“If your child also is not drinking well and is not peeing, and especially if they have vomiting and diarrhea, then you should be concerned that they are getting dehydrated. And you can get to that point [when] it’s difficult for them to make it back without some help.”

– Dr. Mike Ziegler – Emergency Pediatrics, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

It is one of the most common experiences of childhood: getting the flu or a stomach virus before the age of five.

Most affected kids recover at home. But some come seriously ill and end up in the hospital.

Three-year-old Will, for example, has a stomach flu – and with it, several days of vomiting and diarrhea.

“I don’t think he’s urinated in, probably, 12 to 14 hours,” says his mother.

Dehydrated skin is less elastic than normal skin. Dr. Mike Ziegler presses the skin on Will’s hand, to see how fast it comes back.

“Some of the things we look for,” he says, “when you see the redness in his skin – and we push and see, how fast that comes back? That’s actually a very good measure of how well-hydrated a child is.”

Will gets an intravenous drip to restore the fluids in his body – and it’s not long before he perks up.

He is allowed to have his favorite apple juice, but just a little at a time. Too much, all at once, could cause more vomiting.

“You get more success with small, frequent amounts of fluid than you do with giving him a whole bunch at once,” says the doctor.

Severe dehydration robs the body of essential fluids and salts, which can lead to organ failure, and even death.

But the good news is, severe dehydration can be quickly and easily treated.

“When we give children some fluid through their veins and replace some of the things that we they have lost,” says Dr. Ziegler, “they pop right back up. Children are very resilient, and if we can fix the problem or reverse the process very often they pop right up and feel much, much better.”

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• Look for signs of dehydration in children who have diarrhea or vomiting – or who are profusely sweating due to exercise or hot weather. (Kidshealth.org)




• Some signs of dehydration include a dry mouth, sunken eyes, lack of urination, skin that doesn’t spring back, a fast heartbeat – and a sunken soft spot in babies 18 months and younger. (Familydoctor.org)




• If your child shows any signs of dehydration, contact your doctor or a local health care provider as soon as possible. (Shands HealthCare)

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• U.S. Food and Drug Administration




• Virtual Pediatric Hospital




• CDC – Childhood Diarrhea: Messages for Parents

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