Rehydrating Your Child Naturally: Homemade Pedialyte
I get a lot of questions about this from readers and have also wondered myself…how do you rehydrate your sick child without succumbing to the artificial ingredients found in Pedialyte?
Just ask any pediatrician across the country and they’ll likely say this is the beverage of choice when it comes to your little one recovering from the stomach bug… And in case you are not familiar with Pedialyte, it's a hydration solution that is meant to offset the effects (such as vomiting or diarrhea) of illnesses like the flu. -
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- I am not saying this drink won't provide your sick child with some much needed nutrients (we've used it before ourselves years ago), but what about the unnecessary extras it comes with like artificial flavors, sweeteners, and color (yellow 6)?
We've already discussed some disturbing facts about the artificial dyes that require a warning label in many countries outside of the US, but as far as I can tell there aren’t many acceptable rehydration alternatives that don’t contain them (Gatorade or other sports drinks often come up as another electrolyte solution but it's also full of artificial sweeteners and dyes).
And when I asked our pediatrician’s office if they could please recommend another option, since I wanted to avoid the questionable artificial ingredients in Pedialyte, they had no idea what I was talking about. I am honestly not sure why I was surprised.
So I decided to reach out to a local, board-certified pediatrician, who is also trained in integrative medicine, for some better choices on fast rehydration. Dr. Sheila Kilbane shared with me that there is actually an alternative, and it's a well-known recipe provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) called Oral Rehydration Salts/Solution (N-ORS). In so many words she said this solution was created for those in developing countries that can't just run down the street to the nearest Piggly Wiggly to grab some Pedialyte.
And after she explained it to me like that it made complete sense that there would be an acceptable, easy alternative to Pedialyte in existence. So I then went back to our regular pediatrician's office and specifically asked if ORS would adequately replenish my child during a time of dehydration and this time they said "yes." It's amazing to me the amount of pull drug companies have on our doctors these days because Pedialyte is of course made by Abbott, one of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies on the planet.
I'd like to share this "Homemade Pedialyte" N-ORS version with you today, but with one warning message...
Disclaimer: This recipe is recommended for children who are older than 1, generally healthy with properly functioning kidneys, and not experiencing severe dehydration or high fever (which would probably require direct medical attention anyhow). And, as always, follow your own doctor's advice over anything you find on the internet!
Homemade Pedialyte Recipe
Mix together:
1 quart water
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
Note: If you fear your child will think this drink is too plain consider adding in a couple splashes of orange Juice. Also, the sugar and salt may dissolve more easily if you warm up the water first. You could also pour this solution into freezer pop molds and make homemade Pedialyte popsicles.
I did also ask Dr. Kilbane about using coconut water for rehydration since it does contain some natural electrolytes, but the concern there is the lack of sodium. Your body needs the sodium to help you retain the liquid, otherwise it will just go right through you. You could potentially add ¼ teaspoon table salt and some OJ to coconut water to make sure both the sodium and sugar aspects are covered, but the recipe above is a sure thing.
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Lisa is a wife, mother, foodie, blogger, and #1 New York Times Best-selling author who is on a mission to cut out processed food.
Comments
Casssays
Just be very very careful that the measurements in the WHO recipe must be exact. And splashing a dollop of orange juice or other sweetner in could upset the balance of sugar and salt and affect absorption. Your bowel needs a small amount of sugar to help it absorb fluid during times of gastro. However too little sugar (or glucose) is ineffectual and too much can actually increase fluid loss and so make you child sicker. This is what used to kill children when people were advised to give undiluted flat lemonade.
I am not sure what products are available in the USA but in Australia there a couple of different preparations which come in sachet or disperable tablet form. The unflavoured version of these does not contain any colours or flavours. These commercially made powders also contain other salts such as potassium which may be important in some forms of gasro illness or if your child is significantly dehydrated.
There is a different solution that just launched in Walgreens and CVS (in the baby aisle) called DripDrop. It is also an ORS, developed by a Mayo-trained physician. DripDrop does not contain any artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. It is sweetened with sucrose, fructose and a very small amount of sucralose, so that may be a non starter for this audience, but an all natural solution is on it's way. Full disclosure, I work for this company, but I follow 100 Days as a mom myself. Anyway, I just thought you might want to know there is something else out there.
I would strongly recommend to use raw honey instead of sugar (even better if you can afford to get Manuka Honey). The nutrition is greatly different. And to use pink Himalayan salts instead of regular salts -to mineralize better. Same amounts. You can add a little lemon juice and a splash of apple juice for taste that kids will like. If your kid doesn't have a cold, or if it isn't too cold outside then use coconut water as your base water. (Coconut is very cooling).
