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The short version
- Sports drinks like Gatorade aren't recommended as an everyday drink for young children — the AAP lists them with soda and fruit drinks.
- When a toddler has vomiting or diarrhea, a store-bought oral rehydration solution (such as Pedialyte or a store brand) is the better choice.
- Per cup, a typical sports drink has about twice the sugar and well under half the sodium of a rehydration solution.
- Call the doctor for fewer wet diapers, no tears, unusual sleepiness, or if your child can't keep fluids down.
The short answer
Toddlers shouldn’t drink Gatorade or other sports drinks as an everyday drink. The American Academy of Pediatrics groups sports drinks with soda, fruit drinks and sweetened water as sugary drinks that raise the risk of excess weight gain and cavities in young children.2 Its clinical report on sports drinks says frequent intake can substantially increase the risk of overweight in children and teens.1
What a healthy toddler needs to drink is simple: water and plain milk. Toddlers aged 1 to 3 need about 4 cups of fluid a day in total, counting both water and milk.3 For how that splits by age, see how much milk a toddler should drink.
Sports drinks are made to replace sweat during long, hard exercise. A toddler with a stomach bug needs something different.
What about when they’re sick?
This is when most parents reach for a sports drink, and it’s understandable — the bottle promises electrolytes. But for vomiting and diarrhea, the AAP and CDC recommend an oral rehydration solution (ORS): a drink made specifically to replace the water and salts lost when a child is sick.57
The AAP says soft drinks, juices, sports drinks and soups have the wrong amounts of sugar and salt and may make a child with diarrhea sicker.5 The CDC’s guidance on managing childhood diarrhea likewise advises avoiding large amounts of soft drinks, juice and other highly sugared liquids, because the sugar load might worsen diarrhea.7 The AAP’s juice policy says the same about juice: it isn’t appropriate for treating dehydration or diarrhea.9
Here’s how they compare per cup:
| Drink | Sugar | Sodium | Potassium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral rehydration solution (e.g. Pedialyte) | ≈ 6 g | ≈ 250 mg | ≈ 190 mg |
| Sports drink (e.g. Gatorade) | ≈ 13 g | ≈ 95 mg | ≈ 37 mg |
| Water | 0 g | Trace | Trace |
A rehydration solution has roughly half the sugar and more than twice the sodium of a sports drink — the balance the gut needs to absorb water when it’s irritated.8 Store brands and name brands work the same, so there’s no need to pay more.5 The AAP and CDC both advise against making your own at home, because it’s easy to get the salt and sugar wrong.57
Where the advice isn’t perfectly consistent
One AAP page on vomiting lists sports drink diluted half-and-half with water as an option for children 1 and older, alongside rehydration solutions — with a warning that the sugar can make diarrhea worse.4 Its diarrhea page, by contrast, lists sports drinks among the drinks to avoid.5
We follow the stricter advice: reach for an oral rehydration solution first, especially if there’s diarrhea. A watered-down sports drink is a stopgap for a mildly sick child who refuses everything else, not a treatment. It’s worth keeping a bottle or packet of ORS in the cupboard; the CDC encourages families to keep a supply at home.7
How to give fluids to a sick toddler
Little and often
- Go small. Offer a teaspoon or a sip every few minutes rather than a full cup, which is more likely to come back up. The AAP’s goal is at least 1 ounce an hour.4
- Use what works. A cup, a straw, a medicine syringe or a spoon all count. Rehydration solution also comes as ice pops.4
- Replace what’s lost. Ask your pediatrician how much to give after each episode of vomiting or diarrhea; the CDC’s guidance scales the amount to your child’s weight.7
- Keep breastfeeding. For babies under 1, give breast milk or formula first; the AAP says to use a rehydration solution if they can’t keep it down, and not to give plain water.4
- Bring food back soon. Once vomiting eases, return to their usual diet. The old BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) is no longer recommended.5
Most children with mild diarrhea and no vomiting don’t need a rehydration solution at all. The AAP says they can usually keep drinking breast milk, formula or milk as normal.5
What about Gatorade Zero and other sugar-free versions?
