24-20
How can dehydration from diarrhea be
prevented?
The children can find the answer by playing a
game with the gourd baby. They pull the plug, then
try to put back as much water as the baby is losing,
like this:
They learn that, as long
as all the lost water is
replaced, the water level
will never go down and
the baby will not become
dehydrated,
Ways to prepare Special Drink
First method: or dinary spoons
Mix 1 teaspoon
of SUGAR
+ the tip of
a teasoon
of SALT
in a glass
of water
(about
1/3
of a
liter)
A child with diarrhea needs to drink at least 1
glass of liquid each time he has a watery stool.
Giving lots of liquid to a baby with diarrhea
may at first increase the amount of diarrhea. But
this is all right. Usually the diarrhea will soon get
better. The important thing is to be sure that the
child drinks as much liquid as he loses.
The children have now found out that:
A child with diarrhea
needs a lot of liquid.
Second method: by hand
Mix about this
much SUGAR
+ a pinch
of SALT
in a glass
of water
A ‘Special Drink’ to help prevent dehydration
Many of the herbal teas and soups that mothers
give to children with diarrhea do a lot of good,
because they help to get water back into the child.
Third method: plastic measuring spoons
In some places, special plastic spoons are
available to measure the exact amounts of
sugar and salt for one glass of water.
Breast feeding provides both water and food,
and should always be continued when a baby has
diarrhea.
A ‘Special Drink’ can be made from SUGAR,
SALT, and and is especially good for persons
with diarrhea.
The children can learn to prepare Special Drink
in any of several ways.
Fourth method: homemade spoons
Rather than depend on plastic spoons
that can get lost or broken, the children can
learn to make their own measuring spoons.
CAUTION: Making
Special Drink with too
much salt can be harmful.
So before adding the
sugar, TASTE IT TO BE
SURE IT IS NO SALTIER
THAN TEARS.
Here is one example.
For another example, see the next page.