Dehydration in Children - Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Dehydration in Children - Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Jul 01, 2022

When children and infants lose excessive body fluids, making them incapable of maintaining the ordinary function, it indicates dehydration has occurred. The warning signs of dehydration include dry skin, tongue, lips, rapid breathing, tearless crying, and fewer wet diapers.

Summer is a time when children are playing around without paying proper attention to the heat and are likely to get dehydrated without realizing it. Therefore it is the responsibility of parents to learn about the signs of dehydration and how to manage the condition when they notice their children exhibiting the symptoms.

Dehydration Explained

The problem of dehydration occurs when you lose excessive body fluids making it challenging to function normally. Vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and not drinking sufficient water is the primary reason for dehydration. If your child has severe dehydration, replacing body fluids with drinking or eating becomes typically challenging. In such cases, the child needs dehydration treatment in Houston or a hospital.

Vomiting and diarrhea are familiar problems during the summer when children are enjoying street foods without correctly washing their hands and becoming prone to the problem because of bacterial infections.

How to Recognize Whether Your Child Is Dehydrated?

You must watch out for symptoms like dry tongue and lips, no tears when crying, fewer than six wet diapers for infants and none including urination for eight hours in toddlers, sunken eyes, soft, sunken spots on the infants head, dry and wrinkled skin, deep rapid breathing, cool and blotchy hands and feet.

How to Help Your Dehydrated Child Better at Home?

You must follow the doctor’s instructions carefully when feeding. Refrain from giving children under two over-the-counter medications for diarrhea unless the doctor recommends. Encourage your child to drink unsweetened fluids because sugary fluids can irritate diarrhea.

You can continue breastfeeding the infant usually, while electrolyte solutions are helpful when given according to the doctor’s instructions. Gradually increase the amount of fluids and food for your child and give them acetaminophen for fever. Finally, allow the child to get plenty of rest, watching for signs of dehydration worsening or coming back.

When to Call the Doctor If Your Child Is Dehydrated?

If your child has symptoms of dehydration as listed above or increased vomiting and diarrhea, has no wet diapers for urination in the past eight hours, and is lethargic, call the doctor as soon as possible. However, if your regular doctor isn’t available, you mustn’t ignore the symptoms of dehydration, choosing instead to take your child to the emergency room near me for attention.

Treatment for Dehydration

Treating dehydration at home is not complicated. However, severe cases might require hospitalization or visits to ER for dehydration. Your child may receive fluids intravenously, rest, acetaminophen for fever, and monitoring for electrolytes imbalance. Whether you visit a hospital or an emergency room, the treatments provided are similar and will help your child get better from the problem they confront.

Information about Children’s Dehydration You Must Inquire from the Doctor

When taking your child to the doctor or the 24-hour emergency care, there is no reason for you not to ask questions about this problem. The answers provided by the medical professional will help you care for your child better. Some examples of questions you can ask include the following:

  • Should I give my child any medications, and if so, how long and at what times of the day?
  • When will my child start feeling better?
  • Should I bring my child back for a follow-up visit?
  • Should I refrain from sending my child to school or daycare and keep them home?
  • Should the child’s activities be limited, and if so, which ones?
  • Are there foods or beverages your child can have or avoid?
  • Does the doctor recommend any over-the-counter medications?
  • Which over-the-counter medicines for preparations do the doctors not recommend?
  • What symptoms should you report to the doctor or the medical facility?

Collecting as much information as possible helps you manage your child’s dehydration better and let them enjoy their summer without remaining in bed. Children do not understand dehydration or why it occurs. On the contrary, children are happy to enjoy their activities, thinking they are having a great time in the sun without bothering about the consequences of enjoying themselves.

Ascent Emergency Room in Houston provides 24-hour emergency care for children and adults affected by dehydration. If you notice the symptoms of dehydration in your child, kindly schedule a drive over to the facility to receive prompt treatment.

Are you looking for an emergency room in Houston, TX? At Ascent Emergency Room, we care about your health and their emergency needs. We are located just a little away from you and provide exceptional and comprehensive emergency care appointments for the surrounding Houston area:

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