Cristina -Ayurvedic Counselor.
I would recommend a different juice other than OJ. If your child ends up vomiting that OJ is not going to be fun. How about a tiny bit of ginger? That would help the tummy and maybe add a bit of flavor. Just thinking out loud :)
I have two teenagers that are very physically active and feel like they need a good option to rehydrate. I was horrified after researching some of the ingredients in the sports drinks that I have been paying big money for! In searching for an alternative I went to the baby aisle for pediasure
....to only find a lot of the same ingredients! Could not believe it! ...Thank you for posting & I hope you will consider posting good recipes for rehydration drinks for teens. **greatly needed! :)
I have a 2.5 year old that we found out earlier this year can not absorb any sugars. I have been using this recipe for some time, but my Pedi GI pointed out to me that the true form of this recipe uses powdered glucose, rather than sucrose (table sugar). Here in the US we tend to see sugar and think of what we are used to, but when they hand this out in 3rd world countries it is with the simplest form of sugar, which is glucose. It won't make much difference for most kids, but if you have a child who has GI issues it can make a difference. For us making it with sucrose would make her significantly sicker, but with glucose it helps her get better. Just thought I'd mention for people with less sugar tolerant kids. :)
Erika, how much powder glucose did your Dr say to use for this recipe? Did he/she mention anything about the salt? Use regular table salt? Sea salt? Himalayan pink salt?
Thx for sharing this info!
The recipe is 1 cup water, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 tps salt. The salt is just regular table salt. This recipe is mainly used in 3rd world countries, so just basic plain salt. You probably could use sea salt too, you just probably wouldn't want it to be too course, especially if feeding to a baby or small child who is using a bottle or sippy cup. Do you have someone in your family who has issues absorbing sugars?
Kizsays
Thanks for the info. I do not have anyone in the home who has trouble absorbing sugar, but I am trying to omit sugar from our diet as much as possible. Both my kids 7 years & 16 months, are showing signs of skin dermatitis and the Drs haven't been of help to find out what is triggering it. It seems to be seasonal so right now my 16m is showing signs of it and this time last year my son had it really bad. He now has mild skin discoloration from the dry scaley patches that formed last year, so I am working changing their diet and omitting things like sugar & gluten to see if that helps. My 16m old just got the flu and doesn't want to eat or drink many fluids so I am going to try out this recipe to keep her hydrated.
Thx again!
Erikasays
I think less sugar is good. Hopefully you find something that works for your kids. If your baby doesn't take to it right away, keep trying. Mine wouldn't drink it at first, I think because it tasted funny. I tried in a bottle, a sippy, a regular cup. Finally when I put it in a medicine syringe thing and squeezed it into her mouth she took it. I think she thought it was fine that it tasted weird if it was 'medicine.' Now we actually call it her medicine water.
Has your dr ruled out excema? My 4 year old deals with excema that is aggravated by many things; seasons, contact irritants, and foods. One of the biggest things that helped with her was switching to homemade laundry detergent. I promise, I do purchase things! But it is so much easier to make the detergent then hear her complain every 3 minutes that she is itchy and it hurts. And much less sad. Just curious if you have tried that? I'm not really sure the differences between skin dermatitis and excema, so I don't know if it would help or not, but I know that I have several friends who have kids with different skin issues and that seems to help most of them.
Kizsays
The dr said it isn't eczema, but I am going to take them to a dermatologist and see what they say. The only thing that I have found works is a hazelwood necklace, but my 7 year old won't wear them, he always breaks them after a few weeks and I haven't found one with a break away clasp for my 16 month, and even if I did she would rip off the Baltic Amber I bought her for her teething. Have you tried the hazelwood necklace for your kids? Google it. It helps with eczema and GERD and other issues. I haven't tried the homemade soap, but maybe I should. I have so many different recipes for it, I just haven't gotten around to trying it. The only thing the dr said was to use aquaphor lotion 2x a day and that it would help with their skin. It hasn't. I may try hazelwood lotion next. Thanks for all the good advice. It was a little bit of a struggle giving her this pedialyte version but like you said, I kept trying and she seems ok now. This will be my go to from now on. :)
Magdasays
What do you recommend for ear infections? Thank you
Erika, how much of the powder glucose should be used in this recipe? Did your Dr make any other suggestion on the salt? Regular table salt? Himalayan pink salt? Sea salt?
