Childhood Vaccination Schedule: A Parent's Complete Guide
The national immunisation schedule protects against twelve serious diseases at no cost. Here is what is given when, what to expect afterwards, and what to do about missed doses.
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Diarrhoea kills children through dehydration, not through the infection itself. Oral rehydration solution is one of the great medical advances of the last century — and it costs a few rupees.
Recognising dehydration
- Early: thirst, dry mouth, reduced urine, mild irritability
- Moderate: sunken eyes, no tears when crying, skin that returns slowly when pinched, restlessness, less urine
- Severe: lethargy or unconsciousness, inability to drink, very sunken eyes, cold hands and feet, no urine for eight hours or more
Worth knowing
Severe dehydration is a medical emergency requiring intravenous fluids. Do not attempt to manage it at home.
Using ORS correctly
Use one standard WHO-formula ORS sachet dissolved in exactly one litre of clean water. Making it stronger by using less water is dangerous — it can worsen dehydration and raise sodium levels — and making it weaker reduces its effectiveness.
Give it in small, frequent sips using a spoon or cup rather than large gulps, which often trigger vomiting. If the child vomits, wait ten minutes and resume slowly. Give roughly 50–100 ml after each loose stool for children under two, and 100–200 ml for older children.
Discard any solution left after 24 hours and make it fresh. Home-made sugar-salt solution is a fallback if ORS is unavailable, but the packet formulation is considerably better.
Zinc: the step that is usually forgotten
Zinc supplementation for 14 days reduces the duration and severity of the current episode and lowers the chance of another episode over the following two to three months. The dose is 10 mg daily for infants under six months and 20 mg daily for older children.
Continue the full 14 days even after the diarrhoea has stopped. This is the part families most often abandon early, and it is where much of the benefit lies.
Feeding during diarrhoea
- Continue breastfeeding — more frequently, not less
- Continue normal food; withholding food prolongs recovery and worsens nutrition
- Offer small frequent meals: rice, curd rice, khichdi, banana, boiled potato, dal
- Avoid sugary drinks, packaged fruit juice and fizzy drinks, which worsen diarrhoea
- Add an extra meal daily for two weeks after recovery, to make up lost growth
What to avoid, and when to come in
Do not give anti-diarrhoeal medicines that stop gut movement to children — they can cause serious complications. Antibiotics are not needed for the great majority of episodes, which are viral. Blood in the stool, high fever or suspected cholera are the specific situations where antibiotics may be indicated, and that is a decision for a doctor.
Bring the child in for blood in the stool, persistent vomiting preventing ORS intake, high fever, signs of moderate or severe dehydration, diarrhoea lasting more than seven days, or if the child is under six months.
Key takeaways
- Dehydration, not infection, is what makes childhood diarrhoea dangerous.
- Mix ORS in exactly one litre of clean water — never make it stronger.
- Give zinc for the full 14 days, even after the diarrhoea stops.
- Continue breastfeeding and normal food; withholding food prolongs recovery.
A note on medical advice
This article is general health education written and reviewed by the Department of Paediatrics & Neonatology at SIMS. It is not a substitute for an examination, a diagnosis or the advice of your own treating doctor, and it cannot account for your history, medicines or reports. If a symptom is sudden or severe — chest pain, stroke symptoms, breathing difficulty, serious injury, seizures or heavy bleeding — call 9281862028 or come straight to the emergency department instead of reading further.
DiarrhoeaORSDehydrationChildren