How do I know when my toddler is dehydrated?

Here's something we've been seeing in the ED recently:
I would also add dehydration for toddlers. Last Christmas we took my 18m old to the ER since he had only had 1 wet diaper in 8 hrs and was refusing to eat/drink. Our PCP's nurse sent us there...turned out to be Pneumonia.

In general, sick kids don't want to eat or drink. Kids who are eating and drinking ok are usually not as sick. This is why we always ask you if your child is eating or drinking ok when you take them to your health care provider. In general we don't care as much if the kid isn't eating. but if they're not drinking, this is a problem.

How do you know if your child is dehydrated?

• sunken eyes
• no wet diaper in 8 hours
• crying with no tears
• decreased activity level
• sunken fontanelle (soft spot) in a baby
• dry lips and mouth

If your child won't drink, try using a syringe to squirt small amounts into his mouth every 5-10 minutes. You can also try popsicles, freeze pops (there are pedialyte freeze pops), or jello. If your child won't drink milk then you can try pedialyte, diluted juice or ginger ale. DO NOT give your baby plain water because excessive amounts of water can be harmful to a baby.

If you cannot get your child to keep anything down or your child continues to vomit then you may need to bring her to the emergency department for IV fluids.

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