Kids often confuse thirst with being hungry, headaches, and feeling exhausted. When they do recognize thirst for what it is, many often reach for a sugary, empty-calorie laden soda pop or juice box. As parents we want our kids to make wise health choices and an ice-cold glass of water is the best option for quenching thirst while hydrating their growing bodies and minds.
Water is essential for the proper functioning of a child’s body and overall health. Here are some reasons why water is the best choice of beverages for children:
- Hydration: Water is crucial for keeping the body hydrated. Children tend to lose water through sweating and urination, so it’s important to replace the lost fluids to maintain proper hydration levels.
- Regulation of body temperature: Water helps regulate body temperature by facilitating sweat production, which cools the body. This is certainly important for kids who are active in sports and other physical activity.
- Digestion: Drinking water aids in digestion by helping to dissolve and absorb nutrients from food.
- Energy: Proper hydration can help children feel more energetic and alert, which can lead to better performance in school and other activities.
- Brain function: Adequate hydration is important for brain function, including concentration and memory.
- Overall health: Drinking water can help prevent constipation, urinary tract infections, and other health issues.
Poor nutrition can be a habit, and like junk food, “junk-drinks” can be a difficult one to break. But you can help your children develop lifestyle choices that may help them maintain healthy weight and avoid serious health issues like diabetes and heart disease in the future.
We know our kids need to drink more water, but how do we convince them?
Try Clean, Refreshing Water from Reverse Osmosis
Kids can be fussy eaters and are often vocal about not wanting to eat or drink something that doesn’t taste pleasant to them. Chlorine added to city water, old pipes and hard water may add a bitter flavor, and well water often contain high levels of iron, which give it a metallic taste. Because children have more intense taste buds than adults, their palate is often more sensitive to these offensive flavors.
Without dealing with expensive, inconvenient, and wasteful bottled water, an easy fix for these complaints is using a Reverse Osmosis System in your home. You may think this is a complex science system, but using multiple sediment filters, an activated carbon filter, and a reverse osmosis filter, it’s easy to get fresh, clean, tasty water right from the faucet!
Packaging Perception
It’s often said that kids “eat with their eyes”, meaning that if they don’t get presented with foods and drinks that they find appetizing, they will not touch it. Consider using that principle when offering water as a beverage. Providing a water bottle in their favorite color, a special character cup, or a fun sippy straw to be used only with water might make the idea of drinking water easier to swallow. (When purchasing a new drinking vessel, be sure to choose one that is BPA-free for safety.
Infusing Water
Few things are more refreshing that crisp, cold water—but if your kids struggle with the idea of unflavored beverages, try adding a splash of flavor, in a natural way. Brightening the taste with a piece of frozen fruit or cucumber, a splash of lemon, lime, or orange adds taste without adding unnecessary calories or cavity-causing sugars. Discover fun flavor combinations like freezing mint leaves and raspberries, blueberries and lemon, and kiwi with strawberries into ice cubes can make the drink as fun and attractive as it is delicious.
Kids love Independence
Kids of all ages enjoy the opportunity to make their own decisions while learning new things. Make it easy and mess-free for them to choose water the next time they reach for a drink. For very little ones, keep a spill-proof cup, sippy cup, or bottle on the lowest shelf of your fridge so they can reach it by themselves without having to ask you to make them a drink. For bigger kids, keep their favorite cup in sight (and reach) to allow them to fill it by themselves.
A household with a Reverse Osmosis System easily delivers water in a gentle stream, so there should be no spraying mess to clean up after. They’re different to use and fun, too!
Become a “Hydrating Hero”
Because your own morning coffee and evening herbal tea will both taste so much better by using purified water from your RO System, you are setting a good example by drinking plenty of clean, healthy water in front of your little ones. Remember, kids are always watching and you’re helping them develop lifelong positive health choice habits.