Dehydration

How can I tell if my baby is dehydrated?

If your baby is dehydrated, it means she's losing too much fluid or not taking enough in. Dehydration is common in babies and young children, because they are smaller and more sensitive to fluid loss than adults. But it can become a serious problem if it's not sorted out quickly.

If you think your baby is dehydrated, take her to the doctor the same day. Any of these signs may mean she's dehydrated:

• dry skin or lips;
• a sunken fontanelle (the soft spot on the top of your baby’s head);
• fewer wet nappies than usual;
• sunken eyes;
• tearless crying;
• dark yellow urine;
• lethargy and drowsiness;
• rapid breathing;
• cold and blotchy-looking hands and feet.

What is making my baby dehydrated?

There are several reasons why your baby may be dehydrated:

• Fever. Fever is one of the most common causes of dehydration. When your baby has a fever, she sweats and water evaporates from her skin as her body tries to cool down. She may also be breathing faster than normal and losing more fluid by exhaling.


• Overheating. Your baby can easily sweat and lose fluids from being in the sun or being active on a hot day. She can also overheat and sweat from sitting in a stuffy, sweltering room or because she’s wearing too many layers.


• Diarrhoea and vomiting. If your baby has a stomach virus such as gastroenteritis she can lose fluids from diarrhoea and vomiting. Your baby can’t absorb fluids from her bowels if she has diarrhoea, or keep liquids down if she’s being sick, which means she can quickly dehydrate.


• Refusing to drink or breastfeed. Your baby may be refusing to drink because she has hand, foot, and mouth disease, thrush, a sore throat, or because she’s teething. These can all cause pain in the mouth and throat. Sometimes having a stuffy nose or cold can also make it uncomfortable for your baby to drink.

How can I treat it?

See your doctor as soon as possible if your baby is dehydrated. Often dehydration can be treated at home. Your doctor may suggest these treatments:

• Offer your baby plenty of liquids such as breastmilk or formula. It may help to give her smaller amounts of milk more frequently. If your baby is formula-fed don’t dilute her formula. Formula-fed babies and babies on solids can have extra water too. Don’t give your baby fruit juices or carbonated drinks, particularly if your baby’s dehydration is due to diarrhoea and vomiting.


• Offer your baby sips of oral rehydration solution (ORS), such as Dioralyte, as few times an hour alongside her usual breastmilk, or full-strength formula and water. An ORS will help to replace the fluids, salts and sugars your baby has lost.


• If your baby isn’t drinking because she’s having trouble swallowing, give her infant paracetamol or ibuprofen to help ease her discomfort. But only give this if your baby is three months or older. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice if you’re unsure how much to give your baby.


• During extremely hot weather, keep your baby in a cool place out of the sun. Offer her plenty of drinks. If your baby is exclusively breastfed she won’t need extra water on a hot day. But if she is formula-fed or on solids make sure to offer her water, too.

If your baby is very dehydrated, she may need to go to hospital for treatment. She will be given fluids through a drip in her arm, or through tubes inserted into her nose. Severe dehydration is often a side-effect of other illnesses, such as gastroenteritis or respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia or bronchiolitis.

However, rest assured that most cases of dehydration are not serious. Dehydration is common in babies, and can usually be treated at home on the advice of your doctor.