What are signs that my baby is dehydrated?

The symptoms of dehydration include: dry skin, a dry tongue and mouth, lacking tears, looking withdrawn, dull sunken eyes, a sunken fontanelle, refusing feeds, irritability, lethargy and/or being unresponsive. When the body is dehydrated (e.g. through diarrhoea, vomiting, sweating, blood loss) it increases the kidney’s reabsorption of water, resulting in little and dark, concentrated urine; the body loses essential minerals called electrolytes, and this imbalance can seriously impair other bodily functions. Infantile dehydration is dangerous, and especially serious in wee babies — so don’t treat it lightly. See your GP or hospital emergency department at once.