Water is very important for our body. The body of an average adult is composed of 60% water and the water composition in infants and toddlers is, even more, i.e. 70-78%.
Our brain is composed of 73% water and even lungs are composed of 83% water.
These facts are enough to state the importance of water.
Water is very important for our body to maintain ideal body temperature, maintain good mental health, remove toxins and wastes through urine.
Even a slight drop in the water level from our body can cause a headache, lack of focus, dizziness, fatigue and in severe case comma.
That’s why it is very important to drink more water. Now you know the importance, you must make sure your toddler is drinking more water.
So, how you can get them to drink more water?
This is the problem many parents worried about.
And in this article, I am going to show you some ways which will help you to get your toddler to drink more water.
But before going to that, first, you must know how much water does a toddler needs every day.
A toddler needs about 1.3 liters of fluid throughout the day.
It includes 350 ml of milk as well as water, fresh juice, soups etc. (Source)
Now let’s move towards the ways or tricks you can use to get your toddler to drink more water.
Make Water Available to Them
Put a water bottle or a sipper near your toddler wherever her/she goes.
It reminds him/her to drink water.
So if your toddler is playing in the room then you should always keep a water bottle or sipper somewhere near him or her.
Or if your toddler is playing in your backyard then you should also make sure that he/she has a water bottle near him.
If your toddler is going to school, don’t forget to put a water bottle in his school bag.
Make Drinking Water Fun
Drinking water is boring.
The little trick to get a toddler to drink more water is simply by making drinking water more interesting.
But how you are going to do that?
It’s simple, you can add chopped pieces of various fruits like blueberries, strawberries, apples, lemon etc. into their sipper.
You can also use multiple types of sippers. This trick is very useful because anything new excites or interests toddlers.
So use multiple slippers having different kinds of designs on them.
It would be cherry on the top if the sipper has a design of their favourite cartoon character etc.
It is also a good idea to allow your toddler to decorate their own bottle.
You can also use different types of straws or reusable straws just to make drinking water more interesting.
Reward Your Toddler
Giving a reward after performing a task is a proven way to develop a habit.
If you know what your toddler like then you can set it as a reward if he/she drinks more water.
Limit Your Options
Don’t put too many different kinds of drinks in your refrigerator.
Try to keep as many types of liquids in your refrigerator as you can.
You can have plain water, infused water, coconut milk, orange juice etc.
Don’t just have lots of different kinds of fluids in your refrigerator.
Set a Good Example
It is no secret that children follow in their parent’s footsteps. So you can set a good example by drinking more water from time to time which will encourage your children to do the same.
Play Silly Games
You can play silly games like putting chopped blueberries, strawberries, lemon etc in the covered water bottle and then asking your toddler to guess which fruit is into the water bottle by allowing them to drink the water.
It makes drinking water a fun game and they are definitely going to love to play this game for at least some time.
Don’t Force Your Toddler
It’s pretty simple, don’t force your toddler to drink water every time.
If your toddler refuses to drink water just say them something like “Please have 1-2 sips for your mama” and after that just put the sipper near them so that they know that if they feel thirsty they can drink it anytime.
Not just drinking more water is enough, water must be pure. Usually, we don’t get pure water naturally. So we should purify the water before drinking.
Water purified by a good water purifier contains all the essential minerals which are very beneficial for our body.
If you don’t have a water purifier then this water purifier buying guide will help you to choose an ideal water purifier.
- How to Get Your Toddler to Drink More Water - September 24, 2018
This can be such an uphill struggle. You give some really good advice. Thanks for sharing!