Everyone’s first food, milk, is also one of the healthiest drinks children of any age ever need.

Fruit juices are also a healthy option. The kind that’s commercially available, though, is often artificially flavoured, loaded with preservatives and has high sugar content.  For your children to get all of fruits’ nutritious goodness, it is best to feed them actual fruits, either whole or cut up in pieces.

The other healthy option? Plain old water.

The Importance of Water

Water is an essential nutrient needed by all life forms. Without water, our bodies would stop working properly as it makes up more than half of our body weight.  It is a crucial part of our immune system, aids in the delivery of oxygen throughout the body, vital in digestion and helps in getting rid of waste.

The Right Amount 

The answer to how much water a child should drink depends on a lot of factors such as their age, body size, over-all health, as well as the humidity levels. It is always a must for them to drink something with meals and when they’re thirsty but if they are sick or feeling warm due to hot weather or physical activity, then it is imperative to coax them to drink more. Drinking at the right time is also important, as those engaging in sports or exercise-related activities are always advised to drink water before, during, and after. 

As a general rule, here is how much water kids should drink every day: 

• Toddlers: 2-4 cups
• 4-8 years: 5 cups
• 9-13 years: 7 -8 cups
• 14 years and up: 8-11 cups

Not getting the right amount of water can lead to dehydration, which can result in over-all sluggishness. The body holds onto water when intake is low and gets rid of it when there’s too much. This is evident in the colour of pee - a light yellow colour would indicate that the child is well hydrated while a darker yellow tells you that the child needs to drink some more. 

Tips to get your child to love drinking water 

Water is still the best choice in satisfying thirst. Here are some tips to keep in mind to encourage your child in drinking water:

• Get the whole family involved. When children see the whole family drinking water, they will be more likely to do it. 
• Make sure water is available to your kids by giving them their own water bottles and showing the older kids how to get their water from the tap. 
• Make water present on the table during snack and meal times.
• When going out with your kids, take water bottles with you. 
• Serve water when the kids are thirstiest such as times when playing out so they can learn to associate water with quenching thirst. 
• Spice things up by adding mints, berries, cucumbers, or cherries in the water pitcher. 
• Let your child “eat” water through fruits and veggies such as watermelon and lettuce. 
• Try a water filter if your child does not like the taste of tap water.

Include drinking water in your child’s everyday routine. Enjoy fresh and safe drinking water through IVO’s faucet water filter that uses a medical grade water filtration system that keeps the harmful chemicals out and keeps the essential nutrients in. Learn more about how we make your water drinking better.