I liked this recipe since I didnt want to use store bought pedialyte. I hope it will work for my son. How do we store it? Is it ok to keep it in a room or should I put it into fridge? Thanks
Finally tried this today! It was so simple to make and my son drank it right up! I added a splash of OJ and a little lime juice! I'm thankful for a natural alternative that is sooo cheap and easy to make!
My kids love this drink. I go by the directions but add the juice of one lemon (it's about 1/4 cup). I always wonder though if I'm using the right salt...I use celtic sea salt in this..should I be using a different kind..what about regular table salt? Thank you!
Hi Christy. You can go over to Dr. Kilbane's site: http://www.sheilakilbane.com/ and ask her direstly or give her a call but I am fairly sure that the type of salt doesn't matter. Sodium is the essential ingredient which will help the body hold onto the fluids. ~Amy
Thanks for posting this. I found this when I needed it badly, and my current recipe was inspired from this.
I use a weak lemonade with a little lower salt amount - so that the salt is not obvious in the flavor. I also use sea salt instead of refined salt. Regular homemade lemonade uses 1 heaping cup of sugar, 1 shy cup of organic lemon juice, and about a quarter tsp of real vanilla, with enough water to make 2 quarts. I dilute that to make about 3 quarts of lemonade, then add 3/4 tsp salt.
The sugar amount is higher, but that is generally not a problem, and can actually be helpful when someone is not only dehydrated but is not able to eat enough.
It is very helpful, but I also found that it should be consumed slowly. If someone is dehydrated then too much of any liquid at one time can cause nausea.
My little girl is highly sensitive to chemicals especially artificial dyes and colors. When she was about 1 1/2 she had a nasty stomach bug and of course we gave her orange Pedialyte. Instead of helping her it made her symptoms worse and we ended up at the ER. Then she was admitted for observation as it was running out of her non stop and was still the same orange color. We now know that the reason this happened is because she is intolerant to the artificial colors and flavorings. If she eats or drinks anything artificial we are in for stomach issues and/or behavior issues. We have her on the Feingold diet for this reason but, we hadn't faced an illness since figuring out her sensitivities. I was so excited to find your post!! Thank you so much. She is drinking the solution and keeping it down no problem. Hopefully we are on the right track now so we can get our little girl healthy again.
Thanks a lot for posting this! I hate to buy pedialyte , in fact I never felt safe giving tons of artificial ingredients to my kiddo when he is sick. Back home in Pakistan, we always use to drink ORS for the cure of dehydration. Few drops of lemons added to ORS gives it a pleasant taste.
Awesome recipe! Have you tried young coconut water? My husband and I recently went on a hike and only brought straight water, big mistake! Since then I came up with a recipe that I will being taking on our next hike or when we become sick! It uses coconut water, local spring water, high quality apple juice, and high quality sea salt! I decided to go with juice rather than sugar, as it adds more beneficial vitamins and minerals! Have a great day and God bless!
I think it's worth mentioning that there is now a version of Pedialyte with no artificial flavors, sweeteners, or dyes. Its ingredients say: Water, Dextrose, Potassium Citrate, Salt, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid and Zinc Gluconate. I am not a doctor, but I know salt contains sodium and not potassium which is also very important so I think the ORS may be lacking in some ways. I use the home remedy when its just a stomach bug with no signs of dehydration, but since my toddler woke up this morning acting listless with dry eyes and mouth I was very happy to find this dye-free pedialyte at my local Publix.
The actual ORS recipe has potassium chloride and sodium bicarbonate in it too. To get the potassium chloride look for a 'salt substitute' and the bi-carb is just bi-carb (or baking) soda.
Heya we are for the key occasion below. I stumbled upon this plank and i also in discovering It truly handy & the item forced me to be out much. I hope to show a little something returning and also assist some others that you solved the problem.
The reason your doctor didn't know what you're talking about when you mentioned artificial ingredients is because you're just talking non sense. You think sugar, and salt aren't processed? You think they're 100% natural? Don't worry about the petty things. They don't matter in the long run.
Hi Michele. If you read through the comments, you will see others readers comments on coconut water. :) It is often used to replace sports drinks, as well. ~Amy
Thank you! I live in a rural area and it is quite a trek to go to the store especially while trying to care for a sick one. I usually have these ingredients on hand. So much easier!
Thank you for this! Neither of my kids would ever drink Pedialyte, they didn't like the sweetness or the texture (thicker than water, juice or Gatorade). I tried to drink it once and can't say I blame them.
