Drinking water is a basic human need. For babies and toddlers, the need for water is very important compared to adults, because they need more fluids related to their body size.
In addition, their kidney capacity has not developed to be able to quickly adjust to the amount of water in their body, and their thirst mechanism does not work until they feel dehydrated. Your child must drink plenty of water, especially in summer when the temperature is warmer and the child will lose more fluid. A 1-year-old child weighing 10 kg who is healthy needs 4 glasses of fluid every day. How do you drink lots of water?
Tips for making your child drink lots of water
Make drinking water a fun activity
Put water in an attractive glass (children usually like glasses with pictures of brightly colored animals or their favorite cartoon characters). Add straws, cute ice cubes, or a little piece of fruit like strawberries.
Limit their choices
Don't fill your fridge with soda and colorful fruit juice. If you want to consume the drink but don't want your children to go along, place the drink where your child can't see it.
But the best tips are not to keep these types of drinks at home because children are very smart in finding hidden foods. It would be better if you become a role model for them. If they see you drink water, they tend to follow.
Drink water first, then give them a snack
If you want to let your kids drink soft drinks, encourage them to drink a large glass of water first. Then after satisfying their thirst, they will not eat too much sweet food.
Explain the benefits of drinking water
Explaining the benefits of water may be the best way to make your children understand, but usually children are interested in the human body. Invite them to the library and take a few books about nutrition and how the body works. Teach them the importance of consuming enough water. Even a rebellious teenager might decide to throw soda if they know that soda makes them easier to spotty.
Make the taste of white water taste better
Cold water is usually more attractive to children, especially in summer. So the alternative is to freeze your child's water bottle in the refrigerator to take to school. You can also add slices of lemon and lime to add flavor to the fruit without having to add juice that contains lots of sugar.
Make water easy to reach
The best thing you can do to encourage your children to drink water is to make it easier for your child to reach it. If they play outside, bring them a bottle; at dinner, place a large bottle of water on the table. If all family members drink water constantly, they will get used to the habit.
Make changes gradually
Don't directly demand that the child drink only water. Start by making sweet drinks occasionally or just on weekends, give them in smaller glasses, and offer better types of drinks such as fruit juice than soft drinks.
At the same time, make it a habit to drink water at every meal hour. If your child is really fussy, start giving them more juice every day until they want to drink more water.