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Have you ever caught yourself constantly telling your kids to drink more water but to no avail? And you wonder, when did I ever become such a nag! Well, I am with you on this, because I too know just how plain difficult it is to get our kids to drink more water, especially when there are so many different types of sugary drinks competing for their attention.
Water is essential and crucial to a child’s health. It helps regulate body temperature, it hydrates, boosts metabolism and helps prevent constipation and urinary tract infections, all without adding calories or sugar to the diet! At the same time, our body also loses water through sweating, breathing and digestion.
It is thus important to get our kids to drink water, especially in our hot and humid weather in Singapore, and even more so, if our kids are like energiser bunnies.
So here are some tips compiled from across the web and garnered from some personal experience to help your kids stay hydrated and energised.
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- Provide your child with his or her own special drinking cup; there are lots of cute, kid-friendly designs these days, of animals, aliens, princesses, dinosaurs, cars and more.
- Freeze ice cube trays with fruits (like strawberries or blueberries) in place of water, and add this to your water to keep it extra cold with a tinge of fruity flavor. At the same time, these fruity ice cubes will make your glass of water look pretty!
- Infuse your water with flavor by adding fruits like berries, oranges, cucumber, lemon, lime or fresh mint leaves.
- Set up a reward system when your child drinks more water. Give your child a sticker or ten for drinking his or her own water.
- Freeze some freezer-safe water bottles for ice-cold water all day long.
- Buy tiny BPA-free plastic water bottles that are easy for kids to hold and drink, and leave it somewhere where the child can easily reach for, when he or she does get thirsty.
- Teach and encourage your kids to use the tap to fill their cup with water, since in Singapore, it is safe to drink straight from the tap.
- Carry a water bottle. Keep one for your child in your bag, put one in his or her backpack. Take it on trips out, such as to the nearby playground.
- Be a role model. The more your children see you drinking water regularly, the more likely they are to do the same.
- Choose water instead of sugar-sweetened drinks for your kids. On top of saving you money, it will save your kid from tons of calories and cavities! Sugar-sweetened drinks include fruit juice, or sports drinks such as Gatorade and 100 plus. Research shows that the consumption of sugary drinks is associated with poor dietary choices and obesity in children – and these health issues follow them to adulthood. So limiting consumption of sugary drinks has a substantial impact on our kids’ health in the long run.
So how many glasses of water should your child drink?
This may surprise you, but studies have shown that you actually do not have to drink 8 glasses of water a day. The recommended water intake differs by age and gender.
Four glasses for those aged 1 to 3, five glasses for those aged 4 to 8 and seven and eight glasses for girls and boys aged 9 to 13.
And how to know if your child is getting enough water?
It can be difficult to ensure that your child is getting enough water, so one of the best ways to tell is to look at the colour of his or her urine. If the urine is light coloured or colourless, this usually means that he or she is getting enough water.
We hope with the tips listed above, getting your kids to drink water will no longer be an uphill battle.
Let us know if any of the tips work for you. And if you have any other fun way to encourage your child to drink water, do share with us by leaving a comment. We would love to hear from you!
By May Lim
Sources:
- Children’s Hospital Colorado, Getting Kids to Drink Water: https://www.childrenscolorado.org/conditions-and-advice/parenting/parenting-articles/get-kids-to-drink-water/
- Babycentre LLC, Parent tips: How can I get my child to drink more water: https://www.babycenter.com/0_parent-tips-how-can-i-get-my-child-to-drink-more-water_10371678.bc
- Laura Fuentes, How to get kids to drink more water: http://www.laurafuentes.com/how-to-get-kids-to-drink-more-water/
- Meredith Corporation, Ask Dr Sears: Getting kids into the H20 habit: http://www.parenting.com/article/ask-dr-sears-getting-kids-into-the-h2o-habit
- com, Is my child drinking enough water: https://sg.theasianparent.com/recommended-water-intake-for-preschoolers/
- Health Promotion Board, https://www.hpb.gov.sg/article/singapore’s-first-let’s-drink-water-campaign-encourages-children-and-teens-to-consume-more-water-and-less-sugary-drinks
- AXA, How many glasses of water should your kid actually drink: https://www.axa.com.sg/axa-heartbeat/live-well/how-many-glasses-of-water-should-your-kid-actually-drink
- The Straits Times, No you don’t have to drink 8 glasses of water a day: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/no-you-dont-have-to-drink-8-glasses-of-water-a-day
- Department of Health & Human Services, State Government of Victoria, Australia, Water – a vital nutrient https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/water-a-vital-nutrient
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Water: How much do kids need: http://www.eatright.org/resource/fitness/sports-and-performance/hydrate-right/water-go-with-the-flow
WATER CHATTER 