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Children's health

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Dehydrated toddler - any advice

29 replies

Bobholll · 28/07/2021 19:14

My DD has chicken pox two weeks ago & had spots in her mouth. She went right off eating & drinking although drank OK, just less than usual. Then she went back to nursery for a day & picked up norovirus. She was really poorly for 12 hours, vomiting every 15 mins the entire time. Since then, she’s barely eaten & drinking is tiny sips at a time. She went to hospital yesterday because she’d become really dehydrated. They checked her over & said she also has tonsillitis & gave her a whack of painkillers & throat spray. Didn’t want to give her antibiotics as this is her 4th case on tonsillitis in 4 months. In 5 hours, they got 5ml of water down her but said so long as we kept that up, we could go home. They were extremely busy & had people queuing for our bed (we were in the covid triage zone as she had a fever). I don’t think we got very good care at all.

Anyway, back home, we managed maybe another 5ml before bed & about 3 licks of an ice pop. She slept OK, woke up screaming a couple times but settled.

Today, she’s been the most miserable, lethargic kid I’ve ever seen. It’s like every moment was hard work & painful. She’s not moved off the sofa once. We are getting tiny bits of liquid down - a sip of water, a sip of milk, few more licks of an ice pop. A teaspoon of jelly. No food at all. She is having wet nappies but it’s one small, yellow wee every 7-8 hours.

Should I worry? I’m really concerned it’s been 6 days of very limited fluids. I kept getting told yesterday so long as she’s having wet nappies, it’s fine. Well, she is but there’s really not much wee! & this is now over several days. She’s clearly not very well at all.. I feel so worried 😢

OP posts:
finova · 28/07/2021 19:19

Can she manage 5ml every 5 min?
I think you want a wet nappy every 6 hours. At least 3-4 over 24 hours.
If no to above I’d take her back in.

Marshmon · 28/07/2021 19:21

I’d take her back

Happygogoat · 28/07/2021 19:24

I would take her back, seems like you had rubbish care.

My child was recently dehydrated and they did 5ml every 5 mins for 6 hours after giving her anti sickness meds. Waited until she perked, did wees, and tested her blood sugars before discharge. Use a calpol syringe as you can't monitor sips.

Is she thirsty? Frankly you need to be making this happen rather than just waiting but yes if she is neither interested/thirsty or doing wees then I'd go back. Hope she improves soon sounds like a run of rotten bugs.

orangejuicer · 28/07/2021 19:24

Take her back in.

Will squash help?

Notavegan · 28/07/2021 19:27

Rubbish care. They should have done a fluid challenge . Had it twice in a&e with my daughter. Can you go elsewhere?

Hyppogriff · 28/07/2021 19:29

I would call them and see if you can take her back. When my baby wouldn’t drink or eat I literally syringed dioralyte into his
Mouth . Not pretty but needs must.

Hyppogriff · 28/07/2021 19:30

Also skips are apparently good for helping to restore salts. Ice cream, ice pops … I tried literally everything also alongside the syringing (can use a calpol syringe - just get some liquid in). Every 30 mins I did a bit some (can’t remember how much though). Make sure it’s full Sugar squash too

UpToMyElbowsInDiapers · 28/07/2021 19:31

It’s a fine balance though… I agree with PPs that it would be ideal for her to be monitored and getting fluids in hospital, but if they take a long time to admit you when you go back and don’t offer a great standard of care, then you might have been better off at home. I’d be inclined to wage a 6-hour campaign of offering watermelon, ice lollies, and water through a twirly straw before bringing her back in. If no decent nappies in that time, then yes, back to the hospital.

When my toddler DS had norovirus a few weeks ago, he developed a fondness for chewing on plain ice chips as well. Worth a try?

Hyppogriff · 28/07/2021 19:31

Also made jelly with dioralyte !

Annoyedandirritated · 28/07/2021 19:33

Ice lolly’s?

Tomselleckhaskindeyes · 28/07/2021 19:38

i know this sounds awful but a doctor once recommended coke when my son had a stomach bug.

