breastmilk is not an option for sick toddler, so what is?

[mom2tig99Nroo03]

what to give to a 2 yr old who has had diarrhea for several days and starting puking a fe whours ago? he is also running a temp (not sure how high as i don't usually check the actual temp anyways) and just plain miserable.

inexpensive suggestions please for how to best keep him hydrated? i had a bottle of powerade so i watered that down a bit and tried to get him a few sips of it....

other things i have are cranberry juice, and grape juice, as well as pediasure, btu he doesn't really drink it much when well even plus the fact that it is dairy based.

i still have more than half a bottle of powerade too if that winds up being the best bet for him. is "pedialyte" much different than powerade? they both have salt and sugar, are they in similar amounts?

i am still pumping , but get less than 4 oz a day now, so i AM giving him mama's milk, but obviously <4 oz isn't gonna cut it for a feverish, pukey, kiddo who has runny poo.

thanks if you ahve any suggestions.

[katelove]

Can you get some oral rehydration salts from the chemist? That's probably the best thing. 

[Bokonon]

I would give straight Gatorade, a teaspoonful every few minutes.  I'm not sure how Powerade compares, but Gatorade is what we were advised when my son couldn't stop throwing up.

[mom2tig99Nroo03]

thnx

[homemademom]

How's your ds doing today?
 

[tavamom]

I would definitely NOT give a sugar drink to sick kids.  Sugars make your body work harder and take longer to heal.  I would give chicken broth with salt, especially homemade chicken stock with rice.  I'd give water, broth, some watered-down juice, some homemade ginger ale (not the sugary storebought stuff).

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by tavamom 

I would definitely NOT give a sugar drink to sick kids.  Sugars make your body work harder and take longer to heal.  I would give chicken broth with salt, especially homemade chicken stock with rice.  I'd give water, broth, some watered-down juice, some homemade ginger ale (not the sugary storebought stuff).

I think the rationale behind it is the only sports drinks like Gatorade have electrolytes in the proper concentration to help stop the vomiting and restore hydration quickly.  

Like I said, when my son was sick, we tried water, watered-down apple juice, broth, etc. and nothing worked until we gave the Gatorade suggested by the nurse.  Even the "light" Gatorade didn't work.

[mom2tig99Nroo03]

thanks, i forgot to come back.

ds has sent the tummy bug packing. at least the pukiness. he has still been ahving some horrible poo diapers, not sure if it is dietary or teething related.. now if we can shake the colds or whatever that are starting up around here. sore throats and a bit of coughing in all kids, plus mama. (well not sure if lil ds' throat is sore, but he has a little cough.)

[1love4ever]

Originally Posted by tavamom 

I would definitely NOT give a sugar drink to sick kids.  Sugars make your body work harder and take longer to heal.  I would give chicken broth with salt, especially homemade chicken stock with rice.  I'd give water, broth, some watered-down juice, some homemade ginger ale (not the sugary storebought stuff).

I absolutely agree!  Not only that, but gatorade and poweraid contain high fructose corn syrup and synthetic colors which are just horrible for you!  They are not healthy at all and will not help him heal.  And the electrolytes it has?  They are SALT, read the ingredeint label.  Give him some kind of drink, broth, etc that is mostly water and add some salt.  What I would honestly do is use a juicer to make fresh juice, use some apples, pears, beets, spinach, whatever you got.  Use fruit for sweetness and veggies because they are nutrient dense and will help him heal as well as help ward off illness(add a little raw garlic if you can get away with it too, GREAT for fighting illness and preventing it!).  Then add some filtered water and some real, pure salt(not Mortons garbage that has all the extra ingredients, read the label), and give it to him.  He will probably like the thicker texture, and like the bright color if you use beets, so will be more likely to drink it.  I also give DD probiotics, here are my favs http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Life-Probiotics-Kids-3-4-Ounce/dp/B004H9O4VG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1319496708&sr=8-3    http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Life-Defense-76-8-Grams-Plastic/dp/B0010WD31A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1319496708&sr=8-2   Probiotics can help prevent illness as well as promote and help healing.  On that note you could also give him kefir to drink, DD loves it, and I water it down just to make it last longer.  Raw goats milk is also awesome, as well as raw cows milk.  Echinacea, elderberry and goldenseal are good for the cold/flu season.  they help highten immune response and actually work quite well.  I am getting Gaia Herbs brand drops of ech/gold and eld syrup from vitacost.com