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“My kid won’t drink any water!“ This is a very common but important topic because water is essentially a nutrient. Our bodies cannot survive without it. For every reaction within the body, water is either used in the process (reactions take place in water) or an active participant in that reaction. We need to make sure that our kids are adequately hydrated. If they are not, it can cause some significant health issues.

3 Tips to Get Your Kid to Drink More Water

I frequently hear this, too, “My kid drinks a lot of juice.” Juice, depending on what type you are drinking, is not necessarily a bad thing. Unfortunately, for some kids on the spectrum, they are over-consuming juice. One way you can help get a little bit of water into their bodies is to water down that juice. Instead of giving them a 6 oz cup of pure juice, give them a 50% juice, 50% water mix. As their taste buds start to change and they are tolerating the change well, you can titrate the mix until it’s 100% water.

It’s summertime, it’s hot outside – what is more refreshing than having something that can cool you down? Another tip to consider is to freeze fruit or another treat into a popsicle or ice cube. This will force your child to work to get that treat, but also in the process, get some hydration. If they don’t necessarily like cold things, then consider giving them fruits or veggies that have a higher water content (i.e. celery, berries, melons, etc).

Finally, make it (drinking water) even more fun than that! A lot of your kids have smartphones or tablets and love visual stimulation. There are apps designed to help your kids keep track of their water intake. More importantly, it also gets them into a habit. Plant Nanny and iDrated are 2 examples. With Plant Nanny, the goal is to grow your plant. Water is a nutrient which plants, just like our bodies, need to grow and stay healthy. Tracking water intake will help nourish and grow the plant. These apps are fun tools to help your kids drink more water, and also encourage responsibility.

RECAP – 3 Tips to Get Your Child to Drink More Water

• Water down juice (or other beverages)
• Freeze fruit or other treats into a popsicle or ice cube.
• Make it fun! Use apps like Plant Nanny or iDrated

Author Dr. Shyron Alston