How to Make Sure Your Kids are Drinking Enough Water
Water is absolutely imperative to our health, and that’s no different for kids. Find out how you can make sure your kids are drinking enough water.
Water. You know you need to drink lots of it on a daily basis in order to achieve optimum health and performance. But it can be really hard to make sure our kids are getting enough water each and every day, especially during the busy summer months.
But with the heat creeping up, there’s absolutely no getting around it. Our kids need water!
Not fruit juice. Not sports drinks. Definitely not soda!
100% pure water is what our active kiddos’ bodies are craving.
The problem? Their tastes buds are craving all the sugary drinks that I mentioned.
So the real question is what are we supposed to do as parents to make the H2O seem more exciting and tolerable (and even yummy!) to our youngsters?
Check out these tips I’ve come up with for getting my 8 year old to really get serious about drinking enough water this summer. I hope they help you out with your kids too!
1. Choose a fun new water bottle.
I know, I know – this seems a little like bribery with a new purchase, but sometimes it’s totally worth it. Buying your kids new water bottles that are just for them is the first step. Bonus points if there’s something “gadget-y” about it. For example, my son’s new water bottle has a top that when you turn it, the straw pops out. He thinks it’s the coolest.
Bonus points if it has their favorite character on it or it’s in their favorite color. Or you could even let them decorate a plain water bottle with stickers so it’s exactly what they want.
2. Add citrus and fruit for flavor.
Whether it’s lemon and lime slices or a handful of berries, this is definitely a draw for the kids. Try out different combinations and see what they like best. My son personally loves lime in his water, and just last weekend we added strawberries. The great part is when he was finished with his water, he just wanted to chow down on the berries for his snack.
DOUBLE WIN!
I use the Shano Fruit Infused Water Bottle for infusing my water, and then you can just pour the water into your kiddo’s totally awesome new water bottle after it’s infused for a few hours.
3. Make a reward system.
Okay, this is probably my favorite tip for getting your kids to drink enough water. As a family, we’ve come up with a bunch of rewards to earn by reaching our water goals each day. Here are some of my favorite ideas that we brainstormed:
- family bike ride
- play a board game with Mom
- family hike
- do a craft with Mom
- you get to pick the movie for movie night
These are just a few ideas to get you started. I wanted to stay away from technology and treats because we all know our kids are getting enough of those things throughout the summer as it is. Wouldn’t want to reward a healthy behavior with candy!
So what I did was create a weekly chart for my son that I’d love to share with you here today!
All you need to do is click on it, and it will open a PDF in a new window. Print it out and hang it on the fridge where you can track your kids’ progress. You’ll just need to determine how many cups of water they need to drink each day to determine your daily goal.
Most studies I found say that you should be drinking half your body weight, in ounces. For example, if your child is 60 pounds, they should be drinking 30 ounces, or approximately four 8-ounce glasses of water. Because of the heat and all the running around, we do tend to bump that number up another 16 ounces or so just to be safe.
I hope this has helped you figure out how you and your family will stay hydrated this summer. It’s so important, and without enough water, you’re left feeling sluggish and lazy. I promise you, you’re going to want to get outside and enjoy the summer months before they’re over!
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Natalie Monson
I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.
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All three of my kiddos have a large water bottle. It’s filled with cold water first thing in the morning. They get milk or v8 with meals but that’s it. If they are thirsty they drink from their bottles. It also helps me monitor how much they are drinking. If they haven’t had enough half way through the day I simply tell them to chill out for a moment and take a drink. Never had much of a problem.
Is there such a thing as too much water for a toddler? My 28lbs almost 3 year old often drinks around 60oz a day. ? No symptoms of diabetes or any other health issue that I can tell. He is very active though and doesn’t get anything else to drink (occasionally apple juice at grandparents houses). I’ve always wondered if this was ok or if it should be limited?