Refusing to Take Pedialyte

popcicles always worked for my kids- I always keep them in the freezers for just that reason! who cares about the mess when it comes to keeping the little ones hydrated!

Instead of Pedialyte, try 1 part Gatorade mixed with 1 part water (equal amounts). It's just like Pedialyte. A doctor at Texas Children's told us this.

Try the popsicles, both of my girls just loved the Pedialyte popsicles and now that they are older they have upgraded to the sugar free popsicles. They know when they are sick they can have an unlimited amount.

Good luck, I know it is very scary when the little ones get sick,
DH

You can give him Gatorade. Thats what my daughters doctor told me to do if she would take pedialyte. Gatorade also tastes better to the kiddos then pedialyte. Hope your little guy gets better

Will he take some plain water? At his age, you still don't want him to have much, but the best way to handle dehydration is to prevent it. I'd start with that, but I'd also call the pediatrician. They'll give you some guidance on whether or not you should go in for an IV--i.e. how much has his eaten vs. how often is he puking.

You can also try room temperature ginger ale or ginger beer--try to get the stuff without corn syrup (it can cause diarrhea). My mom would make us Jell-O water when we were sick...but I'm pretty sure that isn't so recommended anymore.

My kids have never cared much for Pedialyte, either. I usually offer watered down juice and popsicles when my kids are in danger of getting dehydrated.

I would try G2...(Gatorade 2) It doesnt have as much sugar or calories, but acts as an electrolite. Funny, this is the ONLY thing my daughter drinks. No milk, no water, no juice. I was told by her Pedi that it is ideal.

Take that for what its worth.

Good luck and I hope he feels well soon!
Margaret :)

would he suck on the pedialyte popsicles? my daughter loves these. maybe put a piece in the mesh teething feeder?

Does he breastfeed? If so, breastmilk will work better than pedialyte at keeping him hydrated. It is considered a clear liquid.

M.-
My 7 month old son just got over rsv, ear infection, vomitting and diarrhea this past week. It was his worst cold so far and I'm a first time momma. As for keeping him hydrated the pedi said that breastmilk and formula are better than pedialyte because they also provide calories, but if he prefers pedialyte and juice thats ok too. Keeping him hydrated is the goal she said, when I asked about a preference because he really didn't want pedialyte or juice. We did both but I offered formula first each time. He only ended up taking about 4 oz of pedialyte once. The rest of the time he ate the formula. He would not take the watered down apple juice. My son normally eats 3 jars of food, cereal twice, and about 30-35 ounces of formula a day when he is well. Just like us when we are sick he did not want to eat food at all and barely wanted to drink. He normally would drink 7 oz bottles and each time he drank more than 3 or 4 ounces when he was sick he would throw it all up within a little bit of time. So I got out the small bottles I had from when he was younger and made him 4 ounce bottles and offered them to him throughout the day. Sometimes he would take them and drink an ounce or two and as he got better he would drink more. It would stay down because he didn't drink as much at once. That being said he had diarrhea so it wasn't long before his diaper was filled again. I was worried about dehydration too, but the pedi said to keep trying and watch for signs of dehydration like no saliva, no tears, and his fontanel being sunken in. (those are probably way extreme signs though...I know if I were worried I wouldn't wait until then to take him to the dr). The pedi also suggested trying watered down apple juice or water. I hope your little guy gets to feeling better fast! I stress so bad when my little guy is under the weather. Take Care!

I see I am a little late of this response. My son would not take Pedialyte either. Have you ever tasted it yourself? It has an awful taste. I talked to my son’s doctor about this and she said that I could give him Gatorade. I have been doing this since he was about 6 months old. I buy the Gatorade rain, it is a light pink color and is not so strong. He likes it so I keep it on hand just incase.

When my big guy was about the same age and got roto-virus, he too, hated Pedialyte. Whenever he napped or went down for the night, I gave it to him through a medicine syringe. I took my time, and his "sucking reflex" kicked in and he drank it easily.

Best of luck and I hope he feels better soon.
B.

Coconut water is a wonderful alternative...full of electrolytes, and it's got an amiable flavor that your son might like. You can get it at any health foods store.

