Tips to keep your kids hydrated!
While it’s not quite summertime yet in most parts of the country, it sure feels like it here! The past few weeks we’ve had some hot days, like in the 90’s kind of hot. It’s cooled down the last few days but here in Orange County dehydration is always a concern since it is warm year round. After living here for ummm…30-ish years, I’ve picked up a few tips to keep the non-water drinkers around here hydrated.
Now, for me, it’s not really a problem to stay hydrated because I love water. I drink it all day long! But my kids, they have their moments. So I thought of a few ways to keep them hydrated.
1. Spray them with the hose. Haha! Just kidding, but seriously do it. Let them play outside in the sprinklers and have water handy for them. It only makes sense – playing in water makes water fun and kids love fun!
2. Serve them water in playful cups. Given the choice, my kids would prefer a bunny sippy cup over a plain glass any day!
3. Add fruit. Chop up their favorite fruit and add it to the water. I love to put lemon in mine, my daughter prefers orange slices and my son strawberries. After I started adding fruit, they drank more water than ever before. And when they are done with the water, they get to eat the fruit! It’s like a prize at the bottom of the cup.
4. Bring water with you wherever you go. Put bottles of water in your diaper bag, car, stroller – everywhere! If the kids are thirsty, they will drink whatever you have on hand. You may have to wait a minute or two until their tantrum stops, but they will drink it.
5. Make a water only rule. I have a rule in my car – no drinks except water. At first this rule was a way to keep my car clean, but now it’s become one of my tricks to get the kids to drink more water.
6. Give them fruits & vegetables. Here are 20 fruits & vegetables with some of the highest water content: watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, grapefruit, lemons, peaches, blueberries, orange, peach, pineapple, plum, raspberry, celery, cucumber, iceberg lettuce, tomato, zucchini, spinach, bell peppers. Most fruits and vegetables have a water content above 80%, so if your kids have a favorite that’s not on this list it’s still going to be beneficial! Try to incorporate these foods into your kid’s snacks and lunches when the temperatures are the highest.
7. Make popsicles. Use the list of fruits above to make your own popsicles! Just puree the fruits in a blender then fill popsicles molds. You can even layer the fruits by filling the mold 1/3 of the way with one kind of fruit puree, put it in the freezer and then another layer and repeat. My kids like to layer watermelon, honey dew & cantaloupe in a popsicle.
How do you keep your kids hydrated on hot days? Comment below with your tips!
