When little ones get sick, whether it's just a bad cold or includes vomiting and/or diarrhea, parents seem to always have to run out and buy "the essentials". With this homemade (and super easy) recipe for electrolyte solution (Pedialyte), you can keep the ingredients on hand for use when your little one falls ill. It's important to replace any lost fluids, so with this solution you can either have your little one sip it in their favorite cup, or pop into a ice pop mold and offer it as a fun ice pop!
3 1/2 cups cold water
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar (if you use honey, please remember that children under the age of 12 months can NOT digest honey)
1 teaspoon Jell-o powder (any flavor, I used cherry for ours)
DirectionsIn a pitcher, add the HOT water to the salt, sugar, and Jell-o powder. Stir until dissolved. Add the cold water. Keep this refrigerated and offer in small amounts.
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What other home remedies do you turn to when illness strikes?
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Comments (7)
for a cough we use honey she's almost 2 :) Or make her ginger, lemon, & honey tea. Also heard to use baby vicks on the feet for a cough tried it and doesn't seem to work for her.. for a cold put a pillow under her matress it raise her head up and lets things drain more easily.
@der_lila_Stern@xanga - I agree. I would use a no salt substitute because they contain potassium. Potassium is more important to replace than sodium as there are several dietary sources of sodium..
and also it is not that children under 12 months can't digest honey, honey contains a bacterium (Clostridium botulinum) to which babies are more susceptible. (source, source, source, source and many others). I don't have my medical microbiology book with me. Honey contains the same carbohydrate/ sugar as table sugar (sucrose/"white" sugar). (source [I am too lazy to look for another less biased source])
yea I used to make this for my kittens and I always used a salt substitute, because of the potassium. http://clearingmyemptynest.blogspot.com/2009/02/oral-rehydration-solution-homemade.html
@Erika_Steele@xanga - What she said. Honey can contain spores of that bacterium. Adults have a well-developed microflora and thus the spores will have no chance to grow out due to all the competition. Kids under one year have not yet developed a stable microflora and thus the spores are more likely to be able to grow out and cause problems. Honey contains the monosaccharides fructose and glucose, whereas honey contains the disaccharide sucrose, composed of fructose and glucose. So digestion is not the problem.
I'd be willing to use this if I ran it past my doc, just because of my anal personality. I'm sure you are on to something good, but pedialyte as well as gatorade for older kids actually can prevent weight loss, and I'm curious as to if this does the same, and, where you got the recipe. The dye in jello isn't something I'm big on exposing an infant to as well. But I'm glad this works for you.
I didn't even know you could buy no-salt salt! I have to agree this is concerning- in many ways it sounds more like a homemade laxative with sugar in it :(