Children are extremely prone to dehydration when they experience vomiting as a symptom of a stomach virus or other stomach irritation. When children vomit continuously, they lose precious fluids, which can lead to even more medical problems. Preventing dehydration due to vomiting should be your first priority, but as soon as you notice signs of dehydration, you’ll have to take the appropriate steps.
Signs of Dehydration
The most common signs of dehydration are a decrease in body weight, the inability to produce tears, sunken eyes, a parched mouth, decreased urine output and an accelerated heart rate. Often, you’ll be able to tell that your child is dehydrated just by witnessing the amount of fluids going into the body versus the amount expelled by vomiting. A child who is vomiting around the clock may not be able to keep any fluids down at all, which usually leads to dehydration.
Judging the Severity of Dehydration
When your child experiences dehydration due to vomiting, it is important to keep a close eye on him or her to judge the severity of his or her condition. A child who is severely dehydrated should be taken to the hospital to be put on IV fluids, while a child with mild to moderate dehydration can be treated at home. If your child becomes listless, loses more than nine percent of his or her body weight and has cold extremities, it is usually time to head for the hospital. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t overreact, but that your first priority is to keep your child out of danger.
Best Fluids for Dehydration
While water and juice, which have been recommended in the past, will help to ease dehydration due to vomiting, it is not the best thing. First, neither juice nor water contains the amount of electrolytes present in an Oral Rehydration solution — such as Pedialyte — and secondly, juice contains sodium and sugar, which can actually make dehydration worse. The best thing is to use an ORS, which can be found at your local grocery or drug store. You’ll be giving your child more electrolytes, as well as necessary vitamins and minerals that will help to combat dehydration faster.
Amount of Fluids to Give
If your child is showing symptoms of dehydration due to vomiting, your first instinct is to try and deliver as much fluid as possible. If you overload your child on fluids, however, you run the risk of inducing further vomiting, which won’t help with rehydration at all. Encourage small, slow sips at regular intervals until you determine whether or not your child can keep it down. Continue to increase the amount of fluids over several hours until your child stops exhibiting signs of dehydration.
Solid Foods
Your child’s inclination toward food is your best predictor on what to give your child after dehydration due to vomiting. If he or she shows an interest in food, start with bland, binding foods like crackers, rice, toast and apple sauce. If your child is able to keep that down, you can move on to more complex foods. The most important thing to remember is to no force your child to eat or drink. Give him or her a chance to let the stomach adjust.
