4 Tips to Help Establish Good Hydration Habits in your Kids

Thank you to Nestle® Pure Life® for sponsoring this blog post about an important subject to moms. All opinions are my own.

My mother-in-law has no air conditioning, because it isn’t usually necessary, but I’m told it hit 104 degrees where she lives last week. It’s hot! As for us, we ate dinner outside most of the week, because it was just too warm in the house. And still I know many of you live in areas that get much hotter.

So I thought, hot or not, there’s no better time than now to share some tips and tricks on how to help our kids establish good hydration habits.

So here are some of my ideas, I hope you will share yours in the comments below.

Set Up a Central Water Spot

The key to this tip is to find a high traffic area in the home where the kids can find water all the time. Every time they walk by, they can reach out and grab a drink. We have a special place on a counter that my boys have to walk by on the way to their room.

Drink a Toast of Water!

My husband likes to stop every half hour or so and make a toast to what ever he happens to see, a bird, a couch, a well-played level on a video game. He'll say, “I would like to propose a toast…” (this is the signal for the boys to grab their water bottles), “…to the birds, who teach us how to soar!” It's a fun way to get them to remember to drink some water.

Carry Water in the Car

Keep a couple of bottles of water in a reusable bag for when you head for the car. I can't begin to count how many times my kids have asked for water as soon as we pull away from the curb without it.

Set a Countdown Timer on your Phone or Watch

In a survey of moms and kids recently conducted by Nestlé® Pure Life®**, it was revealed that 33% of kids find it hard to remember to drink water without a reminder, and only half of moms (52%) regularly remind their children to drink water.

So, set a countdown timer for thirty minutes on your watch or smartphone. Then, see Tip 2 above. Drink. Reset. Repeat.

Another fact I found interesting from that same survey is that water is the #1 beverage of choice for Hispanic kids. That made me smile, I can tell you that water is my kids' first choice, too.

* Prevalence of Inadequate Hydration among US Children and Disparities by Gender and Race/Ethnicity: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009-2012,” Erica L. Kenney, Michael W. Long, Angie L. Cradock, Steven L. Gortmaker, American Journal of Public Health, online June 11, 2015, doi:10.2105/AJPH.2015.302572.

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Silvia Martinez

Silvia started bilingual website Mama Latina Tips in 2009 to connect and share her stories, recipes and culture with readers. Silvia loves dancing, cooking, watching movies, reading, throwing Mexican parties and spending time with family and friends. Silvia is the winner of The Great American Recipe.

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