Elixir

Be careful when giving your infant water this summer – it could be the difference between a day at the beach and a day at the hospital.

“Babies need extra fluids in the hot weather, but straight water is not one of them,” says Dr. Allen Walker, a pediatrician and head of the Emergency Department at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, Baltimore. “Too much water can disrupt the delicate balance in a baby’s body, leading to water intoxication. Before you know it, the baby is seizing.”

Water intoxication is one of the leading causes of healthy infant seizures because it dilutes sodium in the blood and flushes it out of the body, which alters brain activity. Infants under one year of age are more prone to intoxication, as are children who are already dehydrated – look for warning sign, like if a child has fewer than three wet diapers in 24 hours, Walker says.

Though the seizures have no lasting effects, stick to breast milk and formula instead of water to keep a child under one year of age who isn’t eating solid foods hydrated. If concern does arise, check for these common symptoms: changes in mental status (unusual irritability or drowsiness), low body temperature (usually 97 degrees or less), facial swelling or puffiness and seizures.