5 ways to make drinking water fun for your little one!
As mothers, we all know that getting our children to drink plain water can be a bit of a challenge at times, especially when they have been introduced to sweet fruit juices, in which water should really be the first thing introduced to them, so they will not develop a sweet tooth. Here ae 5 unique ways to get your little one on the right track towards hydration!
Slurp It Up: buy them some fun and funky straws. Kids love those curly and swirly straws that you can find at any local superstore, and they come in all sorts of bright colors.
Bottle It Up: water bottles come in all sorts of colors, shapes, and sizes, and the little ones love having something all their own, especially at the toddler age.
Self Serve: bottled water can be quite expensive, so investing in a water cooler can ease the bill a bit, and your little ones will enjoy the convenience of getting their own water...total independence...a toddlers dream!
I Win: seeing who can drink the most water in a day can be a healthy competition...literally! Whoever wins the competition, use your imagination on how you will reward them.
Visualization: kids really connect with the characters they see on the children educational shows, like Sesame Street...is Elmo's laugh embedded in your head too? Making sure you purchase books, dvds, and cds that promote drinking plenty of water will effect your kids tremendously, if they see the characters drinking water, they too will ask for a glass!
Let's not forget who gets the groceries
My almost 2 1/2yr old (will be 3 in 2 weeks)sun LOVES water. Infact cold or hot days don't make a difference, he enjoys ice cubes as a treat. And he will tell you water is good for the body, and it helps him grow and make doing KAKA (bowel movement) much easier. He knows all this because we tell him. And we respect that like his adult parents he is a student of life, from the minute we met. I think sometimes audults forget that children learn not only what we intentionally teach them but also what they observe. Like if you are drinking plenty of water and less of the sugary fluids so will they. Mind you my son enjoys his chocolate almond milk, or orange juice, but he understands (yes he understands) the importance of water to the body. And there are times when he just doesn't want to drink the amount I know he should and instead he wants the almond milk or fruit juice. Well that's when mommy or daddy kick the negotiations and explanations. "D, remember when you were straining to do kaka? Well if you drink more water that won't happen." Or if you drink all of this water and you are still thirsty, you can have the chocolate/orange." At all times, WE are incharge of making sure he is properly hydrated, because we know it's important and we share the importance with him. So although the suggestions listed above may work, I think it's best to educate our children, rather than manipulate (I think) by disguising what is a GREAT thing or leaving it solely upto a TV charecter. This seems to encourage the influence of TV on our children when we should be trying to break that attachement.
peace
i'm going to use these!
Love the tips. Usually I just MAKE my Prince drink water. But in the colder months it's harder to get him to drink it. So I plan to incorporate some of these ideas into our everyday quest to get him to drink water. Thanks!
bless!