Pedialyte is a good liquid to give children when they are dehydrated from an illness. It is formulated for better fluid absorption than other household beverages. Sick children seem to like the taste. I remember as a resident in training, I was in charge of teaching a group of medical students and one of them asked how Pedialyte tasted. I told him to try it (the unflavored version), and after a small gulp he was running for the nearest sink to spit it out!

The flavored varieties would not be good “snacks” because of two ingredients: sucralose (Splenda – which is essentially chlorinated table sugar), and artificial food coloring (red #40, blue#1, yellow #6).It would be much better to use some sort of watered down organic fruit juice. You might need to experiment a little to get a taste similar to Pedialyte.

Dr. Jim