Tomselleckhaskindeyes · 28/07/2021 19:38

However i think you maybe need to go to hospital. x

purplesequins · 28/07/2021 19:41

will she have jelly or ice cream?
chocolate or pink milk?

VaguelyInteresting · 28/07/2021 19:44

Terrible for teeth- but lemonade with some of the fizz shaken out? My DS had chronic tonsillitis and sometimes something like that would just break the cycle of him refusing liquids and we could then go to weak squash and water.

Annoyedandirritated · 28/07/2021 19:48

Sorry didn’t read fully, you have already tried that. Poor little baby Sad

Bobholll · 28/07/2021 22:16

We’ve tried everything, lolly’s, ice cream, jelly, ice cubes, water, milk, frozen milk., she won’t have a syringe anywhere near her mouth. She clamps it shut, we can’t get it past her teeth! Also tried a spoon 😓😓

The only success we get is a sip of water after the difflam spray.

Poor thing, I’ve got her in bed with me tonight so I can try get some down through the night.. I’m so reluctant to go back to hospital. 5 hours in a room with covid positive patients wasn’t my favourite way to spend an afternoon! But obviously, whatever is best! Her covid test came back negative yesterday so hopefully we’d be put in non covid this time! She’s still spiking a horrible fever when the calpol wears off though ☹️

Thanks so much guys!

OP posts:
Bobholll · 28/07/2021 22:19

*also, with the syringe, if we kinda force it in, she just spits it all back out. Is there a technique to getting it in so she’ll swallow?! Oddly, she will swallow some calpol 🤷🏼‍♀️ A lot is also spat back but the first 2.5ml goes down!

OP posts:
Timeforabiscuit · 28/07/2021 22:30

Can you get her in a cool bath? I used to play "elephants" by filling my mouth with water and squirting it onto a floating target, kids would try and copy with a separate cup of water to recharge from (and some would get drunk!).

Might help if it's all getting a bit combative.

If they're a bit young for that, perhaps a soaking wet muslin to suck on?

You haven't mentioned their age but I'm guessing young toddler? They are stubborn as mules, and forcing anything just upped the ante, so silliness worked best, water pistols, mum and dad squirting syringes in an arch and trying to catch it? Dad trying to drink from a big cup and tipping it down himself - just don't be tempted to force it, they'll clamp up again.

IncludeWomenInThePrequel · 28/07/2021 22:30

Can you try half water half Calpol in the syringe maybe? Then dilute more, then just water?

It's hard, you've obviously tried almost everything I can think of! Poor wee sausage.

Timeforabiscuit · 28/07/2021 22:31

Oh and getting them to squirt water into your mouth, and then swapping works well too.

Droppingdown · 28/07/2021 22:34

Are you squirting it towards the side of her cheek towards the back rather than straight back?
I’d be taking her back though, if she isn’t drinking they need to be getting her fluids and I’d be pushing for antibiotics to clear it up, she can’t keep suffering and it sounds like her immune system is already through the floor at present. If she’s dehydrated that could cause her more problems, but I can’t see how they are happy at that. We’ve always had to do 5ml every 5 mins for a few hours for them to be satisfied.
Please consider going back tonight.

Wallabyone · 28/07/2021 22:36

When you syringe it in, try lightly blowing i.man her face. I do this to two of my children who are calpol refusing when very ill, and it sort of surprises them and ensures they swallow.
I hope she's better soon x

Happygogoat · 28/07/2021 22:37

Will she have squash? Just thinking if she doesn't mind sweetness of calpol but rejecting water, try some squash? Even quite strong, it's better than nothing!

Eloisedublin123 · 28/07/2021 22:40

If you can’t get some proper fluids in she may need a drip 🙁

emeraldcity2000 · 28/07/2021 22:43

How old is she? When my youngest was like this (at about 3) dh got an old baby bottle out as the last resort and she drank a whole bottle of dioralyte ... I'd been giving 5 ml from a syringe all night before then. Might be worth a try ... ❤️

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