Top tips for keeping children hydrated

I’m the first to admit that I don’t drink enough water and notice a huge difference both physically and mentally when I actually make the effort to drink more.

Luckily my bad water-drinking habits haven’t rubbed off on my two children, and they drink regularly throughout the day unlike their mama!

Little ones are much more prone to dehydration than adults because their bodies don’t cool down as efficiently, so it’s essential to create good hydration habits from a young age.

Tip tips for keeping kids hydrated!

Make drinking fun! Let’s face it, drinking water can be pretty boring, and while adding juice makes it taste better, I do try to avoid it. Instead I invest in fun drinking cups and bottles, fun straws, or ice cube shapes that make a glass of water much less dull! I also make smoothies with lots of ice!

Don’t wait for your child to tell you they’re thirsty! When they’re feeling thirsty, they’re already a little dehydrated – so offer drinks regularly around the clock.

Even if your child refuses a whole cup, encourage a few sips before they go running off to continue their activities.

With children who are doing sports or are extra active, ensure they have a good drink half an hour before, and a big drink afterwards too.

Add fruit to water to make fun drinks: My children love chopped strawberries and ice in their drinks, they also love apple slices balanced on the rim of their cups like little mocktails. This is a fun way of encouraging drinking water at home and avoids the want for squashes or fizzy drinks instead.

Make your own ice-pops: Use non-added sugar squash, water and fruit to create some fun and fabulous hydrating lollies.

Fruitastic hydration: Keeping hydrated doesn’t have to just mean drinking lots – many fruits and vegetables have a very high water content too! Offer fruit salads made with watermelon and strawberries, or offer snacks of celery and cucumbers and other watery fruits and vegetables.

Keeping hydrated at school: Did you know children who keep hydrated actually do better at school according to research? The University of East London discovered that children aged between seven and nine who drank water did better on tests of visual attention and memory than those that didn’t.

Ensure your child keeps hydrated at school by sending them in with a freshly filled named water bottle each day. I love these rather lovely personalised flasks from ‘I Just Love It!’

Don’t nag! Finally, try not to fuss and nag little reluctant drinkers! Children respond better to praise, so reward the water drinking efforts with lots of encouragement.