Home care for dehydration includes:
- Drink plenty of clear liquids:
- Water
- Gatorade
- Power Ade
- Clear fruit juice
- Clear soda: ginger ale
- Dilute tea
- For vomiting:
- Avoid food that irritates the stomach.
- Avoid citrus juices, alcohol, and coffee.
- Drink small amounts of fluids, frequently: swallow 1 to 3 tablespoons of water or sports drink, every 1 to 5 minutes.
- Advance your diet slowly if you are nauseated:
- Eat small, frequent meals.
- Avoid spicy food.
- Avoid fried food.
- Nonprescription medicine for diarrhea
- Nonprescription medicine for vomiting
Home care for children with dehydration includes:
- Oral rehydration therapy:
- Children who are taking fluids by mouth can usually restore lost fluids and body salts with oral rehydration therapy (ORT).
Fluids for ORT can be made at home, but it is safer and more practical to buy a commercial product.
Oral rehydration solution:
- Infalyte
- Lytren
- Naturalyte
- Pedialyte
- Rehydralyte
- ReVital
- Drugstore brands
Children can drink as much ORT as they desire. If
vomiting occurs, use small sips of 15-30 cc (1-2 tsp) every few minutes. Food is not important for a day or two.
