Easy and FUN Tips for Keeping Your Kids Hydrated and Healthy!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PureLifeRippleEffect #CollectiveBias

Everyone knows that drinking plenty of water every day is important for your health. But how can we help make sure our kids drink enough? Keeping it portable and EASY and working it into your daily routine helps both kids and adults stay hydrated all day! Keeping Nestlé® Pure Life® Water on hand makes it easy to have water ready and portable for all your end-of-summer outings and back-to-school needs!

I found Nestlé® Pure Life® Water by the case at Walmart. Easy to find and stock up for keeping my whole family hydrated all day long!

In a survey* recently conducted for Nestlé® Pure Life®, moms and their kids were asked some in-depth questions about their water intake and healthy habits, and the results may surprise you!

• 33% of kids find it hard to remember to drink water without reminders, but only half of the moms (52%) surveyed said they regularly remind their child to drink water. Water reminders are necessary to build healthy hydration habits!
• Drinking water is one of the biggest "healthy habit" struggles moms have with their kids (38%), even more than struggles like "eat your fruit" (29%), "get enough exercise" (23%), and "eat your breakfast" (19%).
• 84% of moms say bottled water is a convenient way to ensure their child is drinking water
• Kids who drink 4+ glasses of water per day are more likely to frequently exhibit healthy habits, such as getting their own water when thirsty, eating their fruits and vegetables at mealtimes without reminders, and requesting healthy food and beverage options for school lunches. Conversely, kids who drink fewer than 4 glasses of water a day are more likely to request soda, juice, and sports drinks (76%)
• A majority of kids say they prefer a homemade lunch (57%) over a school-bought lunch. This preference for packed lunches offers a key hydration opportunity for parents – packing a bottle of water can help increase a child's water intake for the day!

*An online survey was conducted in June 2015 of 1,077 moms of kids ages 6-12 overall, including 254 Hispanic moms of kids ages 6-12. 1,077 kids ages 6-12 from the same household were also surveyed, including 254 Hispanic kids ages 6-12. © 2015 Nestlé® Waters North America Inc.

 

My youngest is starting preschool this year, and just like Big Sis, needs a healthy packed lunch and drink every day. Here I packed a gluten-free grilled goat cheese sandwich with some organic grapes, carrots, and broccoli. And a few cute food picks to make it fun! And of course, a bottle of Nestlé® Pure Life® water to wash it down and keep her hydrated for snack and lunch times!

Food and nutrition expert Robin Plotkin RD, LD has some great tips and tricks to help you keep your family healthy and hydrated. (I've added my two cents in italics underneath each tip!)

Prep ahead a week's worth of bottled water, like Nestlé® Pure Life® Purified Water, for lunches or on-the-go-events at one time. Store in the freezer and remove when needed to stock lunches, backpacks, or gym bags. The water will thaw throughout the day and be ready to drink when your child is ready.

Bonus: a frozen water bottle can act as an ice pack to help keep the rest of the lunch chilled until lunch time as well! I always make sure to plan ahead and use this trick for really hot days, as my older daughter's school lunches are stored outside. It's also the perfect solution for keeping disposable field trip lunches fresh!

Lead by example. Each time Mom or Dad goes for a drink of water, ask your children if they'd like a drink of water, too. Soon, it will be the kids asking the parents to join them for a water break!

I'm terrible at this! I'm constantly getting migraines, most often triggered by dehydration. I think I need to flip this and start making a habit for myself to drink whenever my kids ask for a refill!

Have cups, straws, lids, and other drinking "equipment" available to provide to your kids to make drinking water more fun. Empower them to fill their own cups of water - and praise them when they do.

We have a low cupboard at home dedicated for my kids' dishes, so they can easily get their own plates, cups, utensils, etc and choose the ones in their favorite color or design. So any time someone asks for a drink, I can send them to get their own cup first! I found some fun reusable silicone "gummy worm" straws that they especially enjoy using.

My older one is now tall enough to refill her own cup, and I found a child-size pitcher small enough for my pint-sized 3-year-old to pour herself, since she can't reach the fridge's water dispenser or even open the refrigerator door yet. After filling her pitcher, I can leave it on the little kiddie table that I keep near the kitchen for when they want to assist me with cooking, and she can help herself! Both girls prefer drinking bottled water, though, since the narrower opening helps prevent spills, and the grown-up sized bottles make them feel more "grown-up!"

Talk as a family about the importance of a healthy lifestyle. In addition to eating a well balanced diet and getting regular exercise, discuss drinking water and getting enough sleep as part of an overall healthy lifestyle.

When explaining this concept to my young kids, I like to compare people to plants. Just like plants, we need to get enough proper nutrients from our food (soil, for the plants,) exposure to the sun, and plenty of water to grow and thrive!

According to 88% of moms surveyed*, water is the beverage their child most regularly drinks in the car. Make this a healthy habit by making sure that each child has a bottle of water in hand before they leave the house.

I just keep a whole flat of bottled water in the back of my car. That way I'm always ready when my girls (or husband!) gets thirsty.

Bonus benefits of always having water in the car: on super-hot days I've been able to use some bottled water to wet a cloth and wipe down my girls' car seats to cool the arm rests and buckles off so they didn't burn to the touch, as well as create cold compresses for foreheads and backs of necks when needed. Also great for cleaning scraped knees! And in a pinch, I've been able to DIY some baby wipes!

I have never regretted losing a little storage space to always have bottled water available in my car... but I have rued a few times when I had run out!

29% of moms surveyed* say that "fun tactics" would get their kids to drink more water. What's a fun tactic? Try storing a disposable cup or water bottle on a low shelf or in the side door of the refrigerator and label it with your child's initial. Or, use a favorite character sticker or trinket or even designate a special space in the fridge just for your child's water!

Kids seem to be naturally drawn to foods and drinks that have favorite characters on them, so why not use this to your advantage? Put stickers of their favorite characters or themes (dinosaurs, princesses, rockets, bugs, robots, etc) over the labels and on the lids of Nestlé® Pure Life® bottled water. Or let them decorate their own! If you're feeling confident in your graphic design abilities, you could even make some custom printable labels to tape on! (Or if you're like me, just do an internet search for some free printable ones designed by other talented people!)

As a proud supporter of the Partnership for a Healthier America's Drink Up initiative, Nestlé® Pure Life® is committed to helping families make healthier choices, starting with hydration. Nestlé® knows that establishing healthy habits in early childhood has lifelong benefits - they call this The Ripple Effect - and they're encouraging parents and their kids to reach for water first!

To ignite The Ripple Effect movement and encourage kids to get the water they need throughout their day, Nestlé® Pure Life® has committed to provide nearly one million 8 ounce servings of water to kids this school year through After-School All-Stars, an organization that strives to keep children safe and healthy through after-school programming.*

To inspire other moms to join the Ripple Effect movement, they've enlisted mom ambassadors across America to share their tips for making healthy changes in their lives and the lives of their children.

At PureLifeRippleEffect.com, parents can share tips and tricks that they use to teach their kids about the importance of staying healthy and hydrated. With this movement, you will be empowered to send your kids off to school each day fueled and hydrated! So help your family Drink Up and be a part of the Ripple Effect - visit pureliferippleeffect.com and share your tips for healthy hydration using the hashtag #pureliferippleeffect.

I've shared my tricks with you on how we use Nestlé® Pure Life® Water to create a delicious back-to-school lunch and to stay hydrated all year! What is your favorite way to use it for your family? 

*At over 20 participating schools in select markets across the country