Avoiding Dehydration in Your Kids — It’s More than Just Drinking Liquid

Everyone knows that when it’s really hot, you need to stay hydrated.  This is especially true for children and the elderly, who may not always be quick to recognize or communicate to others when their body is screaming at them for water (or relief from the heat).  Such was the case in my own family last week when one of my children (7 years old) ended up very sick from dehydration and exhaustion. 

How could this happen? Sadly, somehow we missed something we were already deliberately watching for.   We were acutely aware that it was hot and dry, and we gave our daughter a lot of liquid.  In fact, I sat and watched her drink it because like most parents I already knew it was important to prevent dehydration.  But that liquid wasn’t the only contributing factor.  

With all the excitement of visiting relatives, with all of the activities, fun, and the change in her schedule, she wasn’t sleeping enough.  For this particular kid, it wasn’t uncommon for her to have trouble initially getting to sleep.  Normally late bed-times and early rises lead to the “catch-up” nap/crash, where she then resumes a normal schedule.  Well, that catch-up period never came and, even though we mandated a little down time, she still wouldn’t sleep.  Cut to a few days later in the car (during our 10 hour drive home) when the vomiting, headaches, body aches, muscle cramps and just about everything else began.

It is everything that happened up to, and during, this time that we became aware of how exhaustion and dehydration can work together to make your child very ill.  We thought we were watching out for dehydration, but we hadn’t realized she had woken up in the middle of the night several times in anticipation of the next day’s activities.  Though we really couldn’t “make” her sleep, the added condition of being exhausted made  her more vulnerable to extreme conditions, and made all the other little things become a lot more important.  Needless to say, while we are still always trying to keep the kids hydrated, my daughter isn’t fighting sleep anymore – because she hates throwing up more than the thought of missing out on any excitement!

In this case we were lucky avoid going to the hospital, but she still ended up with 3 days of sickness and downtime.  This kind of snuck up on us and it can sneak up on you, too — no parent wants to she their child ill.  Even when you are watching closely, you can still miss something.   All parents should remember this in the excitement and outdoor fun of the summer months. 

Here is a list of dehydration symptoms to watch for:

1. Dizziness/Lightheadedness
2. Dry mouth
3. Headaches
4. Muscle cramps
5. Nausea/vomiting
6. Dark Yellow Urine
7. Eyes stop making tears
8. Sleepiness/Tired (Note:  Children who are not sleeping well can also be dehydrated)

Great articles and resources on dehydration:

KidsHealth - article for younger kids explaining dehydration
KidsHealth – information for teens on dehydration
La Leche League – Identifying Dehydration in Breastfed Babies
Mayo Clinic - Teen and Tweeth health: Sports and Heat
U.S. Center for Desease Control – Extreme Heat Issues and Prevention… heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heat rash, etc.