Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsPhysical SignsMinor vs. SevereRehydratingMonitoring Rehydration
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Physical Signs
Minor vs. Severe
Rehydrating
Monitoring Rehydration
Dehydration in children occurs when they lose more fluids than they take in. Children dehydrate faster than adults because they have more water in their bodies and burn energy more quickly.When children are active, they are at increased risk of becoming dehydrated as they may forget to drink enough water.
Water is essential for all bodily functions, including blood flow, oxygen delivery, brain function, digestion, and waste removal. Without enough water, your child’s body can’t function properly, leading to dehydration symptoms, such as thirst, dry mouth, and darker or less frequent urine.
Frazao Studio Latino / Getty Images
Illness and DehydrationIllnesses like viruses or stomach bugs can lead to dehydration through fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. These conditions can also reduce fluid intake, especially if the child’s throat is sore.
Illness and Dehydration
Illnesses like viruses or stomach bugs can lead to dehydration through fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. These conditions can also reduce fluid intake, especially if the child’s throat is sore.
Noticeable Signs a Child Is Dehydrated
Oral Symptoms
Oral dehydration symptoms include:
Mood and Behavioral Changes
Mood and behavioral changes involve:
Skin and Eye Changes
Skin and eye symptoms include:
Poor Skin TurgorPoor skin turgor means the skin is less elastic. To check this, gently pinch the back of the child’s hand. If the skin doesn’t bounce back quickly and stays pinched or tented for two to four seconds, the child is low on fluids.
Poor Skin Turgor
Poor skin turgor means the skin is less elastic. To check this, gently pinch the back of the child’s hand. If the skin doesn’t bounce back quickly and stays pinched or tented for two to four seconds, the child is low on fluids.
Urine (Pee) Changes
Dehydration can cause a child’s urine to be darker incolorand have a stronger smell than usual. You may also notice fewer wet diapers or bathroom trips, indicating less urine output.
Other Noticeable Signs
Additional noticeable signs of dehydration include:
Hypertonic Dehydration: What Happens?
Which Dehydration Signs Are Minor vs. Severe?
Mild Dehydration
Mild symptoms involve:
Moderate Dehydration
Moderate signs include:
Severe Dehydration
Severe signs include:
When to WorryYou can manage mild dehydration at home with fluids and rest. For moderate dehydration, contact your pediatric healthcare provider. If they are unavailable, go to urgent care.For severe symptoms, seek emergency care immediately.
When to Worry
You can manage mild dehydration at home with fluids and rest. For moderate dehydration, contact your pediatric healthcare provider. If they are unavailable, go to urgent care.For severe symptoms, seek emergency care immediately.
How to Rehydrate a Child
At Home
Give your child oral rehydration solutions (ORS) likePedialyteto replace lost fluids, sugars, and salts for mild dehydration. If your child is experiencing vomiting, give them small sips or 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) of ORS every five to 10 minutes.Pause for 10 to 15 minutes if vomiting continues, then try again. Offer 1 tablespoon of fluids less often for diarrhea.
Rehydration Tips
At a Medical Facility
Healthcare providers will assess the severity of dehydration through vital signs, weight, exams, blood tests, and urine tests. If your child can drink and hold down fluids, they may first try ORS or ReSoMal (rehydration solution for malnourished.
ReSoMalReSoMal has lower sodium and higher potassium, magnesium, and zinc than standard ORS. Providers typically give it at medical facilities to ensure proper dosage and monitoring.
ReSoMal
ReSoMal has lower sodium and higher potassium, magnesium, and zinc than standard ORS. Providers typically give it at medical facilities to ensure proper dosage and monitoring.
If your child has moderate or severe dehydration or cannot keep fluids down, the team might giveintravenous (IV) fluidsto restore hydration quickly. Sometimes, they use anasogastric(NG) tube, which delivers fluids from the nose to the stomach.
Monitoring a Child During the Rehydration Stages
At a medical facility, the healthcare team will look for signs that your child is getting better, such as having more energy, peeing more often, showing stable vital signs, having normal blood test results, and improving weight.
At home, watch for these signs of improvement:
Signs a child may be worsening include:
Tips to Encourage Daily HydrationTo help create healthy hydration habits and make drinking water more fun consider the following:Add a slice of fruit to the water for flavor.Include water breaks during playtime.Offerhydrating snackslike watermelon and cucumber.Teach kids to drink water throughout the day, not just when thirsty.Use fun stickers to track water intake.
Tips to Encourage Daily Hydration
To help create healthy hydration habits and make drinking water more fun consider the following:Add a slice of fruit to the water for flavor.Include water breaks during playtime.Offerhydrating snackslike watermelon and cucumber.Teach kids to drink water throughout the day, not just when thirsty.Use fun stickers to track water intake.
