a k a Home-made Pedialyte

• One quart of water
• 4 heaping tablespoons sugar (cane sugar is OK, but not honey)
• 1 teaspoon salt - or 1/2 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Optional: juice of half a lemon

Heat water until almost boiled.

Add sugar, salt and bicarb, stir or shake, making sure all ingredients are dissolved. If adding lemon juice, strain out pulp.

Your mixture should be only slightly cloudy. Keeps for 4 days in the fridge.

In UNICEF circles, this is known as ORS… the-formula-that-saved-a-million-babies. It's great for babies who have diarrhea or vomiting. It's got everything they need: sodium, bicarbonate and sugar in the right proportions to optimize absorption. The lemon juice provides potassium, especially important if the baby is vomiting.

You never need to spend 5 bucks a liter for commercial stuff if you have these simple ingredients at hand - not on Pedialyte, nor on Gatorade (and it doesn't have nasty artificial colors).