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Medical · Reference · Intermediate

Diarrhea and Dehydration: Rehydrate at Home

WHO's exact household rehydration recipe, the 2-hour and 1-hour rules, the signs that mean evacuate, and why loperamide is not for babies.

This is for educational purposes only. Not professional medical, electrical, or safety advice.

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Warning

Too much salt or an inaccurate water volume makes homemade rehydration dangerous. Do not force oral fluid into someone with impaired consciousness. Bloody diarrhea, severe dehydration, or inability to drink requires evacuation — not a stronger anti-diarrheal.

  1. 01

    Start oral rehydration early

    Prefer commercial ORS packets or ready-to-drink ORS, and mix each packet with exactly the water volume on its label — packet sizes vary, so do not assume every packet makes one litre.

  2. 02

    Use the WHO emergency household mixture if ORS runs out

    WHO states the recipe: 1 litre of safe water plus 6 teaspoons of sugar plus ½ teaspoon of salt. Use level spoonfuls rather than heaped ones, and measure the water accurately. This is a fallback sugar-salt solution, not chemically identical to a manufactured low-osmolarity ORS packet.

  3. 03

    Give frequent small amounts

    If the person is awake and can swallow, offer small volumes often and keep replacing losses instead of waiting for extreme thirst. If vomiting prevents adequate drinking, or the person cannot drink safely, seek urgent care — severe dehydration may require intravenous fluids.

  4. 04

    Keep feeding

    WHO recommends nutrient-rich foods, including breast milk, during diarrhea. Do not starve a child to 'rest the gut'. ORS replaces water and salts; it is not a substitute for feeding.

  5. 05

    Handle zinc as an updated recommendation

    WHO's older eLENA page lists 20 mg daily for 10–14 days, or 10 mg daily under 6 months, but its 2024 guideline changes the suggested dose to 5 mg oral zinc for children up to 10 years with acute watery or persistent diarrhea, with the 10–14-day duration retained in the WHO-linked PAHO record. Follow current local pediatric protocols rather than printing the older dose unqualified.

  6. 06

    Escalate for dehydration or invasive disease

    No urine, confusion or listlessness, rapid breathing or heartbeat, and unconsciousness indicate severe dehydration. Seek care for blood or pus in the stool, black tarry stool, severe abdominal pain, or fever of 102°F (38.9°C) or higher. MedlinePlus advises contact for diarrhea lasting more than 2 days in adults or more than 24 hours in children, with infants warranting earlier contact.

  7. 07

    Do not assume an anti-diarrheal is appropriate

    MedlinePlus warns against loperamide in children under 2 years and calls for professional advice with fever, bloody, mucous or black stools, or certain intestinal illnesses — and notes that excess doses can cause fatal heart-rhythm problems. Suppressing symptoms does not correct dehydration.

Sources & further reading