To help create healthy hydration habits and make drinking water more fun consider the following:
Summary
Dehydration can cause a dry mouth, dark urine, and less frequent urination. In severe cases, children may become listless, confused, breathe rapidly, or faint, needing emergency care. To prevent dehydration, encourage regular fluid intake, especially during play. For sick children, start with oral rehydration solutions (ORS). Severe cases might require IV fluids.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Hockenberry MJ, Wilson D, Rodgers CC.The child with fluid and electrolyte imbalance. In:Wong’s Essentials of Pediatric Nursing - E-Book.Elsevier Health Sciences;2021:739-760.Liska D, Mah E, Brisbois T, Barrios PL, Baker LB, Spriet LL.Narrative review of hydration and selected health outcomes in the general population.Nutrients. 2019;11(1):70. doi:10.3390/nu11010070Merck Manual Professional Version.Dehydration in children.Merck Manual Consumer Version.Dehydration in children.Tsegaye AT, Pavlinac PB, Walson JL, Tickell KD.The diagnosis and management of dehydration in children with wasting or nutritional edema: a systematic review.PLOS Glob Public Health. 2023;3(11):e0002520. doi:10.1371/journal.pgph.0002520American Academy of Pediatrics.Fever: when to call the pediatrician.American Academy of Pediatrics.Choose water for healthy hydration.Bottin JH, Morin C, Guelinckx I, Perrier ET.Hydration in children: what do we know and why does it matter?Ann Nutr Metab. 2019;74(Suppl 3):11–18. doi:10.1159/000500340
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Hockenberry MJ, Wilson D, Rodgers CC.The child with fluid and electrolyte imbalance. In:Wong’s Essentials of Pediatric Nursing - E-Book.Elsevier Health Sciences;2021:739-760.Liska D, Mah E, Brisbois T, Barrios PL, Baker LB, Spriet LL.Narrative review of hydration and selected health outcomes in the general population.Nutrients. 2019;11(1):70. doi:10.3390/nu11010070Merck Manual Professional Version.Dehydration in children.Merck Manual Consumer Version.Dehydration in children.Tsegaye AT, Pavlinac PB, Walson JL, Tickell KD.The diagnosis and management of dehydration in children with wasting or nutritional edema: a systematic review.PLOS Glob Public Health. 2023;3(11):e0002520. doi:10.1371/journal.pgph.0002520American Academy of Pediatrics.Fever: when to call the pediatrician.American Academy of Pediatrics.Choose water for healthy hydration.Bottin JH, Morin C, Guelinckx I, Perrier ET.Hydration in children: what do we know and why does it matter?Ann Nutr Metab. 2019;74(Suppl 3):11–18. doi:10.1159/000500340
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Hockenberry MJ, Wilson D, Rodgers CC.The child with fluid and electrolyte imbalance. In:Wong’s Essentials of Pediatric Nursing - E-Book.Elsevier Health Sciences;2021:739-760.Liska D, Mah E, Brisbois T, Barrios PL, Baker LB, Spriet LL.Narrative review of hydration and selected health outcomes in the general population.Nutrients. 2019;11(1):70. doi:10.3390/nu11010070Merck Manual Professional Version.Dehydration in children.Merck Manual Consumer Version.Dehydration in children.Tsegaye AT, Pavlinac PB, Walson JL, Tickell KD.The diagnosis and management of dehydration in children with wasting or nutritional edema: a systematic review.PLOS Glob Public Health. 2023;3(11):e0002520. doi:10.1371/journal.pgph.0002520American Academy of Pediatrics.Fever: when to call the pediatrician.American Academy of Pediatrics.Choose water for healthy hydration.Bottin JH, Morin C, Guelinckx I, Perrier ET.Hydration in children: what do we know and why does it matter?Ann Nutr Metab. 2019;74(Suppl 3):11–18. doi:10.1159/000500340
Hockenberry MJ, Wilson D, Rodgers CC.The child with fluid and electrolyte imbalance. In:Wong’s Essentials of Pediatric Nursing - E-Book.Elsevier Health Sciences;2021:739-760.
Liska D, Mah E, Brisbois T, Barrios PL, Baker LB, Spriet LL.Narrative review of hydration and selected health outcomes in the general population.Nutrients. 2019;11(1):70. doi:10.3390/nu11010070
Merck Manual Professional Version.Dehydration in children.
Merck Manual Consumer Version.Dehydration in children.
Tsegaye AT, Pavlinac PB, Walson JL, Tickell KD.The diagnosis and management of dehydration in children with wasting or nutritional edema: a systematic review.PLOS Glob Public Health. 2023;3(11):e0002520. doi:10.1371/journal.pgph.0002520
American Academy of Pediatrics.Fever: when to call the pediatrician.
American Academy of Pediatrics.Choose water for healthy hydration.
Bottin JH, Morin C, Guelinckx I, Perrier ET.Hydration in children: what do we know and why does it matter?Ann Nutr Metab. 2019;74(Suppl 3):11–18. doi:10.1159/000500340
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
