Saturday, April 28

Natural Alternative to Pedialyte

Poor little Carter was sick the other week, and since I knew I didn't want him to get dehydrated I went to the store and picked up some Pedialyte. I was double checking the ingredients for any traces of soy or dairy (though the dairy was doubtful) like I always do and I was so angry at the horrible ingredients! I chose the unflavored one since it seemed the least putrid (none of those terrible red dyes). I was in "get Carter hydrated mode" so like a robot, I went, bought the Pedialyte (like every mom knows to do) and gave it to him as soon as I got home. He hated it. We tried to coax him to drink it, and got a flavored version the next morning when our attempts failed. He did drink more of the flavored one, but after he did, I felt like I had poisoned him.

Here are the ingredients in the strawberry flavor: Water, dextrose, citric acid, potassium citrate, sodium chloride, sodium citrate, natural flavor, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, zinc gluconate, RED 40, BLUE 1

Dextrose is usually made from corn starch: This brings to mind GMOs, pesticides and other nasty thangs.
Sucralose...Do I even have to say anything about this ingredient? I would rather this not touch my child with a ten foot pole.
and Dyes...NO THANK YOU!

Once I got out of "must hydrate my child" mode and let my brain actually work for a second, I thought of the answer: coconut water! It was staring at me from the shelves of my fridge all along. For my job I read about lots of health food store products on a daily basis and coconut water is one of them. It's touted for its electrolyte content and rehydrating properties. It's also pretty delicious.

Carter is in love with it. We stick to plain water in his sippy usually, but on hot days and those times he falls a bit ill, we'll be sticking with the coconut water for sure! He's quite a sweaty little baby and I think it could do him some good.

We've been really into this coconut water lately

Yes, you read that correctly. It's chocolate! Carter obviously gets the plain version, but Tom and I love this one! We were a little skeptical at first, but rest assured, it will blow your mind. It's chocolate, but water, but better than chocolate milk. And only 110 calories in 14oz! Seriously, you say? Seriously.


Tara said...

Thank you so much for posting this! I probably would have done the same thing as you in that situation before thinking of something like coconut water. We've been so fortunate that our little guy hasn't been ill yet, but I'll definitely keep this in mind.

Positively Amy said...

I have no idea why I didn't think of it! This was the first time Carter has been sick too (with the exception of food allergy stuff) so I think I was just rushing around too much rather than being rational!

Annie said...

Great post! It's just horrible that something marketed for babies could be SO unhealthy. Coconut water is awesome.

Miranda said...

I was thinking of buying pedalyte the other day too cause my kiddo wasn't feeling well and I'm glad I didn't. She does not need all that crap. I've always wondered about coconut water, and I think I'll buy some for the next time she gets sick. It sounds pretty good compared to the alternative :)

heather said...

Further validation... I phoned my pharmacy to ask about a natural alternative to Pedialyte and they also recommended coconut water.

Unknown said...

I applaud your efforts to give your children the healthiest means of hydration you can, but aside from the dyes (which haven't been proven to cause or affect anything), the items you listed are all electrolytes that are essential for re-hydration.

I enjoy your blog, you have a great variety of topics and great photos.

I actually found you while searching for a photo of Pedialyte as I was posting an article I found about it on my blog.

I'm a firm believer in Pedialyte as an adult drinker of it. I don't have any children, so I can't say how it may or may not affect them, but I am an religious gym rat and will down a couple quarts a week along with a ton of water to keep me on my game.

See you around the blogosphere!

My Blog

Alison Bank said...

FYI, my husband made some homemade pedialyte last week when our daughter had the flu.
I'm not sure of the amounts but the ingredients are simple: water, baking soda, salt and sugar.
You can google it and come up with lots if info.
Much better than all those unnecessary additives!

Positively Amy said...

@Alison--That's great to know! Thank you so much for sharing!

Unknown said...

Check out wubba water - an organic-certified electrolyte drink for kids when they are sick.

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