How to keep a sick infant fed and hydrated?
Our infant does not appear to be well.
Based on spots around her mouth, hands and feet,
we suspect hand, foot and mouth disease.
We also think that she has a sore throat
because suddenly she doesn't want to breastfeed or bottlefeed or drink from a spoon.
We brought our infant to the pediatrician.
They told us that they suspect hand, foot and mouth disease,
but because the symptoms were not typical,
they gave our infant a blood test.
Besides diagnosing a painkiller (ibuprofen)
they did not give us any medicine.
While awaiting the blood test results,
what can we do in the meantime to keep our infant fed and hydrated,
if she doesn't want to eat?
(2)2 Comments
Sorted by latest first Latest Oldest Best
It's slow, but works. Suggested by our daycare provider (home-based) and later suggested by a pediatrician: spoon-feed the infant.
We discovered that in spite of a sore throat,
our infant enjoys eating ice cubes.
We thus freeze milk or water into thin ice cubes
using an ice cube tray or a small cup,
and break it into small pieces to feed the infant.
Here is a quote from an adult who tried this method
(see link)
to treat his own sore throat:
For day-time relief, ice-cubes have been a thing of the Gods. Grab a
pint of water, stick a dozen ice cubes in. Sip the water, suck on an
ice-cube. The coolness helps to keep the swelling under control and
the swallowing helps lubricate the throat. To me, significantly better
than any boiled sweet or lozenge. Make sure you go via the water, lest
you stick the ice cube to the inside of your mouth.
Our infant also enjoys eating cold foods
such as frozen blueberries.
I hope this is helpful to other parents in similar situations.
Terms of Use Privacy policy Contact About Cancellation policy © freshhoot.com2025 All Rights reserved.