Unraveling the Mystery of Dehydration in Children: Causes, Symptoms, and Solutions

In children, a vital aspect that should never be overlooked is hydration. It may seem like a simple necessity, often taken for granted, but it plays a significant role in ensuring the health and well-being of children.

In the face of daunting challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing childhood dehydration may seem relatively mundane. However, its impact is far from trivial. Dehydration, characterized by the body’s inadequate amount of water and essential fluids, can have serious consequences for children. It affects not only their physical well-being but also their cognitive abilities, mood, and overall development. Shockingly, every year, over 1,00,000 children succumb to dehydration and its complications in India alone, with a global number reaching a staggering 760,000. The glaring reality is that many of these deaths could have been prevented.

Exploring the Culprits: Understanding the Causes of Dehydration in Children

Dehydration occurs when a child’s body loses more fluids than it takes in, and there are several factors that contribute to this imbalance:

• Insufficient Fluid Intake: Children are often so engrossed in play that they forget to drink water. Also, they have smaller water reserves (as they have smaller bodies!), making them more susceptible to dehydration.
• Illness: Fever, diarrhea, and vomiting can cause a significant and sudden loss of fluids. Children with chronic illnesses such as diabetes are also at a higher risk because of the diuretic nature of their medications.
• Climate and Physical Activity: Hot weather and intense physical activity without adequate water intake can be a recipe for dehydration. Even on days when the temperature isn’t very high, prolonged play without water breaks can have serious consequences. And yes, you need to carry a water bottle, even when you go to the swimming pool.
• Relying on sugary drinks and sodas: Not all fluids are created equal. Sugary drinks and fizzy drinks are attractive to children (and to be honest, to adults too!), but they aren’t a substitute for water. In fact, they can actually cause your child to be dehydrated.

Recognizing the Warning Signs: Checking for Symptoms of Dehydration Among Children

It can be hard for children to understand what’s bothering them, let alone articulate it for their parents! Sometimes, something as commonplace as not drinking enough water can create physical symptoms.

• Decreased Urine Output: Notice how often your child is going to the bathroom – dehydrated children tend to go less often, and when they do, their urine is a darker color. If in doubt, accompany the child, and note the color. Anything darker than pale yellow colored urine indicates dehydration, however mild.
• Dry Mouth and Thirst: If your child’s mouth is dry and they are more thirsty than usual, this too, can be a sign of dehydration. Pay attention to breath odors as well – bad breath can often be indicative of dry mouth, and therefore, of dehydration.
• Fatigue and Irritability: Dehydration can cause children to become unusually tired, lethargic, or irritable. Unfortunately, lethargy and irritability can be caused by a host of other reasons (including boredom!). You know your child best – if you suspect the reasons are physiological, start with addressing hydration. It is, after all, the easiest thing to fix!
• Lack of Tears: When crying, a dehydrated child might not produce tears. This is a dead giveaway. If you see this, particularly among very young children, administer a WHO approved ORS immediately.
• Sunken Eyes and Cheeks: This physical change is another sign that needs immediate attention on your part. Start by administering a WHO approved ORS, and monitor the child closely. If in doubt, consult your doctor ASAP.

Empowering Parents: Effective Management Strategies for Dehydration in Children

As parents, we often don’t have as much control as we’d like, especially when it comes to the health of our children. You can’t control when they catch a cold from a friend, or come home from school with a viral fever that’s making its way through their class, or even when they have the inevitable bout of diarrhea during the monsoon.

While several childhood illnesses are a part and parcel of growing up, dehydration needn’t be one of them. In fact, by ensuring proper hydration, we improve health outcomes and reduce the amount of time our children spend being sick. Here are some small steps you can take that have an outsized impact on your children’s health.

• Encourage Regular Fluid Intake: Make water readily available and encourage your child to take frequent sips, especially during physical activity. As with anything else, gamification helps.
• Keep Oral Rehydration Solutions (ORS) in your first aid kit: ORS has reliably shown life-saving effects in conditions involving dehydration since it was discovered in the 1960s. The World Health Organisation found it important enough to invest in research (spanning several years) to refine and perfect the formula for rehydration. A formula which, in India, is available in the form of Electral. Electral has been a mainstay in Indian households since 1972, and is India’s #1 doctor recommended WHO ORS.
• Educate your children: Teach your children the importance of staying hydrated. You can make it fun by taking the Hydration for Health quiz together, which offers a wealth of knowledge and resources. You’d be surprised at how much you don’t know!
• Monitor Illness: If your child is sick, closely monitor fluid loss and encourage them to always stay hydrated.
• Consult a Healthcare Professional: If you suspect severe dehydration, don’t wait. consult a healthcare professional immediately.

Hydration for Health: Leading the Charge Against Dehydration

Safeguarding children from dehydration is an amalgam of vigilance, timely intervention, and being armed with the right information. As caregivers, your role extends beyond reactionary measures to being custodians of their health. And while most parents are very well informed regarding serious illnesses, dehydration can sometimes fly under their radar, with deleterious results.

To address the lack of awareness about dehydration, Electral and the News18 Network launched the Hydration for Health initiative in 2022. It serves as a fountainhead of knowledge and resources aimed at combating dehydration. Season 2, in particular, focuses on children, arming parents with an indispensable toolkit for their well-being. Electral, synonymous with ORS in India, extends its legacy in this venture and reinforces its commitment to being an educator and a harbinger of health.

Join us at Hydration for Health, and learn more about how you can better safeguard yourself and your family.