It goes without saying that you must ensure that your kids do not get dehydrated when they fall sick as this can worsen the condition and may even call for hospitalization. Thankfully, there are a number of drinks that you can give your sick child to hydrate them and help them beat the infection.

Children suffering from various illnesses tend to get dehydrated. Particularly, when he suffers from fever or diarrhea, the volume of water in the body decreases. You will notice that the skin is becoming dry in your kids, they talk less and urinate after long spans of time. Under these situations, you need to provide them with the right kind of drinks to keep them hydrated. Here are eleven drinks that can keep your sick child hydrated.

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11 Effective Drinks to Keep Sick Children Hydrated

Water

The best way to keep your child hydrated is to provide him with plenty of water. You can either provide water to your child on a scheduled basis, or use a spoon to drip in water inside the mouth every few hours. It will keep up the volume of water inside the body.

Fruit juices

Fruit juices are one of the most effective ways to keep the child hydrated. They generally taste sweet and are readily consumed by the children. However, if the child has a sore throat, try to avoid giving him citrus fruit juices, as they may suffer from irritation.

Milk

Milk can work out well during dehydration as it contains a lot of proteins and carbohydrates. Besides providing them with fluid, milk provides energy to the body. It also provides fats to the body. It helps to maintain the all-round health of the child.

Decaffeinated tea

Decaffeinated tea helps to treat the lack of water in your child, besides breaking down the concentrated mucus in the throat. You can add a teaspoon of honey in the tea when you provide him with the tea. Take care and check out the temperature, it should not be too hot.

Popsicles

Children generally love popsicles, and you can use these to increase the level of water in your kid’s body. You can simply make them at home, freeze them and give them to your kids. The water content in ice will help to increase the volume of water in their bodies.

Soup

Soups are not only healthy, they also boost up the level of fluid in your child’s body. You can prepare vegetable soups or chicken soups for your kids. These help to provide a substantial amount of fluid to the body. Soups also provide energy to the body and are effective for treating sore throat.

Electrolyte solutions

Electrolyte solutions from several brands are available in the market. They increase the level of saline in the blood and combats dehydration. One glass of electrolyte solution every few hours can increase the volume of water in the body.

Home-made saline solution

In case you are unable to get electrolyte solution, you can give somehomemade saline solution to your kid. The salt content is beneficial for them and replenishes the salt, drained out from the body. Seek your doctor’s advice regarding how many times you should repeat the process.

Flavoured drinks

When nothing succeeds in making your child take the drinks, flavoured drinks can do the job. Flavours like oranges, chocolate and vanilla can be added to their drinks. You can simply add them to a glass of water or milk and feed them to the child.

Health drinks

Apart from milk, you can provide health drinks to your ailing child. These drinks taste good and come in different flavours. You can provide them once in four to six hours to keep up the energy level as well as the volume of water during dehydration.

Sugar solution

Children love the sweetness of sugar, so you can use it as a bait to feed them water. The calorie content in sugar also boosts up the energy level in the body. Whenever your kid refuses to take the solutions, you can add an extra bit of sugar to it and make it sweeter. Under ordinary conditions, you can provide your child with a solution of sugar and salt. You can also add a bit of lemon juice to it, provided the child has no throat infection.

These are easy ways to keep your child hydrated during illness. However, talk to the doctor and seek serious medical advice under severe conditions. These are home remedies, but you should not risk the health of your child by relying solely on these solutions. Get professional medical attention for your child if suffers from prolonged dehydration.

References:

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/cold-flu-dehydration-child#2

https://www.babycenter.com/0_dehydration-in-children_11407.bc