Kids Hydration

Happy Hydration for Healthy Kids

How do you keep your kiddos hydrated? With everything else going on in your day it can be tough to keep hydration top of mind, so we’ve put together our favorite tips and tricks to help you teach them healthy water drinking habits. Pour yourself a cold glass of H2O and read on.

Why is Water Important for Kids?

All living things on this big blue planet need water to survive and to thrive. The human body is made up of approximately 60% water, and that water plays a lot of important roles in your little ones’ lives. From keeping their joints lubricated to regulating their body temperature to stay cool and keeping their minds sharp at school, water does it all.

And while there are many ways to hydrate, water is considered the absolute best. With zero calories, no artificial sweeteners and no added sugar, water is simply the healthiest hydrator by far.

How Much Should They Drink?

We’ve heard we should drink 6-8 glasses of water a day as adults, but what about kids? Doctors recommend children from 6-12 months should aim for 4-8 oz. each day, at 12-24 months that goal goes up to 8-32 oz. per day. Children 2-5 years of age should be drinking 8-40 oz. per day.

Keep Plenty of Water Available

The most helpful thing to keep in mind when trying to up their water intake is to keep water on hand. Pour full glasses of water and keep a pitcher on the table at mealtimes, put a full water bottle in their backpack before they head to school and keep a few spares that are regularly refilled and replaced in the car. Making sure it’s always easy-peasy to find a sip will keep thirst at bay and keep hydration top of mind.

Fun Ways to Hydrate

Getting your kids to happily sip enough water throughout the day can hit a wall when they’ve decided that it’s just not exciting or yummy enough. You can up the fun factor with cute water bottles and cups, stickers for their bottles or by finding ice cube trays with exciting shapes. From stars and hearts to unicorns and letters, there are lots of great ones out there.

Make it Flavorful

It’s super simple to amp up the flavor — and nutrition — of plain water by adding slices of their favorite fruits and veggies. Cucumbers, blueberries and strawberries are both tasty and full of antioxidants, while lemons and limes add some tasty zest. Drop some fruit or berries into your ice cube tray for frozen fruit cubes or garnish their glass with a slice of their favorite fruit. These small “fancy” touches can make each sip more exciting.

Make H2O Learning Fun

Try helping your children understand how important drinking water is by telling them about all the plants and animals that need water to grow up big and healthy. Look up a picture of their favorite animal drinking water or sped-up videos of plants perking up after getting a shower from a watering can. If you like to watch sports as a family, you can point out whenever their favorite athletes take a sip from their bottles. And of course, there’s nobody they look up to more than you, so be sure to show them how much water you drink.

References

Water Science School. “The Water in You: Water and the Human Body.” The Water in You: Water and the Human Body | U.S. Geological Survey, 22 May 2019, https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/water-you-water-and-human-body

Rethy, Janine. “Choose Water for Healthy Hydration.” HealthyChildren.org, 27 Jan. 2020.

“Children & Hydration.” Healthy Kids, https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/Choose-Water-for-Healthy-Hydration.aspx