I have relied on broth or watered down juice. Didn't realize the importance of salt. Will try this version next time.
My son has severe leg cramps at night and drinks a small amount (4 oz??) of Gatorade or Powerade every night mixed with 8 oz of water to help ward off the cramps. Do you think this drink would serve a similar purpose? We have gone to dye-free sports drinks but it still has tons of other stuff in it.
My 7 year old son recently caught a nasty stomach bug that was going around and was probably puking 20x a day. I took him to his family doctor where they basically told me I needed to go out and buy a can of chicken noodle soup and pediylate because he was dehydrated. I told her I would make my own soup & Pedialyte and she made me sound like an incompetent parent because I wasn't going to purchase it like she recommended. She said something like "I don't care if you put him back on his regular diet then he needs to have these things" I ignored it, thanked her and went on to thaw out chicken broth I already had in the freezer and mix the few ingredients your recipe for pedilyte called for. Plus a little coconut water. I couldn't get the food & liquid in him fast enough so I decided to take him to the ER anyway. He could barely walk on his own from the dehydration and he had lost 5 lbs at this point. One of the nurses again suggested getting him to drink. She said "How about Pedialyte & Apple juice mixed together?" I said I prefer him not to have these things, I brought my own that I made at home. She asked what was in it and went to consult one of the doctors about the ingredients. Apparently it was okay but the kid hadn't eaten in 4 days and his stomach wasn't up to the amount of liquid they needed him to consume in a short amount of time. His heart rate way too high and they ended up needed to give him an IV anyway. Before we left another one of the doctrs against recommended going to buy a can of chicken noodle soup where I repeated that I made my own. I told her I used the carcus of the chicken along with a bunch of vegetables. She said what about salt? One thing the cans contain are a lot of salt. I said yes I used garlic salt. She said well regular salt contains iodine I assured her I only use organic ingredients. So basically she was concerned about the type of salt I used but not the fact that she just suggested I buy junk out of a can. Basically I just wanted to share my story so people know how much the healthcare industry will push you to do the norm and you need to stick up for your rights and your children even in a scary time. So this Pediylate recipe is in fact several doctors approved and don't be afraid to refuse store bought pedialyte next time someone suggests it to you.
Here's the thing--salt does not replace electrolytes. Na+ and Cl- are electrolytes, but there are many more-Mg2+, Ca2+, HCO3-, K+ and a few others that are essential for muscle function, blood pH, brain activity, neuron communication--- you know, life.
Salt prevents your body from loosing water. The balance of salt (NaCl) on the inside of the cell vs. outside of the cell is changed when you are dehydrated. Cells get rid of water to try and keep the salt gradient in check. When you drink something with salt in it, you are trying to keep the fluid in the cell by correcting the imbalance.
I always use essential oils first. I use doterra oils which are pure enough to ingest. They are also safe for the kiddos. Ginger and Peppermint oil is amazing for little ones and a blend called digest zen has fennel. Can be rubbed right on their bellies or feet with a carrier oil.
Regarding “tameredwaterâ€, seems that the Reformation is still being fought in some fields. But a point in her favor, processed foods have brought down food poisoning to a point where it's not longer a real problem. Food poisoning was a regular occurrence only 30-50 years ago, now it's practically unknown. So, yes there's positive side to processed foods, but perhaps the down side is we surrender our knowledge (and perhaps our health) to the processors and forget that we don't need them for everything. So, yes learn alternatives to Pedialyte but perhaps also understand why some favor processed foods.
I imagine another factor in the dependence on Pedialyte by some institutions is the markup on the product. There's probably not a billing code for:
1 quart water
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Besides, if you prepare this on your own, you'll probably not see a doctor, then how would they bill you.
Ok. I'm not from the US. I just thought there would some kind of magical alternative to Pedialyte, but this recipe has been used in my home ever since I was born. Pedialyte is just the same recipe contaminated with artificial stuff (as usual). It is funny how the medical field is so advanced in the US, but at the same time so behind common sense i.e basic rehydration recipe.
Thank you for this recipe. I just called regarding my son who is sick and when the nurse suggested pedialyte, I balked. Not only am I against all the artificial additives, but it is literally -14 degrees here today (without windchill). No way am I taking my sick kid to the grocery store in this. He is drinking his homemade pedialyte as we speak. As some one in the medical field, I find it appalling that medical professionals can be so narrow-minded. Hydration is not rocket-science. Thank you for your post! :)
Thanks for this recipe. My daughter has a rare condition that causes severe food and chemical allergies and as such is allergic to citric acid which is found in all brand and off brand flavored and unflavored pedialyte. I even checked out baby's only pediavance and they only had flavord versions and had lactic acid in them. So i am thrilled to see a recipe i can use for her that wont cause a major reaction.
