7 Simple Tips to Help Kids Drink More Water (Even if they HATE it!)

Spring is finally here and summer will be hot on its heels (excuse the pun!). As the weather warms up, kids need to drink more water to stay hydrated. 

Besides the occasional reminder, some kids don’t need much encouragement to drink up. 

On the other hand, there are children who simply hate water. If yours is a water-hater then you know that getting them to drink plain water can be a daily battle leading to stressful tantrums and meltdowns. Often kids don’t like the taste of water, aren’t in the habit of drinking it or are holding out for something sweeter or fizzier!

So, how do you get your kids to drink more water so that you can keep your cool?

I’ve put together 7 ideas to help keep them hydrated:

7 Easy Ideas to Get Kids to Drink More Water and Stay Hydrated

I recently wrote about the importance of hydration and the ways that drinking enough water influences health, wellbeing and the ability to concentrate. Even if your child is happy drinking plain water most of the time, it can get a bit boring. Try these ideas to keep them drinking up and avoid dehydration/

1. Make it fun

Go shopping and let them choose a water bottle that appeals to them. They are far more likely to want to sip from a bottle that is colourful, cute or has their favourite cartoon character or pop star on it. Go further and have them choose a special glass to have with their meals at home. Grab yourself one too!

I love these bottles from Amazon. Cute, fun, practical and clever designs to appeal to all sorts!

2. Make it tasty and tempting

Experiment with chopping up different fruits to infuse the water with. They can pick different combinations and see which they like best. You can even buy special infuser bottles designed exactly for this purpose. They have a section in the middle where you put sliced fruit and the flavour seeps out into the water. Alternatively, you can leave the fruit to infuse the water with flavour and then sieve the fruit slices out if they don’t like little bits floating in the water.

Be careful if you buy bottles of flavoured water. Although they can be really tasty and refreshing, they can be loaded with sugar, artificial additives and sweeteners that could affect health and behaviour. 

Enjoying this topic? Here are some related posts:

• 8 essential benefits of hydration in children
• How getting quality sleep benefits children’s health and development

3. Make it accessible

Leave drinking water in bottles or jugs in places that they can easily reach like the kitchen table or coffee table in the lounge. Make sure that everyone has a glass of water during meals to make it the norm. Encourage them to take their water bottle with them when they are out and about.

4. Make it part of their routine

Drinking a glass of water is a brilliant way to start the day, so leaving a glass or bottle of water on their bedside table at night for them to have first thing in the morning will energise them. Try to discourage them from drinking too close to bedtime in case it causes bedwetting.

5. Remove temptation

If there are no sugary or fizzy drinks to tempt thirsty kids in the house, water automatically becomes the best option!

6. Sneak it in!

Drinking isn’t the only way to stay hydrated. Lots of fruits and veggies are water-rich foods. Cucumbers, spinach and tomatoes are all over 93% water. Regularly eating plenty of water-rich foods contribute significantly to fluid intake. Here’s a link to 10 more water-rich foods. 

Making fruit lollies and tasty smoothies are also delicious ways to boost hydration.

I am a huge fan of frozen berries – grapes and blueberries are delicious straight from the freezer. Kiwi-berries are my ultimate choice – if I can find them!

7. Make sure they know why they need to drink water!

Kids need to be able to see the link between drinking water and how essential it is for our bodies. If you haven’t read my essential benefits of hydration article, it describes why drinking water is crucial.

Help them to understand that their brains need water to function so that they can concentrate and that it keeps them healthy by helping organs and muscles function.

If they understand that when they feel thirsty, they may already be dehydrated then it may encourage them to keep topping up so that they don’t get thirsty.

Final thoughts and reminders about getting kids to drink enough water

Keep in mind that getting your child into the habit of drinking more water won’t happen overnight – especially if they are firmly in the water-hating camp! Try some of these ideas out and let me know how you get on. 

I’ll finish with a couple of reminders and tips to wrap this post up. 

First of all, start small. Especially if your child is used to drinking lots of fruit juices. Start by diluting them with water gradually. Baby steps are all still steps in the right direction. 

Next, remember that they look to you as a role model, so set an example. Make sure that they see you choosing water and make it the normal choice in your home. Not only will the whole family be better hydrated, but your teeth will also be at less risk of cavities. You will also reduce health risks like obesity that come with sugary drinks.

Finally, if you are concerned that your child might be dehydrated there are some simple signs to look out for. If their urine colour is pale yellow and they don’t seem unusually tired or moody then they are likely to be hydrated. Dark yellow urine is a strong sign that they are dehydrated and that you need to get fluids into them.