Busy Kids Happy Mom

Fun * Practical * Purposeful

    
  • Home
  • About
  • Life
    • Life Skills for Kids
    • Life Skills List
  • Activities
  • Family
  • Learning
  • Parenting
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Parenting and Motherhood / Kids and Drinking H2O – Are they Getting Enough?

By Kristen 4 Comments

Kids and Drinking H2O – Are they Getting Enough?

Are your kids drinking enough water?  I’m on a mission to have my kids drink more water year round, not just in the summer.  As they get older, I’d like them to understand how our bodies use water to regulate temperature, eliminate waste, and cushion our joints.  Plus water helps promote

We’ve also had some problems with dehydration and going through 1 million cups everyday!  My kids have always been limited to 1 milk and 1 juice a day, so water is not a shock – it’s just a matter of getting as much as we need in!

I used this quick quiz *with my children* so they could see how much water they should drink:  Water Calculator. Then we measured it out in our new cups.  It helped them to see it with their own two eyes (in other words, not just a mom nagging them).
According to the little quiz (they ask about exercise, etc): my 8 year old needs 45 ounces and the 10 year old needs 55 ounces.  I’ll keep you guessing on how much I need!  Needless to say, it is so much more than I currently drink!
That’s a lot of water!
Some tricks that are working for us:
  1. We all have the same cups, different straws.  There’s something about everyone having the same thing that makes it better (I don’t know why).  Maybe because they’re clear and the same size?
  2. We’re tying it into Summer Points!  10 extra points for every glass you finish.  A full glass = 16 ounces, we’re working to 3-a-day.
  3. The boys can take them into their rooms for quiet time.  Bonus!

Tips from other awesome moms:

The biggest thing that makes my toddler drink water is seeing me drink water — all the time. He also likes it when I put ice cubes in it.  – Jennifer

We’re tricking J at the moment by adding food colouring in very small quantities to make it look like juice when we give it to him. Each day we’re adding less colour and he’s still drinking it. Soon it will be plain water 🙂  – Cerys

I freeze blueberries and grapes to use as ‘ice cubes’ or freeze juice in icecube trays, homemade popsicles are good for days when I can’t get him to sit still long enough to drink a big glass and swirly straws all work in our house. – Charlotte

We add just a little powdered sweet tea to water once a day. The rest of the time it is plain with ice cubes. Fun shaped cubes are a big hit. – Deirdre

I never grew up drinking juice, except for party days which was not very often. We do drink milk once a day, but no juice at all. So, its just plain cold water all through the day and my girl drinks loads of it:) Infact she prefers water to juice now:) –  Roopa

We got my kids special water bottles with their names on them. They can keep them in the fridge and get ice cold water when ever they want. They are kept on a shelf on their level so they don’t have to ask us for help.  – Kristin

This might seem harsh – but we only drink water. that is all there is. We never drink juice or milk or pop. They all love water and drink tons of it. Juice and milk are full of sugar and saved for parties or playdates. The adults drink it too, so there are no questions.  Amy

CHEERS!

……………………….

Kristen is the writer and creator behind Busy Kids  Happy Mom. The site started in 2011 as a way to share Summer learning and enrichment ideas.  First it started with Summer Points, Life Skills were added and now DIY Summer School.  All of these activities have similar characteristics, the main theme being to Make Summer Count!  She is an Elementary Reading Specialist and the mother of 2 boys!

Follow Kristen on Facebook, Pinterest, and Busy Kids Happy Mom.

(Visited 321 times, 1 visits today)

You may also like...

No related posts.

Filed Under: Parenting and Motherhood Tagged With: Family Health & Wellness

About Kristen

Kristen is an Elementary Reading Specialist. She is the owner / author behind Busy Kids Happy Mom, a site dedicated to fun, practical, and purposeful activities to do with your kids. Follow Kristen on Facebook, Pinterest, and subscribe for updates.

What People Are Saying

  1. tricia says

    at 3:41 am

    we have those cups! We totally need to do this- Me, included. That means less diet coke and coffee. I can do it. Yes, I can. Yes. I. Can. yesican. 🙂 Thanks for the reminder!

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    at 4:41 am

    My 3 yr. old will drink tons of water if i give it to her in a tea pot and tea cups. She loves pouring the “tea” (water) herself and drinking from the tea cups. It works for now.

    Reply
  3. Jessy says

    at 10:04 am

    My kids have always been pretty good about water but no that we’ve moved to our own house with a fridge that has the built in water dispenser they are keeping themselves very well hydrated. I just keep kid sized cups in a bottom drawer where they can get one. Our biggest battle is now getting them to reuse their cups instead of wanting a different one each time.

    Reply
  4. Catherine Bishop says

    at 12:24 am

    Thank you for this!! This summer in Seattle, Wa has been the hottest one I can remember in years. I appreciated your sense of humor, the helpful tips and also the water calculator! I made the mistake of teaching my toddlers to toss their bottles in the sink after they are finished with them which seemed clever and cute at the time, (instead of them leaving them on the floor) but now I must admit I am back tracking because we go through WAY too many bottles 🙂 One step at a time- and hydration matters more than anything for now. Thank you again 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.


Read More>>>.
Name: 
Your email address:*
Subscribe to:*
Busy Kids Happy Mom
Here are your downloads
Please enter all required fields
Correct invalid entries
Please choose a color:
  • Bucket Fillers for Families
  • Life Skills for Kids
  • Five Love Languages
  • Parenting the Connected Generation
  • Tips for Raising a Reader

· Busy Kids Happy Mom · Copyright © 2016 · Site Design by: Fantastique Designs · Privacy Policy