A primary health concern for children, especially during infancy and the toddler years, is maintaining adequate fluid levels to support the many processes involved in growth, development and basic life support. However, unlike older children, toddlers are unable to clearly express when they are thirsty or dehydrated. This can quickly result in a serious health situation due to how easy it is for an infant to become dehydrated.
Body Size
One of the primary factors that contributes to how quickly an infant can become dehydrated is their small body frame. Infant's have very little tissue in comparison to adults and even older children, which limits the amount of water the body can store. While this is not a problem when an infant is healthy, infections with bacteria, fungi, parasites or viruses, or a lack of water or breast milk, can quickly lead to dehydration.
Diarrhea and Vomiting
When an infant's digestive system is infected with an invader, such as bacteria like E. coli, or a virus like the rotavirus, a common side effect is diarrhea. Diarrhea is a watery stool which can quickly deplete an infant's internal water supply, especially if the diarrhea persists for several days. This makes diarrhea one of the major contributing reasons for infant dehydration. Vomiting may also be associated with bacterial digestive infections or other health conditions, increasing the rate in which an infant becomes dehydrated.
Risks
As your infant loses water at an accelerated rate, the muscles, skin and body systems become affected. Water levels drop as well as the balance of internal electrolytes --components necessary for everything from your baby's heart beat to the proper function of the brain. Lack of water to these essential organs can eventually cause them to shut down, putting your baby at serious risk for organ failure and even death.
Treatment
When your infant shows signs of dehydration, such as dry lips, urinating less frequently, or dry and sticky gums inside the mouth, it's important to start rehydrating the child through water or hydration liquids made specifically for children like Pedialyte. When serious symptoms of dehydration develop, such as sunken eyes, change in demeanor, limpness to the body or lack of tears when crying, your child needs medical attention immediately to replace lost fluids through methods like intravenous emergency hydration.
