All living beings tend to lose water constantly throughout the day. Water evaporates and leaves the body when you breathe, cry, sweat, or use the toilet. Babies and young children are vulnerable to diarrheal infections and dehydration because of their high metabolic rate and inability to convey their needs or hydrate themselves appropriately. Other than this, there can be other reasons also that can result in dehydration. So, you should not take dehydration slightly. When it happens, the body can function properly and in severe cases, this can also lead to brain damage or even death. Here Montessori teachers have shared some symptoms and treatments of dehydration to spread awareness among parents and child caregivers.

Warning Signs of Dehydration in Toddlers :

The body gets dehydrated slowly over time or it can happen suddenly. Kids having stomach flu should be observed closely for symptoms of dehydration. If they are feeling thirsty, it may so happen that they are already dehydrated. So, You should not wait until your little one is excessively thirsty to make them drink water. Although the warning signs are not always obvious, you can look out for these symptoms in your kids.

• Dry, cracked lips
• Dak/yellow colored urine
• Little or no urine for over eight hours
• Cold or dry skin
• Sunken eyes or sunken soft spots on the head (mostly for babies)
• Excessive sleepiness or tiredness
• Low energy levels
• No tears when crying
• Extreme fussiness
• Fast breathing or high heart rate

If your child is suffering from acute dehydration he may become delirious or unconscious.

Treating Dehydration in Preschoolers:

According to the pediatricians of Pasadena, CA, the best possible way to effectively treat dehydration is to replenish the lost fluids. If your child is showing mild dehydration symptoms, you can take the following steps:

• Give them oral rehydration solution like Pedialyte as this solution contains water and salt in precise proportions and is easy to digest. Sometimes plain water may not work. So, if rehydration solutions are not available, you can try giving them milk or diluted juice to your kids until you can arrange some.
• Continue giving your kids liquids until their urine is clear and normal. If they are vomiting, give them only a small amount of water at a time until they can keep it down. At this stage, they may only retain a spoonful at a time, but please remember, something is always better than nothing. Slowly increase the frequency and amount of water as giving too much water may cause vomiting again.
• If you are breastfeeding your baby, you can keep on doing that. Besides you can also give your baby a rehydration solution in their bottles.

How to Prevent Dehydration in MontessoriKids:

You can follow take these preventive measures as ‘Prevention is better than cure :

• Keep on encouraging your kids to drink water.
• Educate them about the importance of consuming enough water. You can also let them understand what will happen if they do not drink water.
• Make sure your toddler is up to date on vaccination.
• On hot summer days let them enjoy some time in the pool, sprinkler, or rest in a cool shady place.