Anyone who has seen a baby lovingly carrying around his bottle or a toddler grinning at a sippy cup knows that children love to drink. And this is a good thing considering that most children and adults do not get adequate daily hydration.
Nicola Graimes, author of Brain Foods for Kids (Delta, 2005) and mother of two, agrees that most children do not drink enough water but also points out that dehydration affects concentration and intellectual performance and the transportation of nutrients around the body. "A 2 percent loss in body fluids, for example, can cause a 20 percent reduction in both physical and mental performance," she says.
A child may be thirsty but not know why they are feeling the way they do. "Depending on age and ability, children and infants need varying degrees of support in order to maintain an adequate hydration level," says Graimes. "They may feel thirsty but have limited capacity to express their need or to access drinks." This may come across as fussy in older babies and whiney in toddlers.
When "drink time" finally rolls around, many parents will offer their child apple juice or sugar-sweetened drinks. But, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), parents should limit the amount of juice their children drink. The AAP says infants shouldn't be given juice at all until they're 6 months old, and children 1 to 6 should drink no more than 4 to 6 ounces daily.
Instead of offering powdered drink mixes, carbonated beverages or too much juice, why not introduce your child to flavored waters? Not only will this jazzed up water help them stay hydrated without additives, but it may help them develop a taste for less-sweet drinks.
Cold-Brewed Flavored Water
Fill up a 2-quart pitcher with water. Add the ingredients, cover and chill for two hours. Before serving, add ice and garnish, if desired. Serve.
Lemon Mint
Water
Lemon slices
Fresh mint leaves, rinsed
Raspberry and Rose
Pink rose petals (pesticide free, rinsed)
Fresh raspberries, rinsed
Orange Infused
Orange slices
Tangerine segments
Lime and Cucumber
Lime slices
Cucumber slices
Mint leaves, rinsed (optional)
Berry Blast
1/2 cup halved strawberries
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup blueberries
Lemon slices, optional
Tropical
Pineapple chunks, fresh or canned
1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
Hot-Brewed Flavored Water
Lemon Verbena
Water
2 to 3 springs of lemon verbena, rinsed
Lemon slices to garnish
Add water to fill up a 2-quart jar. Add the sprigs of lemon verbena. Cover and set the jar in the sun for at least two hours. Add ice and slices of lemon. Serve.
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