We’ve all been reminded over and over again to stay hydrated during the hot
summer months. Often however, we forget about the importance of drinking
water in the winter! Although our kids aren’t losing as much water due to
heat, they still need to drink. Water will:
* Improve skin
* Reduce headaches
* Aid digestion
* Improve energy
* Help eliminate toxins
* Help maintain a healthy weight
* Makes you feel good!
How much water to drink for each person however, isn’t so clear. We no
longer hear the recommendation to drink a specific amount of water, remember
8 glasses per day? Instead, the new recommendations are more customized.
Kids need different amounts of water depending on their size, their activity
level, their environment, the weather, how much high water foods they are
eating, and it’s always changing for each kid as well. The new test to see
if your child is drinking sufficiently is actually the old test.
The urine color test.
Light colored urine means your child is well hydrated. Dark,
apple cider colored urine means a kid is dehydrated.
Encouraging your child to get sufficient fluids can be tricky. Some
things that have worked well for us include:
- Giving the kids their own water bottles or hydration packs,
- especially while hiking.
- Letting them take a water bottle to school that they can keep on
- their desk.
- Flavoring the water with lemon juice.
- Dropping frozen cherries in their water.
- Making sure there is easy access to water, such as a step stool in
- front of the sink, or a water dispenser they can reach.
So, this winter, don’t forget how important it is for kids to continue
drinking and stay well hydrated. Send water to their little league practice,
rather than sugar sweetened drinks, and make sure there is plenty of water
around the house for them to have.