Cass says
Just be very very careful that the measurements in the WHO recipe must be exact. And splashing a dollop of orange juice or other sweetner in could upset the balance of sugar and salt and affect absorption. Your bowel needs a small amount of sugar to help it absorb fluid during times of gastro. However too little sugar (or glucose) is ineffectual and too much can actually increase fluid loss and so make you child sicker. This is what used to kill children when people were advised to give undiluted flat lemonade.
I am not sure what products are available in the USA but in Australia there a couple of different preparations which come in sachet or disperable tablet form. The unflavoured version of these does not contain any colours or flavours. These commercially made powders also contain other salts such as potassium which may be important in some forms of gasro illness or if your child is significantly dehydrated.
Colby says
There is a different solution that just launched in Walgreens and CVS (in the baby aisle) called DripDrop. It is also an ORS, developed by a Mayo-trained physician. DripDrop does not contain any artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. It is sweetened with sucrose, fructose and a very small amount of sucralose, so that may be a non starter for this audience, but an all natural solution is on it's way. Full disclosure, I work for this company, but I follow 100 Days as a mom myself. Anyway, I just thought you might want to know there is something else out there.
cris says
I would strongly recommend to use raw honey instead of sugar (even better if you can afford to get Manuka Honey). The nutrition is greatly different. And to use pink Himalayan salts instead of regular salts -to mineralize better. Same amounts. You can add a little lemon juice and a splash of apple juice for taste that kids will like. If your kid doesn't have a cold, or if it isn't too cold outside then use coconut water as your base water. (Coconut is very cooling).
Cristina -Ayurvedic Counselor.
Dee says
I saw that Ella's Kitchen has a new electrolyte drink. I am curious what your thoughts are on this?
http://www.ellaskitchen.com/ellas_range/waters/
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Dee. I'm not really familiar with company or their products but agave is a bit of a red flag for me, personally. ~Amy
ary says
I would recommend a different juice other than OJ. If your child ends up vomiting that OJ is not going to be fun. How about a tiny bit of ginger? That would help the tummy and maybe add a bit of flavor. Just thinking out loud :)
KJ says
I wonder if honey could be used in place of the sugar?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi KJ. Here is an additional resource: http://rehydrate.org/ors/made-at-home.htm. ~Amy
sbbroome says
Pediasure/pedialye
sbbroome says
I have two teenagers that are very physically active and feel like they need a good option to rehydrate. I was horrified after researching some of the ingredients in the sports drinks that I have been paying big money for! In searching for an alternative I went to the baby aisle for pediasure
....to only find a lot of the same ingredients! Could not believe it! ...Thank you for posting & I hope you will consider posting good recipes for rehydration drinks for teens. **greatly needed! :)
Kerron says
Would it still be two tablespoons if you used glucose syrup instead of table sugar?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Kerron. Not certain of this. You might want to ask Dr. Kilbane directly at: http://www.sheilakilbane.com/and. ~Amy
Erika says
I have a 2.5 year old that we found out earlier this year can not absorb any sugars. I have been using this recipe for some time, but my Pedi GI pointed out to me that the true form of this recipe uses powdered glucose, rather than sucrose (table sugar). Here in the US we tend to see sugar and think of what we are used to, but when they hand this out in 3rd world countries it is with the simplest form of sugar, which is glucose. It won't make much difference for most kids, but if you have a child who has GI issues it can make a difference. For us making it with sucrose would make her significantly sicker, but with glucose it helps her get better. Just thought I'd mention for people with less sugar tolerant kids. :)
Kiz says
Erika, how much powder glucose did your Dr say to use for this recipe? Did he/she mention anything about the salt? Use regular table salt? Sea salt? Himalayan pink salt?
Thx for sharing this info!
Erika says
Kiz,
The recipe is 1 cup water, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 tps salt. The salt is just regular table salt. This recipe is mainly used in 3rd world countries, so just basic plain salt. You probably could use sea salt too, you just probably wouldn't want it to be too course, especially if feeding to a baby or small child who is using a bottle or sippy cup. Do you have someone in your family who has issues absorbing sugars?
