Over the years I had banished water in favour of fizzy and carbonated drinks and my body had obviously taken to sending me warning signals.
I was tired, couldn’t function, irritable, thirsty and even suffered with regular headaches, but it wasn’t until I read an article about what the side effects of dehydration dawned on me and over the last few months I have tackled this very subject head on and not just with my own body and water drinking habits, also with Joshua too.
I guess through the process of addressing my naughty ways it really dawned on me that children learn from example and I want my children to be as fit and healthy as they can be so I have taken to banning fizzy carbonated and sugary drinks in the house and now we all drink bottled water.
I tend to buy sports bottles and there is never an excuse to not have one to hand.
When I got the gym I take 2 with me and I now pack a bottle of Highland Spring water for Joshua now so has one for school that I marker pen his name onto.
We are lucky that Joshua’s school thinks it’s equally as important to keep the children well hydrated to so this makes my life easier but even if his school didn’t support us sending a bottle of water in we could certainly look at sending one in for lunchtime.
So why is it vital to keep those little humans really well hydrated?
Kids bodies cant regulate their body heat with sweating like adults can and so have a tendency to overheat!
Children very rarely are able to tell when they are dehydrated and don’t recognise the very first stages of being thirsty and so need our help to keep sipping through the day.
For adults it becomes second nature to drink regularly if it is something that our parents encouraged with us. Ensuring we follow suit with our children and starting a good pattern of regular water drinking is a great way to encourage them to drink regularly and so it should become second nature.
In comparison to adults children tend to need more water for their size than adults with most statistics recommending at least 6-8 cups of water a day!
I personally am so pleased we addressed the water drinking as a family and hope that long may it continue that we feel less sluggish, can finally concentrate and for me my skin has drastically improved. However for Joshua being well hydrated in the day time means he has more energy and has become a happy more rested little guy.
Disclosure: I’m working with Highland Spring and BritMums in a paid relationship promoting the #TermTimeEssentials campaign about the importance of hydration to kids. Visit http://highlandspringmagazine.com for more advice and tips