Check out this link: http://www.zico.com/benefits/

Best of luck,
K. Short

My pediatrician always told me to open a bottle of 7-up, not sprite, only 7-up and let it go flat a little bit, then offer that, he was an old country doctor type of Doctor, but he said that was as good or better than gatorade and pedialyte to help with dehydration.

God Bless,

Do not give fluids or food until he hasn't vomited for about an hour. Then, literally give him one tsp of water or Pedialyte (measure it out in a medicine dispenser). If he can hold that down for 15 minutes, give him another tsp. Wait another 15 minutes and do the same. Keep this going for about 2 hours or so. If he still hasn't vomited, you can increase it to 2 tsp. Introduce fluids VERY, VERY slowly. If you let him have more than that, he will throw up and it creates a very vicious cycle. I've been through this with my oldest child plenty of times. His pedi taught me to do it this way and it works. As for Pedialyte, mine won't drink it either. However, he'll eat the ice pops. If you end up with this virus, do the same. Once he's better, wait a good 24-48 hours before giving him fatty or high fiber foods (he's only 8 months old but good to know for future stomach viruses). Hope it's over soon; stomach viruses are the worst!!!

Add a little jello mix to the pedialyte. Try sprite but stir the fiz out. Coke syrup (ask pharmasist) helps with vometing as well. I keep a bottle on hand at all times.

You can either add the clear, unflavored Pedialyte to other non-dairy drinks (like apple juice) or use Gatorade.

My son hates the flavored Pedialyte too.

My experience with Pedialyte is all negative. It tastes horrid. I wouldn't buy it anymore.

I'm thinking that taking a bottle but throwing up afterwards is not a bad thing. What's funny is that what "comes back up" isn't _all_ that was taken in.

Small ice chips, a wet finger, a clean kitchen cloth filled with ice chips and given to suck on will all introduce some liquid. I wouldn't try "forcing" a lot of fluid.

I hope for the best for you two!

the pedi told us that at certian ages they are only supppose to have so much. i think THINK it was something like every 4 hrs give him 2 oz mixed with water??? if anything you could try using a medicine siringe for infants.

Did you try to give it to him right away? If I throw up, I don't want something right away. His stomach needs to settle first. Rinse his mouth out best you can to get rid of the taste. Then wait an hour or so. Then offer him an ounce of plain water and see if it stays down. If not, repeat above. If it does stay down, then give him a little more 15 min later. Just take it very slow. When he's feeling more settled, and more confident, you can try small amounts of the Pedialyte. Warm flat ginger ale sometimes helps, too.

We used the pedialyt popsicles & sometimes gatorade. Have a 2nd cup/bottle around for water too (I always had options for my little ones). Hang in there! You will make it through this!

M. R.

Try the pedilite popcicles. If he can't keep anything down go to or call the doc asap.

I gave my baby pedialyte or gatorade (the light colors...not red) in a medicine syringe for infants. Aim for the inside of your baby's cheek. He may spit some back up, but hopefully he will be able to keep down enough to keep him hydrated. The pedi told me to try 1 tsp at a time...every few minutes if need be.

Random thought: what about the pedialyte popsicles? Maybe your baby would like something cold. Maybe mush it up for him???

Good luck. I hope he gets baby soon!

Will he take plain water? Pedialyte tastes NASTY so I would try another electrolyte solution. Maybe powerade or gatorade.

Hello M.,

Sorry to here about your son. Is he vomiting because he is sick or what's causing the vomiting? Pedialyte is great for this reason as well as BM's. I recommend talking to his Pediatrician, and find out what will be best to give your baby at this time. It seems he can't hold anything down and that Pedialyte is definitely not pleasant.

If you continue with the Pedialyte, try giving it to him (grape flavor- cold) but by spoon every 20 minutes. This may help instead and drinking it straight.

I hope your little one feels better soon.

Anita

Have you tried the frozen pedialyte pops? He might like that better than the drinks. Hope that helps!

just give hime a tiny bit, like an ounce or even just a sip of water at a time, too much and it will all come up.