How do I get more fluid into her?

**Strawberry Bivi** · 24-11-2006, 03:18pm

LO has been ill, and I don't think she is drinking enough. She only has milk or water from a beaker but I can't get her to drink much. Would it be ok to give her some diluted juice? Her wee is more concentrated than usual.

**Chocolate Lips** · 24-11-2006, 03:20pm

How old is she?

When Isabel was ill at 8 months, she didn't drink water and refused milk so we had a nightmare, the only way I could get fluid into her, and this sounds extreme, was to syringe it into her mouth.

**Tigerpants** · 24-11-2006, 03:21pm

Fred has had diluted apple juice since quite young - I put some apple juice then hot water from the kettle topped up with cold water to make it the right temperature - it is probably 1/10th apple juice

HTH and I hope she feels better soon

S
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Or soup, soup is good for getting fluids in too!!

**Strawberry Bivi** · 24-11-2006, 03:24pm

She is 20 months. We have a medicine syringe (somewhere) but i don't know if she will let me do more than one squirt going by previous experience. I just don't think she is thirsty but I do think she needs more water.

**Chocolate Lips** · 24-11-2006, 03:26pm

Will she eat melon? That would get some fluid into her?

**Strawberry Bivi** · 24-11-2006, 03:38pm

The melon is a really good idea, but the only fruit she will eat at the moment is banana (that is so bad). I think I will try her again with melon. I have given her some very, very, dilute orange juice and she has just had a few sips and thrown the beaker away, but i will persist. I'm so stressed about her teeth and her reluctance to have them brushed that I don't want to be giving her juice in a beaker but I suppose it will be ok in the short term.

Most of the foods she will eat at the moment are quite dry too, so that will be compounding it, not that she has eaten very much this week at all.

**Julesb** · 24-11-2006, 03:55pm

Can you make her a little fruit smoothie?

**Chocolate Lips** · 24-11-2006, 04:21pm

It is really tough and very stressful I know, as I have been there. We even had to take Isabel to hospital to make sure she wasn't dehydrated.

**Strawberry Bivi** · 24-11-2006, 04:28pm

I have whizzed up a banana, some orange and some milk, I gave her a couple of spoons of that, then she wanted to feed herself. I put a bit in a cup and she is just tipping it everywhere

, she tried with the spoon but because it is quite runny and she can't keep the spoon level. I am frustrated, we have been told off because she can't feed herself well enough with cutlery so I have really been trying to make her feed herself and of course she wants to be independent, it would be easier if she would just let me shovel it into her.

I have given her some toast in the hope that she will drink to wash it down, that is probably a bad idea. I am going to buy some rehydrations sachets just in case. She is not showing any symptoms of dehydration, she is alert, but she is not herself by any means.