There are many children who do not remember to drink water and if parents do not give the importance it deserves to daily hydration, dehydration can appear at any time. Children should drink water every day, at least 6 to 8 glasses a day. Adults should also be aware of this and drink 8-12 glasses of water. If you play sports or have a more active life, the amount of water should also be greater.
If your son or daughter tells you that they are thirsty, then they are probably already dehydrated. This is why children should drink water throughout the day before thirst develops. Look for these signs of dehydration in your child to prevent it from happening.
Signs of dehydration in children
- Does not pee
- Little wet diapers for more than six hours
- Lack of urine for 12 hours in older children (or a small amount of dark-colored urine)
- Dark urine that has a strong odor (the stronger the odor, the more dehydration there is)
- Dry or sticky mouth
- Few or no tears when crying
- Dry, non-shiny skin
- Hollow eyes
- Sunken fontanelles in babies (or bulging)
- Lethargy or irritability
- Fatigue or dizziness in an older child
Get your child to drink more water
It's not always easy to convince your child to drink plain water, right? Here are some tips to increase your water intake on a daily basis:
- Make water accessible. Take bottles of water with you wherever you go. Put a bottle of water each day in your child's school backpack so they can drink water at any time of the day. For the little ones, leave a cup of water where your child can easily reach for it when he wants to drink some water.
- Add flavor and color. Add fruit to the water like watermelon, pineapple, lemons or limes…. Try using frozen fruits instead of ice cubes. The water will have more flavor and more attractive colors so that children will drink the water more happily.
- A little fun never hurts. Buy special glasses or mugs with cute characters in the glass, or use straws to make drinking water a little more enjoyable. Although it seems too simple, it works.
- Be a good role model. Always have a bottle of water with you and drink plenty of water at home. When your children see that you owe water, they will realize how important it is also to climb and to their health. Also, if he sees you drink water, the more likely he will ask himself to drink more.
Water is important for the health of adults and children, but it is also important for your mood. When water is lacking in the body, in addition to dehydration, it can also lead to anxiety, irritability and a more depressed mood.. Water is life, health and physical and emotional well-being. There can be no lack of water in the life of any living being!