Kiz says
Thanks for the info. I do not have anyone in the home who has trouble absorbing sugar, but I am trying to omit sugar from our diet as much as possible. Both my kids 7 years & 16 months, are showing signs of skin dermatitis and the Drs haven't been of help to find out what is triggering it. It seems to be seasonal so right now my 16m is showing signs of it and this time last year my son had it really bad. He now has mild skin discoloration from the dry scaley patches that formed last year, so I am working changing their diet and omitting things like sugar & gluten to see if that helps. My 16m old just got the flu and doesn't want to eat or drink many fluids so I am going to try out this recipe to keep her hydrated.
Thx again!
Erika says
I think less sugar is good. Hopefully you find something that works for your kids. If your baby doesn't take to it right away, keep trying. Mine wouldn't drink it at first, I think because it tasted funny. I tried in a bottle, a sippy, a regular cup. Finally when I put it in a medicine syringe thing and squeezed it into her mouth she took it. I think she thought it was fine that it tasted weird if it was 'medicine.' Now we actually call it her medicine water.
Has your dr ruled out excema? My 4 year old deals with excema that is aggravated by many things; seasons, contact irritants, and foods. One of the biggest things that helped with her was switching to homemade laundry detergent. I promise, I do purchase things! But it is so much easier to make the detergent then hear her complain every 3 minutes that she is itchy and it hurts. And much less sad. Just curious if you have tried that? I'm not really sure the differences between skin dermatitis and excema, so I don't know if it would help or not, but I know that I have several friends who have kids with different skin issues and that seems to help most of them.
Kiz says
The dr said it isn't eczema, but I am going to take them to a dermatologist and see what they say. The only thing that I have found works is a hazelwood necklace, but my 7 year old won't wear them, he always breaks them after a few weeks and I haven't found one with a break away clasp for my 16 month, and even if I did she would rip off the Baltic Amber I bought her for her teething. Have you tried the hazelwood necklace for your kids? Google it. It helps with eczema and GERD and other issues. I haven't tried the homemade soap, but maybe I should. I have so many different recipes for it, I just haven't gotten around to trying it. The only thing the dr said was to use aquaphor lotion 2x a day and that it would help with their skin. It hasn't. I may try hazelwood lotion next. Thanks for all the good advice. It was a little bit of a struggle giving her this pedialyte version but like you said, I kept trying and she seems ok now. This will be my go to from now on. :)
Magda says
What do you recommend for ear infections? Thank you
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Magda. Hop over to http://www.sheilakilbane.com pose this question there. If they are frequent, she will likely implicate dairy. ~Amy
Kiz says
Erika, how much of the powder glucose should be used in this recipe? Did your Dr make any other suggestion on the salt? Regular table salt? Himalayan pink salt? Sea salt?
Thx
Anna says
I liked this recipe since I didnt want to use store bought pedialyte. I hope it will work for my son. How do we store it? Is it ok to keep it in a room or should I put it into fridge? Thanks
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Anna. I would put it in the fridge. ~Amy
Chrissy says
Finally tried this today! It was so simple to make and my son drank it right up! I added a splash of OJ and a little lime juice! I'm thankful for a natural alternative that is sooo cheap and easy to make!
Christy says
My kids love this drink. I go by the directions but add the juice of one lemon (it's about 1/4 cup). I always wonder though if I'm using the right salt...I use celtic sea salt in this..should I be using a different kind..what about regular table salt? Thank you!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Christy. You can go over to Dr. Kilbane's site: http://www.sheilakilbane.com/ and ask her direstly or give her a call but I am fairly sure that the type of salt doesn't matter. Sodium is the essential ingredient which will help the body hold onto the fluids. ~Amy
Laura@FermentaCap says
Thanks for posting this. I found this when I needed it badly, and my current recipe was inspired from this.
I use a weak lemonade with a little lower salt amount - so that the salt is not obvious in the flavor. I also use sea salt instead of refined salt. Regular homemade lemonade uses 1 heaping cup of sugar, 1 shy cup of organic lemon juice, and about a quarter tsp of real vanilla, with enough water to make 2 quarts. I dilute that to make about 3 quarts of lemonade, then add 3/4 tsp salt.
The sugar amount is higher, but that is generally not a problem, and can actually be helpful when someone is not only dehydrated but is not able to eat enough.
It is very helpful, but I also found that it should be consumed slowly. If someone is dehydrated then too much of any liquid at one time can cause nausea.
