Fluids

[reAllytee]

Ok another post from me tonite no im not bored :p
So bubs has been unwell fighting some sort of infection anyways he is on antibiotics due to this as well as a large dose of neurofen to keep his temp down our problem is his fluids.
He wont drink i mean i can get over him not eating atm but when he isnt drinking its a prob his intake is as bad as his output at this stage & when the doctor isnt happy either his words " there are two options get them into him your way or my way & for now you want your way " which is so true last thing i want is him in hospital with a drip in his arm :(
He said to try anything as he doesnt care at this stage if he wants soft drink or cold tea give it to him try anything to get him to drink !
Now im being caught as i obviously dont want to give him soft drink but am at a loss to find anything suitable at this point he hates water ( guess he is like his mum :o ) apple juice is only partly liked in that today i managed to get him to have 3 mouthfuls but each time he cringes, he doesnt like pear or prune not that i want him having diarrhoea added into the mix & im lucky to get him having a full bottle of milk a day ( we are now going into the 3rd day ).
So please any help of what you have found you bubs will drink even if unconventional as im desperate !!!!
Is there a tea i could give him cold of course ???? Or a juice that is a definate winner in your home ????
Oh bubhub great ones help a mother in need :p

[Baby Girl]

There are icy poles called hydrolite ice blocks that you can get from the chemist, they have electrolytes and hydrolites in them which help with energy and fluid absorbtion, they are orange flavoured I think, DD1 liked them. She lived on them for a week. Or maybe make your own with cordial or fruit juice, he might be happy to suck on something rather than drink.

I hope he feels better soon and I have my fingers crossed you don't have to take him into the hospital.

Good Luck.

[Ky]

Jelly, iceblocks, milkshakes, icecream, fizzy etc. Try lucozade - it keeps the electrolytes up and lemonade that has been let go flat (or boiled) somehow helps with an unhappy stomach.

I used to put my lo's in their highchair and give them ice cubes to play with and they invariably put them in their mouths getting a bit of fluids from that.

Hope that your lo is feeling much better soon! If you end up having to take him to the hospital ... rest assured that he is in the best place possible with plenty of experts who are used to dealing with little kids and will do their utmost to get you home again as soon as possible! It doesn't have to be a frightening experience ... my dd and I have to go to hospital for a few days every time she gets gastro and she now just takes it all in her stride ... nurses on the childrens ward are incredible with the kids!

[Harmony83]

When my DS was sick when he was about 7 1/2 mths, the doctor said he can have diluted juice (apple, pear, orange etc), diluted gaterade (they have something in them to restore fluid) and fluidy foods, jelly, soup etc... I can't remember how much water to gaterade or juice, maybe someone else can help you with that... Hope he gets betta soon..

[Chickadee]

Yep. Icy poles, regular or the gastrolyte ones are a good idea. The only other one I can think of that hasn't been mentioned is chicken or vegetable broth.

some other tricks to try would be a new cup, a regular cup if he's used to a sippy cup, try a sports bottle, let him drink through a straw if he doesn't usually get one.

As a last resort if he's starting to get dehydrated and absolutely won't take anything - you can "force feed" him water or pedialite using a large syringe. That was what I had to do when I took DD to the hospital last year for dehydration. She was around 10kg at the time and I was told to try to get her to drink 5ml every 5 minutes. I basically syringed it slowly into her mouth. It wasn't fun, she didn't like it, but 1.5 hours of that got her back in shape and much happier. But if he's in that bad of shape (lethargic, refusing water, sleepy) you should be taking him to see a doctor anyways.

[Moorish]

Martha that's a great idea with the syringe - my kids love it too.
When they have to take liquid medicine, I usually fill the syringe up with water after to make sure all the medicine is washed out. The kids love getting a couple of extra squirts of water in their mouth to wash the taste away. For a little-y it's quite fun! Also, tedious as it may be, feeding him water/juice etc with a spoon out of a tea cup? Make a game of it with all the teddys and toys!

If bubby doesn't take a straw yet, I found an easy method. Get one of those fruit boxes & pop the straw in. You'll need a bib for the next part! Pop the straw in his mouth & gently squeeze the box so the juice comes up the straw, it took my Nicola less than a minute to get the concept when she was about the same age!

You could try boiling some camomile tea & add some honey then give it to him when it's cooled, but if worst came to worst, I would NOT feel guilty about offering some flat softdrink if that was the only think he'd take. At least he'd be getting something! You could also try flat apple cider if that made you feel a little better! Oh, and apple & blackcurrent juice or blackcurrent syrup is a winner in this household!

[reAllytee]

Thanx for the ideas guys was wondering about gatorade or the likes as i had seen somewhere on some show talking about how a doctor gave it to a baby as it was dehydrated etc.
Just dont want DOCS knocking on my door asking why the hell im giving bad things to my son heheh im a basketcase ! :o
He is a little better today & has had two bottles of milk ( 150ml each time ) as well as two small bottles of water ( 100ml one time & 50ml the other ) as well as finally having his brekky & some lunch so im hoping when he wakes for dinner he will eat as well as take another 100ml of water then have his bottle later.
I also had him in the bath earlier where he sucked on the face washer least thats something !!!!
Guess he listened to mama finally pleading that she didnt want him in hospital heheh :rolleyes:
Will also send dad down this arvo to get some icypoles as i need one too im so hot & tired running round checking on him !!!!!

[Ky]

I'm so pleased that he is picking up ... you must be so relieved!

Big hugs