Here are some tips to help your family make water your go-to beverage.
How much water do children need?
At around 6 months, babies can be introduced to water. They only need about 4-8 ounces per day until they are a year old because the rest of their liquids are coming from breastmilk or formula.
To stay well hydrated, children ages 1-3 years old need about 4 cups of fluids per day, including water or milk. This increases for older kids to around 5 cups for 4- to 8-year-olds, and 7-8 cups for older children.
It should be noted that these amounts vary by individual. They may need to be adjusted depending on levels of physical activity and environmental conditions like high heat and humidity.
How to help your family choose water
Water doesn’t have to be boring! There are plenty of ways to entice everyone in the family to drink healthy and stay hydrated throughout the day. Being a good role model yourself is a great way to help make water part of your children’s routine and gets them in the habit of drinking water before they’re thirsty.
Here are a few twists to add some fun:
Infuse water with lemons, berries, cucumber or mint for some added flavor. This is an easy way to keep the whole family coming back for refills.
Keep fruits and vegetables that are high in water content hand—and there are plenty of them. Some of the best vegetables to choose from are cucumber, zucchini, iceberg lettuce, celery, and tomato. Top fruits include watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, blueberries and grapefruit.
Freeze fruit inside ice cubes. It dresses up the drinks at any table, and young children can help fill the trays.
Delight kids with special water bottles or cups. Whether it is a personalized sports bottle or a fancy cup with an umbrella or swirly straw, adding a festive touch can go a long way.
Make your own popsicles with pureed fruit for an afternoon cool-down. Make it a fun family activity by using small paper cups. Let your kids decorate them before filling or look for popsicle molds in fun shapes and colors.
Drinks to limit
Water and milk are all the drinks kids need. So don’t believe all the hype surrounding many of the other drinks marketed to kids. These usually contain way more sugar than children need in a day and can contribute to poor health. Here’s what to avoid:
Sugary drinks: Make a rule: no sugar-sweetened beverages for your children who are less than 2 years of age. And try to limit them for your older children as much as possible. This includes sports drinks, juice cocktails, sodas, lemonade, and sweetened water. These drinks discourage a habit of drinking plain water, and can add extra “empty” calories to the diet. They can also leave your kids less hungry for the nutritious foods they really need. Added sugars can lead to excess weight gain, dental cavities, diabetes, and more.
Juice: Even 100% juice should be strictly limited. While it can contain some vitamins, these drinks are high in sugar and calories and low in the healthy fiber found in whole fruit. Because of its sweet taste, once children are offered juice, it can be difficult to get them to drink plain water. Keep these amounts in mind:
Children less than a year should not drink any juice at all.
Children 1-3 years of age should have no more than 4 oz per day.
For older children, juice is only recommended if whole fruits are not available. Children ages 4–6 years, no more than 4–6 oz per day, and for children ages 7–18, no more than 8 oz per day.
Flavored milk: Even though you get the benefits of the calcium and vitamins found in milk, flavored milk can be much higher in sugar. These added sugars should be avoided to discourage a preference for sweet flavors, which can make it difficult to have success when offering regular milk.
Stevia- or artificially-sweetened drinks: Because health risks for children from stevia and artificial sweeteners are not well understood, it is best to avoid these drinks. Instead, make water readily available to encourage healthy hydration.
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