Dee says
My little girl is highly sensitive to chemicals especially artificial dyes and colors. When she was about 1 1/2 she had a nasty stomach bug and of course we gave her orange Pedialyte. Instead of helping her it made her symptoms worse and we ended up at the ER. Then she was admitted for observation as it was running out of her non stop and was still the same orange color. We now know that the reason this happened is because she is intolerant to the artificial colors and flavorings. If she eats or drinks anything artificial we are in for stomach issues and/or behavior issues. We have her on the Feingold diet for this reason but, we hadn't faced an illness since figuring out her sensitivities. I was so excited to find your post!! Thank you so much. She is drinking the solution and keeping it down no problem. Hopefully we are on the right track now so we can get our little girl healthy again.
Catherine says
Just mixed this up since i have the stomach bug :( hoping it will rid the awful headache.
Thanks for sharing!
Natasha says
Thanks a lot for posting this! I hate to buy pedialyte , in fact I never felt safe giving tons of artificial ingredients to my kiddo when he is sick. Back home in Pakistan, we always use to drink ORS for the cure of dehydration. Few drops of lemons added to ORS gives it a pleasant taste.
Anna Schroeder says
Awesome recipe! Have you tried young coconut water? My husband and I recently went on a hike and only brought straight water, big mistake! Since then I came up with a recipe that I will being taking on our next hike or when we become sick! It uses coconut water, local spring water, high quality apple juice, and high quality sea salt! I decided to go with juice rather than sugar, as it adds more beneficial vitamins and minerals! Have a great day and God bless!
Eunice says
This sounds good. What kind of measurements do you use for the ingredients? Can you post the recipe?
Thanks
taylor flett says
Do I boil the water or use hot tap water?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Taylor. Warm water will do the trick of dissolving the sugar and salts. ~Amy
Natural Mom says
I think it's worth mentioning that there is now a version of Pedialyte with no artificial flavors, sweeteners, or dyes. Its ingredients say: Water, Dextrose, Potassium Citrate, Salt, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid and Zinc Gluconate. I am not a doctor, but I know salt contains sodium and not potassium which is also very important so I think the ORS may be lacking in some ways. I use the home remedy when its just a stomach bug with no signs of dehydration, but since my toddler woke up this morning acting listless with dry eyes and mouth I was very happy to find this dye-free pedialyte at my local Publix.
Isabel says
The actual ORS recipe has potassium chloride and sodium bicarbonate in it too. To get the potassium chloride look for a 'salt substitute' and the bi-carb is just bi-carb (or baking) soda.
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Antonio says
The reason your doctor didn't know what you're talking about when you mentioned artificial ingredients is because you're just talking non sense. You think sugar, and salt aren't processed? You think they're 100% natural? Don't worry about the petty things. They don't matter in the long run.
Janene says
Your the one not making any sense....
Michele says
Has anyone used coconut water in place of pedialyte? I have read that coco water naturally has lots of potassium and other electrolytes.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Michele. If you read through the comments, you will see others readers comments on coconut water. :) It is often used to replace sports drinks, as well. ~Amy
Courtney says
Thank you! I live in a rural area and it is quite a trek to go to the store especially while trying to care for a sick one. I usually have these ingredients on hand. So much easier!
Cat says
Thank you for this! Neither of my kids would ever drink Pedialyte, they didn't like the sweetness or the texture (thicker than water, juice or Gatorade). I tried to drink it once and can't say I blame them.
I have relied on broth or watered down juice. Didn't realize the importance of salt. Will try this version next time.
Jessica says
My kids love anything in popsicle form- I'm sure if I froze this they'd be pretty happy when sick. I'll give it a try. Thanks!
Layla says
The cramps are possibly being helped by the potassium in the Gatorade. Try having him eat a banana after dinner.
