How to get kids to drink water

Most of us try our best to get our kids to drink water, and it can be a battle at the best of times, but in the height of the summer it is even more important than ever to keep kids hydrated.

Drinking fruit juices can actually make the body produce more urine, depleting it of essential water stores, and the sugar content can be high, so water is a much better option.

Plus, drinking cold water is a great way to help little bodies stay cool in hot weather, and it’s essential to replenish all the fluids they lose running around in parks and on beaches.

Here’s some tips on how to get kids to drink water;

* Let them see you drinking (and enjoying) water: it’s amazing how kids pick up on things they see adults doing, without you even having to say anything.

* Buy in some ‘special children’s water’ from the supermarket: Tesco do packs of spring water with children’s characters on the bottles. Once they’ve been drunk, wash out and refill the bottles. Keep them in the fridge, next to yours, so they will feel like a grown-up when they reach for their own bottle of nice cold water during the day.

Fill the tea-set with water: younger ones will get such a kick out of having some real liquid to pour into their tea cups, they’ll soon be drinking it without realizing. Best of all, in the summer you can do it outside so there’s no mess to worry about!

* Spark their imagination: point out athletes such as tennis players drinking water on TV, or for budding petrol-heads, let them see you putting water in the car: explain that this is essential for the car to stay cool, and tell them that all the best racing drivers put plenty of water in their cars and their bodies to stay cool during a race.

* Make ice: use fun-shaped ice-cube trays or ice-lolly kits to make ice for them to chobble on in hot weather.

If they really won’t go for plain water, add just a small amount of pure orange or apple juice to flavour, and it all else fails, try milk – it’s been shown to be as good as water for rehydrating the body after physical exercise, as well as helping to build strong, healthy bones.