How to Care for Your Child with Mild to Moderate Dehydration
This leaflet will provide you with information about dehydration causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and home care advice.
![Dehydration](/sites/default/files/inline-images/How-to-Care-for-Your-Child-with-Mild-to-Moderate-Dehydration-EN.jpg)
What is Dehydration?
- Dehydration is when your baby's/child’s body loses too much water.
- Children and babies are at higher risk of becoming dehydrated than adults
- Dehydration can be mild, moderate or severe.
- Mild dehydration can get worse if not treated, and the baby/child continues to lose water.
- Severe dehydration almost always requires admission to the hospital.
What are the causes of dehydration?
Dehydration can occur with many childhood illnesses including:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- High fever or an illness that prevents children from drinking fluids such as Sore throat, ulcers
- Heatstroke
- Kidney disease
What are the symptoms of Mild and Moderate Dehydration?
Your child may experience the following symptoms:
- Thirst
- Dry skin and mouth with cracked lips
- Crying without tears
- Feeling tired and lack of energy
- Your baby/child eyes look sunken in the face
- Headache
- Less urine in the diaper or going less frequently to the bathroom, you might also notice dark-colored urine (concentrated).
How is dehydration diagnosed?
The doctor will ask a few questions about your child's health and examine your child. Depending on clinical assessment, your doctor will classify the degree of dehydration that your baby/child has and will decide if further investigation or blood tests are required.
How is mild and moderate dehydration treated?
- Mild to moderate dehydration can be treated by giving your child fluids to drink.
- Some fluids help to treat dehydration better than plain water because they contain the right amount of water and salts (i.e. Oral rehydration solution- ORS).
- Babies who breastfeed should continue to breastfeed from the mother.
- Mild dehydration can be managed at home after learning about oral rehydration solution and how it should be given.
- You will be given instructions on how to give you baby/child rehydration at home.
Home care advice:
![Dehydration](/sites/default/files/inline-images/How-to-Care-for-Your-Child-with-Mild-to-Moderate-Dehydration.jpg)
- Make sure your child Takes rest and avoid hot weather
- Make sure your child drinks an adequate amount of fluids
- Give your child ORS as soon as they vomited or have diarrhea
- Give your child extra fluids if they are out playing in hot weather
- Monitor your child for signs of worsening dehydration like
- Decreased urination, less than 4 diapers in 24 hours
- Lack of tears when crying
- Cool or clammy hands and feet
- Restlessness
- Dry mouth
- If your baby is exclusively breastfed and vomits immediately after breastfeeding, you can try the following:
- Continue to breastfeed your baby more frequently but for a shorter time (breastfeed every 30 minutes for 5 to 10 minutes)
- If vomiting improves after two to three hours, you can restart feeding as usual.
- If vomiting does not improve within 24 hours, you need to seek medical advice as below