Tips to Teach Your Kids to Stay Hydrated
Children are generally more vulnerable to dehydration. It is mainly because their bodies don’t cool down efficiently as adults. Therefore, the summer heat can increase their risk of dehydrating. Things can get riskier if fluids leave their bodies faster through sweating than being replaced.
To avoid dehydration, it’s important to learn different ways to keep your kids hydrated. Here in this guide, we will learn about symptoms of dehydration in kids. You can also learn the best ways to teach your kids to stay hydrated.
So, here we go:
Symptoms of dehydration in kids
The bodies of kids are about 60 to 70 percent water. Losing too much water due to illness, sweat, or anything else can cause dehydration. You may not notice any signs of dehydration in a child with mild dehydration. However, not rehydrating them can cause different symptoms. These generally include:
- Dry mouth, lips, and throat.
- Dizziness
- Dark yellow or brownish urine
- Poor concentration
- Constipation
- Nausea
- Headache
- Less urine
- Without tears cry
- Unusual sleeping patterns
Important Note:
More often, kids cannot describe that they are feeling unwell or thirsty. Due to this, dehydration usually progresses without showing any clearer signs to parents. Therefore, developing the habit of staying hydrated in your kids is always important.
How to teach your kids to stay dehydrated?
Here are some of the most effective ways to teach your kids to stay hydrated:
Ask your kid to fill up his stainless-steel water bottle in the morning
Having water available in a reusable water bottle can let your child access the water easily throughout the day. Using an insulated water bottle like HYDRO STAINLESS STEEL WATER can help your kids to make cool water portable. They can easily carry this lightweight water bottle around wherever they go.
Different reusable water bottles also have ounces listed on the bottle. Due to this feature, tracking your kids’ water intake becomes easier.
Ensure water breaks for your kids
Managing mandate water breaks is important. Your kid is often too busy playing or practicing sports. Due to this, they can forget to rehydrate more often. So, always make your kid drink a glass of water before any physical activity or play starts. Then ask your kids to take 30-minute intervals of water breaks to stay hydrated.
Add up some sliced fruits
You can also increase the fluid intake of your kids by adding sliced fruits into their water bottles. For example, kids may like adding berries to their water. You can also make a large pot of water with some sliced fruits. Then serve it in an open glass at a special hour of the day. Or you can simply pour it into an insulated water bottle to increase your kids’ interest in it.
Create a fun reminder system for your kids to drink water
Create a fun chart and place that on your fridge or somewhere near the water dispenser. Ask your kids to mark every time they consumed one water serving. Even if you need to go out, you can place a phone with a reminder to remind your kids about drinking water from time to time. This reminder system can keep helping your kids to stay hydrated throughout the day.
Moreover, if you are going outdoor with your kids, get an insulated water bottle like HYDRO CELL STAINLESS-STEEL WATER BOTTLE. This bottle comes up with a straw in it. Due to this, staying hydrated will be fun and easy for your kid on the go.
Offer them more liquid snacks
Always remember that water is not the only source to keep your kids hydrated. Instead, you can add different liquid-based snacks into their routine to help them better. Use different hydrating foods such as 100% fruit juice popsicles, grapes, watermelon, and orange slices. All these are great stand-in options to keep your kids hydrated.
Use a fun reusable water bottle to make them sip more
Your kid may object to intaking water, saying it's boring. So, you must think about to dress-up their fluids by serving water in a fun reusable bottle with a twisted, funky straw. Kids usually love using bright and fun things. So, you can also take them to a departmental store and ask them to choose their favorite glass or insulated water bottle. They would love to drink more in their favorite bottles or glasses.
Get your kid educated about staying hydrated
When kids grow older, following them everywhere becomes almost impossible. Ultimately, you wouldn’t be able to know whether your kid is intaking an adequate amount of liquid or not. Therefore, it is better to help them learn the importance of staying hydrated. Also, let them know why it is important for their health to choose the right fluids for hydration.
To make them better understand, relate water consumption with your kids' favorite activities. Let them know that staying hydrated is important to success in their favorite sports. This practice will help your kid develop effective hydration habits during their teenage years.
Try adding a splash of pure fruit juice into their stainless-steel water bottle
Kids usually love colorful stuff. So, let them enjoy colorful water in their favorite colors. Add a splash of 100% natural fruit into their water cups or water bottles. To add more fun to their water drinking, decorate their glasses or bottles with their most loved characters. Also, invest in some twisted straws or a fun-shaped ice cube tray. Seeing unique ice cube shapes and water through transparent and twisted straws will encourage them to drink more.
Keep an eye on your kid's toilet use
Besides educating your kids about the importance of staying hydrated and drinking adequate water daily. It is also important to teach them how to check their toilet for regular feedback on how they are doing. Explain to them that their pee color should be light yellow or transparent, not burnt orange or yellow, for better health.
Final Thoughts
Kids dehydrate easier than adults because they sweat more comparatively. Therefore, it is important to teach them to stay hydrated throughout the day. Preventing dehydration kids starts by teaching them how to stay hydrated. So, work accordingly.