The 3 signs in your child’s nappy that all is not OK with their health
Dehydration is dangerous – especially for youngsters.
A quick and easy way of tracking your child’s hydration levels is by taking a peak at their nappy.
In a video, shared on the baby first aid account the Tiny Hearts Foundation, a first aider explains the three signs in your child’s nappy to look out for.
Firstly, parents should look at the colour the nappy has been stained.
“Dark urine is an early sign of dehydration,” the first aider said. “Urine should be clear to pale yellow in colour.”
If wee is “very dark” and “concentrated” parents should “encourage fluids and get a review from a doctor,” they said.
It’s also worth keeping an eye on the amount of wee your child produces.
If a nappy is less heavy, or they are not producing as many wet nappies a day as usual this also suggests baby might be dehydrated.
Similarly, the smell can be an indicator of hydration levels.
“Urine is made up of more waste products that water which can give the urine a stronger smell,” the expert said.
“Keep in mind that certain foods and vitamins may change the colour of urine,” they added.
How much should infants drink?
From after the first week until around six months old, your baby needs around 150 to 200ml of formula milk a day for every kilogram they weigh, the NHS says.
So, for example, a one-month-old baby weighing around seven kilograms might need between around 1,000 and 1,800 ml of formula a day, spread over several feeds.
What are the dangers of dehydration?
Babies and children are more at risk of dehydration than adults, because of their small size.
Dehydration can lead to serious complications in infants, including:
- Urinary and kidney problems: Prolonged and repeated dehydration can cause urinary tract infections (UTIs), kidney stones and even kidney failure
- Seizures: Electrolytes help carry electrical signals from cell to cell. . If your electrolytes are out of balance, the normal electrical messages can become mixed up, and can lead to involuntary muscle contractions and sometimes to a loss of consciousness.
- Low blood volume shock (hypovolemic shock): This is one of the most serious, and sometimes life-threatening, complications of dehydration. It happens when low blood volume causes a drop in blood pressure and a drop in the amount of oxygen in your body.