Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

DS has been battling a stomach bug since last Tues, and after an emergency visit to a walk in yesterday, we spent 8 hours in the hospital when he was hooked up to IVs and anti-nausea meds to get more hydrated.

We're back home, went to his ped today, and he will be admitted to the hospital on Thurs if he doesn't drink more himself. He STILL won't drink. I feel like I've tried everything. He refuses gatorade and pedialyte, any ice pops, jello, soup broth. Milk made him vomit, so I can't give that. Any other ideas? I am losing it, and he is just lying here, surrounded by sippy cups in hopes he'll decide to drink. I REALLY don't want to go back to the hospital. They couldn't get any veins since he was so dehydrated and had to keep poking him.

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

try a medicine dropper.....

hope he feels better! DS was in the hospital this past winter for the same thing....I feel so bad for you guys!

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

I have no advice but

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

So sorry Have you tried juice? Even if it's not something you give him it might be worth a try since he won't drink anything. Maybe start out with a dropper and if he likes it, maybe he'll continue drinking at least a little. Have you tried adding ice to the water in the sippy. My DS LOVES when my dad puts some ice in his sippy.

I hope he feels better soon.

ETA: I know how hard it can be to get them to drink. When my DS was sick I tried getting him to drink chamomille tea in a sippy and he wouldn't - if it's not water or milk he won't touch it.

Oh, just had an idea. What if you put it in a regular cup. My DS always wants to try whatever is in a regular cup.

Message edited 6/13/2011 3:27:34 PM.

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

Posted by pnbplus1

So sorry Have you tried juice? Even if it's not something you give him it might be worth a try since he won't drink anything. Maybe start out with a dropper and if he likes it, maybe he'll continue drinking at least a little. Have you tried adding ice to the water in the sippy. My DS LOVES when my dad puts some ice in his sippy.

I hope he feels better soon.

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

i was going to suggest ice chips too...

if he'll take them - then maybe make some ice cubes out of gatorade....and have him make them with you....

pour them in a ice cube tray and make a big show out of (once they are frozen) - putting them in a bag and hitting them with a mallet - or a hammer, he may like that a lot!

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

Is it possible his throat hurts, either from vomiting or from another infection going on (sometimes vomiting is a symptom of strep too)? In that case, maybe a pedialyte popsicle?

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

Can you have a "Tea" party? DS loves to drink out of his little tea cups?

They have those mesh feeding bags - maybe some watermellon or an icepop?

How old is DS?

Message edited 6/13/2011 3:36:31 PM.

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

What about ice in that mesh feeder thing?
At least it's SOME water.
My DD wasn't feeling well this weekend and was sucking on that like it was going out of style...

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

when my DD was sick and wouldn't drink, my ped told me to squirt pedialyte in her mouth every 15mins. he told me to literally set a timer, so i did. every little bit helps, hope it works for you!

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

Put lots of ice in the pedialyte, its so sweet so it may be a turnoff to him. I have to cut it with water for ds.

Maybe
Applesauce
Italian ices
I would try the dropper, and if you have to hold him down ansd squit it in to avoid the hospital again, I would do that.

Hope he feels better soon.

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

Can you make ice pops out of the pedialyte??

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

have you tried all flavors of pedialyte - my girls don't love it but will drinks some flavors over others. What about their ice pops?

My old ped used to also say to try ginger ale if nothing else went down bubbles stirred out/flat make sure there are no bubbles.

What about taking the ginger ale and making ice pops with that?

Have you tried some home made chicken broth (just boil some chicken with onion and carrots) and just give the broth. Can he tolerate any solids? If so try putting some pastina or something like that into the soup to help him eat some.

If you can get only a few sips in at a time - to at least get him started.

I assume you also tried beef broth?

Normally I would say no juice - but if he is really not drinking you might want to ask your ped - if he isn't have diarrhea - then maybe some really watered down apple juice - or apple juice ice pops might work - say away from any of the juices that are more acidic.

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

Use the medicine dropper, like a tsp every 10 minutes. It does get tedious, but hopefully it will work.

My DS will drink nothing but milk at home. he won't eat icepops, chips, anything. When he has had really bad stomach bugs, the dropper is the only way I can get fluid into him. I also try a little bit of applesauce at a time since it has some fluid in it and he is usually able to keep it down.

I also usually use the unflavored pedialyte or watered down gatorade. My DS doesn't like the flavored pedialite either.

Message edited 6/13/2011 4:11:21 PM.

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

Thanks everyone! DS will be 2 in a couple weeks, and I'll try all of these suggestions! So helpful to have the advice of so many mamas!

The hospital tried giving him the pedialyte icepops, but those are nasty!!! I don't blame him for not eating it--I thought they were really metallic tasting!

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

Posted by nov04libride

Thanks everyone! DS will be 2 in a couple weeks, and I'll try all of these suggestions! So helpful to have the advice of so many mamas!

The hospital tried giving him the pedialyte icepops, but those are nasty!!! I don't blame him for not eating it--I thought they were really metallic tasting!

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

Is there anything that he would think is FUN to drink out of. My DS would enjoy drinking from a coffee cup since Dh drinks from it often, or a straw.

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

have you tried a bottle - i know he is proabbly off of them but it worked for my son when he was dehydrated - to me it was better then an IV - i was trying everything too

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

Definitely use the medicine dropper. Just squirt a little water or gatorade in his mouth every 5-10 minutes. I hope your little guy feels better soon.

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

Any luck getting fluids in Will??


I wanted to say I had GREAT success getting Ann to drink juice and milk from baby bottles I found in the closet last night (after reading the suggestion here - so thanks!!!). Between late last night and this morning, she drank two full bottles of juice and two full bottles of milk!

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

I hate to say it, but did you try giving him the bottle?? I had to do that when my oldest was around 2...i gave her back the bottle to drink whatever liquid in so we didn't wind up admitted to the hospital.

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

I know the ped said to stay away from sugar but what about trying some soda. DS LOVES soda but rarely ever gets it so it would be a treat if he could have soda.

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

Thanks for all of the advice on here!!! What helped most was the dropper recommendation--we were able to get a couple tsp. at a time w/ the dropper. The ped. suggested rice milk (dairy was making him vomit), and he's started drinking that.

Looks like (fingers crossed) we may be able to avoid a second trip to the hospital. Thanks again!

Re: Help! ER for dehydration and DS still won't drink...

omg I'm just seeing this!

Poor guy - I really hope he feels better soon... you poor mama, it must be so frustrating trying to get him to drink when he doesn't want to