Sugar-free sports drinks swap the sugar for low- or no-calorie sweeteners. The AAP advises avoiding drinks sweetened with stevia or artificial sweeteners for young children, because their health effects in children aren’t well understood and a taste for sweet drinks can make plain water a harder sell.2 And like regular sports drinks, they aren’t oral rehydration solutions.
Do toddlers ever need electrolytes?
Rarely. The AAP says electrolyte drinks may be needed when vigorous exercise goes beyond an hour or a child is sweating heavily — a description of older kids’ sports practice, not a toddler at the playground.3 For everyday play, even in warm weather, water is the drink.
The AAP’s 2011 report also draws a sharp line between sports drinks and energy drinks: the caffeine and stimulants in energy drinks have no place in children’s diets at all.1 For more on sugar in drinks, see how much sugar a toddler should have. For older kids, see energy drinks and kids and what young athletes should eat.
When to call your pediatrician
Young children become dehydrated more easily than adults because of their small size.4 Call your child’s doctor right away if you see any signs of dehydration:64
Call your child's doctor right away if
- Fewer wet diapers than usual (fewer than 6 a day for infants), a dry mouth, or fewer tears when crying
- Unusual sleepiness, fussiness or listlessness, sunken eyes, or a sunken soft spot in a baby
- Your child is too sick to drink, or vomiting lasts more than 12 to 24 hours
- Vomit that is green, bloody or looks like coffee grounds, or bloody stools
- Fever lasting longer than 24 to 48 hours with diarrhea, or a swollen, painful belly
If your child becomes extremely lethargic or unresponsive, go to the emergency room or call 911.6
Common questions
Can I give my 1-year-old Gatorade when they're sick?
It isn't the first choice. The AAP recommends a commercial oral rehydration solution for children 1 and older who are vomiting, because sports drinks have the wrong balance of sugar and salt and the sugar can make diarrhea worse. The AAP's vomiting advice lists sports drink diluted half-and-half with water only as a backup.
Is Pedialyte better than Gatorade for toddlers?
For vomiting and diarrhea, yes. Oral rehydration solutions are designed to replace the water and salts lost when a child is sick. Using USDA data, a cup of rehydration solution has about 6 g of sugar and 250 mg of sodium, compared with about 13 g of sugar and 95 mg of sodium in a typical sports drink. Store brands work the same as name brands.
Is Gatorade Zero OK for kids?
It removes the sugar but replaces it with low- or no-calorie sweeteners, which the AAP advises avoiding for young children because their effects aren't well understood. It also isn't an oral rehydration solution.
Do toddlers need electrolyte drinks?
Not usually. Healthy toddlers get what they need from water, milk and food. The AAP says electrolyte drinks may be needed only for vigorous exercise lasting more than an hour or heavy sweating — rarely an issue at this age — and rehydration solutions are for illness with vomiting or diarrhea.
What are the signs of dehydration in a toddler?
Playing less than usual, fewer wet diapers, a dry mouth and fewer tears are early signs. Severe signs include sunken eyes, unusual sleepiness or fussiness, cool, discolored hands and feet, and urinating only once or twice a day — call your pediatrician right away.
Sources
- Committee on Nutrition and the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness, American Academy of Pediatrics. Pediatrics. 2011;127(6):1182–1189. Sports Drinks and Energy Drinks for Children and Adolescents: Are They Appropriate?.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org. Recommended Drinks for Children Age 5 & Younger.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org. Choose Water for Healthy Hydration.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org. Drinks to Prevent Dehydration When Your Child is Vomiting.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org. Diarrhea in Children: What Parents Need to Know.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org. Signs of Dehydration in Infants & Children.
- King CK, Glass R, Bresee JS, Duggan C. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2003;52(RR-16):1–16. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Managing Acute Gastroenteritis Among Children: Oral Rehydration, Maintenance, and Nutritional Therapy.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. SR Legacy data. FoodData Central.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org. AAP Recommends No Fruit Juice for Children Under 1 Year.
This article is for general information and isn't a substitute for advice from your child's doctor. Our editorial standards.
