Homemade Pedialyte

My Mom found this recipe for me while I was in Uganda and my baby was so sick and getting really dehydrated.   I was telling her how much I wished I could get my hands on some Pedialyte for him but there was none available in the part of Africa we were in.  He absolutely loved the taste and it worked great especially since I didn't have any juice on hand and he was allergic to milk so his baby formula (no dairy free formula available in Uganda) usually made him throw up.  Best of all most of these ingredients are usually stocked in your kitchen!


Grape Homemade Pedialyte Recipe:

1 liter water

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2-3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 packet grape kool-aid (or any flavor you child prefers.  I try to use whatever I think will stain less since they are usually throwing up when I give Pedialyte.  If you don't have kool-aid on hand you can use Crystal Light).

Cherry Homemade Pedialyte Recipe:

1 liter water

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 packet cherry jello (or any flavor you have on hand)


Making it with Jello makes it a little thicker, but some kids seem to like the flavor better. 
You can also freeze the homemade Pedialyte into popsicles or ice cubes. Preventing dehydration is the main goal but we can still make it fun or easy!
Homemade Pedialyte is a more cost effective option as well. A liter of store bought Pedialyte runs right around $6 and often you need more than one especially if you have more than one sick kid. The homemade Pedialyte costs about .60 cents if you use free tap water.  That is a 90% savings plus no more inconvenient trips to the store and with your sick child.
Once he has stopped vomiting and at least 4 hours has passed, you can start the B.R.A.T. diet. B.R.A.T. stands for bread, rice, applesauce and toast. You can also try noodles and potatoes. But, obviously, fluids are still the most important thing to prevent dehydration.
Hope your child likes this homemade version of Pedialyte as much as mine did and that it works well for you!