Kerri says
My son has severe leg cramps at night and drinks a small amount (4 oz??) of Gatorade or Powerade every night mixed with 8 oz of water to help ward off the cramps. Do you think this drink would serve a similar purpose? We have gone to dye-free sports drinks but it still has tons of other stuff in it.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Kerri. I think you might need to add an electrolyte source. A reader below suggested a banana for it potassium. ~Amy
Danielle Jade says
My 7 year old son recently caught a nasty stomach bug that was going around and was probably puking 20x a day. I took him to his family doctor where they basically told me I needed to go out and buy a can of chicken noodle soup and pediylate because he was dehydrated. I told her I would make my own soup & Pedialyte and she made me sound like an incompetent parent because I wasn't going to purchase it like she recommended. She said something like "I don't care if you put him back on his regular diet then he needs to have these things" I ignored it, thanked her and went on to thaw out chicken broth I already had in the freezer and mix the few ingredients your recipe for pedilyte called for. Plus a little coconut water. I couldn't get the food & liquid in him fast enough so I decided to take him to the ER anyway. He could barely walk on his own from the dehydration and he had lost 5 lbs at this point. One of the nurses again suggested getting him to drink. She said "How about Pedialyte & Apple juice mixed together?" I said I prefer him not to have these things, I brought my own that I made at home. She asked what was in it and went to consult one of the doctors about the ingredients. Apparently it was okay but the kid hadn't eaten in 4 days and his stomach wasn't up to the amount of liquid they needed him to consume in a short amount of time. His heart rate way too high and they ended up needed to give him an IV anyway. Before we left another one of the doctrs against recommended going to buy a can of chicken noodle soup where I repeated that I made my own. I told her I used the carcus of the chicken along with a bunch of vegetables. She said what about salt? One thing the cans contain are a lot of salt. I said yes I used garlic salt. She said well regular salt contains iodine I assured her I only use organic ingredients. So basically she was concerned about the type of salt I used but not the fact that she just suggested I buy junk out of a can. Basically I just wanted to share my story so people know how much the healthcare industry will push you to do the norm and you need to stick up for your rights and your children even in a scary time. So this Pediylate recipe is in fact several doctors approved and don't be afraid to refuse store bought pedialyte next time someone suggests it to you.
J says
My son uses ORS everyday due to his media condition.
Here is a great site that shows many ways to make a quick batch
http://www.oley.org/lifeline/ORS.html
Dodie says
This is great! And the recipe by the World Health Organization contains all the electrolytes needed! Thank you, J!
me says
Here's the thing--salt does not replace electrolytes. Na+ and Cl- are electrolytes, but there are many more-Mg2+, Ca2+, HCO3-, K+ and a few others that are essential for muscle function, blood pH, brain activity, neuron communication--- you know, life.
Salt prevents your body from loosing water. The balance of salt (NaCl) on the inside of the cell vs. outside of the cell is changed when you are dehydrated. Cells get rid of water to try and keep the salt gradient in check. When you drink something with salt in it, you are trying to keep the fluid in the cell by correcting the imbalance.
MTQTpie says
I always use essential oils first. I use doterra oils which are pure enough to ingest. They are also safe for the kiddos. Ginger and Peppermint oil is amazing for little ones and a blend called digest zen has fennel. Can be rubbed right on their bellies or feet with a carrier oil.
FredT4 says
Regarding “tameredwaterâ€, seems that the Reformation is still being fought in some fields. But a point in her favor, processed foods have brought down food poisoning to a point where it's not longer a real problem. Food poisoning was a regular occurrence only 30-50 years ago, now it's practically unknown. So, yes there's positive side to processed foods, but perhaps the down side is we surrender our knowledge (and perhaps our health) to the processors and forget that we don't need them for everything. So, yes learn alternatives to Pedialyte but perhaps also understand why some favor processed foods.
I imagine another factor in the dependence on Pedialyte by some institutions is the markup on the product. There's probably not a billing code for:
1 quart water
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Besides, if you prepare this on your own, you'll probably not see a doctor, then how would they bill you.
Julia says
Ok. I'm not from the US. I just thought there would some kind of magical alternative to Pedialyte, but this recipe has been used in my home ever since I was born. Pedialyte is just the same recipe contaminated with artificial stuff (as usual). It is funny how the medical field is so advanced in the US, but at the same time so behind common sense i.e basic rehydration recipe.
Angela says
Thank you for this recipe. I just called regarding my son who is sick and when the nurse suggested pedialyte, I balked. Not only am I against all the artificial additives, but it is literally -14 degrees here today (without windchill). No way am I taking my sick kid to the grocery store in this. He is drinking his homemade pedialyte as we speak. As some one in the medical field, I find it appalling that medical professionals can be so narrow-minded. Hydration is not rocket-science. Thank you for your post! :)
bzgma says
a nurse says she is a med pro and she says Pedialyte is ok? see it is all so scewry, readd the lable how can that be good
Andrea says
Thanks for this recipe. My daughter has a rare condition that causes severe food and chemical allergies and as such is allergic to citric acid which is found in all brand and off brand flavored and unflavored pedialyte. I even checked out baby's only pediavance and they only had flavord versions and had lactic acid in them. So i am thrilled to see a recipe i can use for her that wont cause a major reaction.
Kristen says
Just wanted to let tamperedwater know that this is the recipe my pediatrician gave me.