must be kept to a bare minimum during summers.

• Dairy products like milk and curd; fortified soya or rice milk are healthy options for children. You may go for myriad recipes to feed your children. Tastier ways to encourage the child to have more of these include-milk shakes in breakfast instead of plain milk, fruit whips and flavored curd dips in lunch instead of plain curd and chilled flavored milk in the evening.

• Fizzy and aerated drinks should be discouraged. They are usually high in sugar and promote dehydration.

What to do at school?

• The child should visit the washroom every 1.5-3 hours which is normal during summers. Not permitting the child to go to the toilet leads him to suppress his natural urges and causes complications of dehydration like UTI.

• Allowing children to have water frequently and in case of small children, encouraging them to take sips of water every 40-45 minutes keeps them hydrated.

• Educating children and their parents on correct diet planning, healthy snacking and the importance of maintaining hydration by conducting workshops and orientation programs, helps a great deal in maintaining the health status of students at school level.

How to Effectively Manage Dehydration in  Children at School

In order to manage dehydration, it is important to first assess the intensity of dehydration and accordingly take steps to cope with it.

Milder levels of dehydration can be managed within the school premises by giving ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution). ORS is a fluid containing salt, sugar, potassium chloride and citrate to replenish the lost water.

The preferred method of rehydration in children is by mouth (oral). Sometimes though this dehydration may be very severe and acute, in which case nasogastric (ryles) tube inserted through the nose to the stomach or IV fluids become the first choice of treatment.

It is important for the attending physician to quickly assess the child’s condition and take a decision whether to start rehydration therapy orally (which may be done within the school premises) or to put the child on IV line (which requires urgent hospitalization).

The speed of rehydration varies with the age and body weight of the child and the severity and acuteness of dehydration.

Signs of successful rehydration include: –

1. Passage of urine in relatively better volume
2. Lack of thirst
3. Improvement in blood pressure and radial pulse
4. Reduction in dryness of oral mucosa- mouth and tongue regain moisture

Administration of Fluids should be continued to maintain hydration until all objective and subjective symptoms of dehydration in the child have improved.
But let’s not forget- Prevention is always better than cure. With global warming continually on the rise and temperatures soaring high and higher, let’s keep ourselves and our children hydrated and safe from the blows of dehydration.

Also Read:

6 Beetroot Recipes- The Superfood that Boosts Immunity, Fights Anaemia and Cleanses Liver

Health Benefits of Walnuts that might surprise you!