# Smart Water in place of Pedialyte?



## kewpie-o (Jun 1, 2006)

I was wondering if anyone knows if Glaceau Smart Water (which is electrolyte infused) would be a good thing to give a sick babe who won't nurse, in place of those sugary electrolyte drinks like Pedialyte.

DD has a virus - fever w/ vomiting and diarrhea. She is still nursing at this point (woohoo!)...but I just wanted to be prepared in case she refuses to nurse for any length of time.

TIA!


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## Elsaraw (Apr 25, 2007)

bump. interesting question!


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## ShyDaisi (Jan 22, 2007)

I'm so sorry Scout isn't feeling well....If I were in your situation, I think that I would offer the Smart Water. I am sure there will be some voices of dissention, but the sugar in the Pedialyte and similar can actually inhibit the immune response.







: Here's hoping you don't have to go down that path, and some







: for a quick recovery.


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## Kathryn (Oct 19, 2004)

I think the only reason I'd give pedialyte over smart water is I don't believe smart water has many calories, while pedialyte has, I believe, 100 per serving.


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## dubfam (Nov 4, 2005)

nak

I think that the plain pedialyte (it is clear like water) is sugar free.
It doesn't really have a flavor.

You have to call around to find it because most stores only have the really sugary flavored pedialyte


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## kewpie-o (Jun 1, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *dubfam* 
nak

I think that the plain pedialyte (it is clear like water) is sugar free.
It doesn't really have a flavor.

You have to call around to find it because most stores only have the really sugary flavored pedialyte

Good to know! Thanks!


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## veganf (Dec 12, 2005)

Our holistic ped always recommended watered-down Knudsen Recharge juice instead as a more natural alternative.


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## moonyoungi (Jul 3, 2007)

what about 100% coconut water? It is really rehydrating and naturally tasty and sweet! It's got potassium, magnesium, calcium, sodium, and phosphorus. I like VitaCoco, Zico and one other one that I can't remember the name to.


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## anudi01 (Aug 11, 2004)

I have heard that if babies are not keeping anything down, b/c of vomiting or resistance to nursing, you can use a bulb suringe to squirt the tiniest bits of water rectally. It absorbs really quickly that way, and they can't vomit it up. Just a thought.


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## Kathryn (Oct 19, 2004)

So, since all my kiddos are puking as of last night, I got both the smart water and the pedialyte to compare them.









Clear pedialyte (we never get the flavoured stuff, we also don't get actual name brand, the generic has the same stuff):
Sodium 45 mEq
Potassium 20 mEq
Chloride 35 mEq
Dextrose 25 grams
Calories (per liter) 100

Smart Water:
Fat 0g
Sodium 0mg
Carbs 0g
Protein 0g

Their ingredient list simply says "vapor distilled water and electrolytes (calcium chloride and potassium bicarbonate)"

There's no way I'd go with smart water over pedialyte when puking/diarrhea are going on now that I've actually read the ingredient list on smart water.


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## ~Denise~ (Dec 24, 2006)

I'm wondering why you think she'll stop nursing if she gets sick enough, and how you'll get peialyte or anything else down if she won't take BM? A cup or syringe? If you can get anything into her orally, it should be BM. That's the best tolerated and best for her. See kellymom.com for more on that.

As to the suggestion that sugar inhibits the immune response, I've never heard of such a thing, and it doesn't really make sense to me that it would. Breastmilk has sugar in it. And we always give dextrose (a sugar) in the IV if we have a patient who is unable to tolerate oral food and hydration because people need sugars when they are sick so they don't start catabolizing their muscle mass for fuel. Fighting illness takes a lot of energy!!

If you're worried she won't nurse at the breast, pump some BM so that you can keep her hydrated via a bottle or syringe or whatever. That way, she'll get the fluids, the 'lytes, the energy, the antibodies, the white blood cells, etc. That she needs to help fight that bug.

Good luck, and hugs to you--sick babies are no picnic.


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## momlij (Nov 30, 2007)

i'm think if my babe was sick i'd just keep nursing her- that has all the antibodies and all the important stuff she needs. she's never gone on a nursing strike with me though- she's always nursed right through things so i can't answer for a sick baby. when my oldest 2 were sick a while back (stomach thing with vomiting and dirarrhea) i looked at the ingredients in pedialyte and put it back on the shelf! i went a few aisles over and bought a few smart water bottles and a bottle of 100% juice. i gave the kids the smart water mixed with a bit of juice for sugar and flavor. they sipped on that and organic veg broth with pastina in it for a few days.







like i said- this was my older kids though. so i'm not sure what i'd do about a babe but i just remember reading the ingredient list and thinking "what the heck is that?" and thinking about the artificial crap in it so i went with water and juice. JMO though.


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## tiller (May 18, 2016)

Well, honestly smart water is not such a bad option and I personally know people who talk about its benefits. But despite all this I myself would opt for a natural homemade electrolyte rather consuming it as an additional ingredient. Please find these healthy electrolytes that you can consume to replenish energy and for diarrhea relief


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## tiller (May 18, 2016)

kewpie-o said:


> I was wondering if anyone knows if Glaceau Smart Water (which is electrolyte infused) would be a good thing to give a sick babe who won't nurse, in place of those sugary electrolyte drinks like Pedialyte.
> 
> DD has a virus - fever w/ vomiting and diarrhea. She is still nursing at this point (woohoo!)...but I just wanted to be prepared in case she refuses to nurse for any length of time.
> 
> TIA!


Yup, because it comes with minimum calories. It was originally launched to bridge the gap between water and soft-drinks. Another thing to know about SmartWater is that it doesn't include any genetically engineered material unlike many electrolytes out there.

You can read more on benefits of SmartWater and why it will be safe for babies. http://www.foods4betterhealth.com/is-smartwater-good-for-you-32149


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