This time of year so many of us seem to be catching it all! Besides the COVID variants going around this winter there is also flu, RSV, rhinovirus, parainfluenza, Norovirus, croup and Strep just to name a few ugh. If your kids are like mine, their appetites plummet when they are sick. Typically they only want to eat goldfish, crackers toast, ice pops and drink cold and warm water. All my nutrition rules go out the window and my goal is to hydrate and give something solid prior to medication administration. Over the years I have realized the more volume you give can sometimes make it worse. Drinking large amounts of liquids is the main way to hydrate however sometimes if your child accepts too much volume it can trigger the dreaded vomiting depending on the virus they picked up. So small sips of liquid is best over time which is kinda hard for kids and adults! They typically accept one sip maybe two and move on. A trick I learned was that I can get more in with them chewing on ice pops (I use Chloe’s or Pedialyte). The taste of the pedialyte is not great so of course my kids are grabbing for the Chloe’s ice pop however it doesn’t provide the electrolytes they really need. These hydrating “gummy” ice bears thou do. All you need is a silicone mold and your choice of liquid. You can use watermelon juice, pedialyte, Coconut water or Gatorade. Simply pour the liquid into the mold and freeze. Pro-tip: Place the mold on a flat plate and put into freezer because the mold is flexible. These hydrating “gummy” ice bears can also be used as a morning treat in the summer time before camp or an outdoor outing to provide some extra pre-hydration. DS
Please note the above is the opinion of this writer and should not be replaced for medical care. Should you have concerns regarding dehydration during an illness please contact your physician. Tinyseedsfeeding was not compensated for this post.