Health Moment: 10 Ways to Prevent Dehydration in Your Kids

Creative ways to get your kids to drink more water.

How much water do kids need to be healthy? It’s not as simple as quoting that they need at least 8-10 glasses of water. Water consumption should be based upon a person’s height and weight to make sure that they are provided with adequate amounts that their bodies need. According to the clip below about 2 to 3 quarts of water each day will prevent dehydration in kids. If we want to improve the focus of our children and help them learn healthy drinking habits we need to creatively provide water options for them to drink throughout the day.

“Got Water? Most Kids, Teens Don’t Drink Enough” (Source)

Although, water can be found in our food, when it comes to our kids, we need to take an active intentional approach to give them the water they need to avoid mild dehydration which can lead to problems in all children.

What are symptoms of mild dehydration in kids?

The Mayo Clinic reports that dehydration in kids can be detected from the following symptoms:

  • Dry, sticky mouth
  • Sleepiness or tiredness — children are likely to be less active than usual
  • Thirst
  • Decreased urine output
  • No wet diapers for three hours for infants
  • Few or no tears when crying
  • Dry skin
  • Headache
  • Constipation
  • Dizziness or lightheadedness

5 Creative Ways to Get Your Kids to Drink More Water

1. Cool Containers. Give your child a cool bottle that is only for water and fill it up in the mornings. If your child is in school or summer camp encourage him or her to keep the water bottle close by throughout the day.

2. Eat it in Fruits! Pack a tasty fruit with their lunch that’s packed with water. Some of the fruits with the largest water content are:

Water rich fruits

  • Watermelon
  • Strawberries
  • Cantaloupe
  • Grapefruit
  • Peaches
  • Pineapple
  • Apples
  • Raspberries
  • Oranges
  • Blueberries
  • Bananas

Want to know some creative ways to get your #kids to drink more #water? via @CleverlyChangin3. Eat it in Vegetables. The vegetables that contain the largest content of water are:

  • Cucumbers
  • Zucchini
  • Iceberg Lettuce
  • Broccoli
  • Cabbage
  • Cauliflower
  • Sweet Peppers
  • Tomatoes
  • Onions
  • Asparagus

4. At snack or mealtimes. Your child should partake of water throughout the day so schedule it into your child’s day. The easiest would be to encourage your children to drink water after they have enjoyed their snack or meal.

5. Schedule reminders. Yes, theirs an app for that. There is a cute app to help you remember to water your plants, but how much should we remember to provide our children with adequate amounts of water. Try this app to help you remember to give your child water throughout the day.

10 ways to get your gets to drink more water

6. Provide incentives. Give your child a reward after each drink of water. The incentive may be juice, a sticker, a coin, or anything that your child enjoys.

7. Set a good example. Frankly, our kids often mimic their mom and dads behavior, luckily water is good for all us, so as a family let your kids see you drinking water as well.

8. Measure it. Thus, it’s important to have a check off list near your water dispenser or your refrigerator. For us who are visual learners, if we want to remember to make water a habit in our daily routine, we will need to actually see it measured to help motivate ourselves to keep it up. This will also make it more tangible for your kids to remember how much water he or she drank.

9. Remind them. This is especially important for extreme weather temperatures whether its winter or summer.

10. Make it Cute. Lastly, add different shapes of ice to jazz up the water.

Calculate how much water you/ your child needs

 

 

Calculator Pro

References:

Harris, Richard. NPR.com. Got Water? Most Kids, Teens Don’t Drink Enough. Retrieved on July 3, 2015 from http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/06/11/413674246/got-water-most-kids-teens-dont-drink-enough

Mayo Clinic Staff, MayoClinic.com. Diseases and Conditions Dehydration. Retrieved on July 3, 2015 from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dehydration/basics/symptoms/CON-20030056

 

Scroll to Top