Get Kids to Drink Up This Summer

Protect kids from the Georgia heat by emphasizing the importance of water intake.

Make Water Visible: Serve water as much as possible, with both meals and snacks. Keep a pitcher of water or reusable water bottles in easy reach for kids to grab. Have kids drink a glass of water before you allow them to sip on chocolate milk or sodas. Make sure kids drink water 30 minutes before a summer activity, like swimming or outdoor games, and follow up every 15-20 minutes with more water.

Make It Fun: Buy crazy straws or cute cups. Buy reusable water bottles your family can take everywhere. Have everyone decorate their own bottle to display their creativity. HidrateSpark water bottles sync with an app, and the bottle lights up to remind you to drink more water. CamelBak’s eddy+ Kids line comes in a ton of different patterns. Rubbermaid’s water bottles for kids are leak-proof, and Contigo’s Trekker Kids Water Bottle features an autoseal lid for less mess. Precidio’s Drink in the Box come in multiple colors and resemble juice boxes for an easy, reusable option.

Make It Tasty: Think you’ll never be able to make your kids interested in water? You can mix three parts water with one part 100% fruit juice for a flavorful drink. Place herbs or fruits in a pitcher of water for an infusion, such as mint, melons, lemons, oranges, strawberries or grapes. Freeze fruit in ice cubes for a fun flavor as it melts. Make homemade popsicles by mixing together 100% fruit juice and water for a frozen, water-filled treat.

Water is the Best Option: As much as possible, limit sugary drinks, including sports drinks, juice cocktails, sodas, lemonade and sweetened water. Even 100% juice, flavored milks and artificially-sweetened drinks should be limited. Sports drinks are only appropriate for kids who participate in athletics or activities that cause excessive sweating. Caffeinated drinks, such as sodas, tea and coffee, can accelerate dehydration. Treat sugary beverages as more of a dessert item or special treat to help limit how much kids drink.

Better Drink Boxes: If you’re looking for healthier drink options that are still delicious and convenient, check out these brands. Hint Kids Water is a boxed water brand available in four fruit flavors. Creative Roots’ flavored waters have only one gram of sugar drink. Juicy Juice’s new Lower Sugar Watermelon and Berry Lemonade flavors have 35% less sugar for a healthier juice option, and their Juicy Waters are flavored waters with zero calories and sugar, available in three flavors. Poppilu Bold & Tangy Lemonade are organic lemonade juice pouches with seven grams of sugar; available in three flavors.

Eat More Water: Keep water-rich foods on hand. Many delicious fruit and veggies are filled with water, such as watermelon, berries, apples, cherries, grapes, oranges, tomatoes, cucumbers, pineapples, leafy greens, zucchini, celery, tomatoes, cantaloupes and grapefruit.

Signs of dehydration: Being thirsty is not a good sign of dehydration, as it may be an indicator the child is already dehydrated. Even once they’ve drank water and no longer feel thirsty, they may still be dehydrated.