4 ways to get your kids to drink water

Kids often love drinking juice and sugary beverages, but ensuring that they drink ample water is essential for their health. Here are 4 ways to encourage your little ones to drink more water during the day.

Kids are more likely to drink water when it is ready and easily accessible. One way to facilitate this is by giving them their very own water bottle to carry around, or carrying one around for them. If kids have a personalized, filled water bottle waiting for them, they'll be more likely to grab it and drink water when they feel thirsty.

Some kids resist drinking water because they prefer drinking things that are flavoured or sweet. In order to get them more excited about drinking water, try making their water taste better. To do this in a healthy way, consider adding pieces of frozen fruit to the water. The fruit can act like ice cubes to keep the water cold while also giving it a fruity flavour as it melts. Kids can then enjoy eating the fruit when they're finished.

It can be difficult to convince a child to drink water when you are next to them sipping coffee or beer. By drinking water yourself at meals and making a pitcher readily available at the dinner table, you can set a good example for your kids. Choose to drink something other than water only when your child is allowed to have juice or another drink, or save your other beverages for times when your kids are not around.

It's more difficult for children to make a fuss about drinking water when their choices are limited, so consider limiting the beverages in your refrigerator to healthier options like milk and fresh juice. By keeping things like pop and sugary juices out of the fridge, kids will be more likely to choose to drink water while they're at home. If you do keep juice in the house, consider making a rule that your children must have a full glass of water before they can drink juice. You can also try diluting every cup of juice by combining one part juice and one part water.

Drinking plenty of water is part of a healthy lifestyle and the best way to instill this as a lifelong habit is to start when your children are young.