Children have higher water requirements in relation to their body weight than adults do, so hydration is particularly important for them.
Infants’ bodies are around 80% water, and this diminishes as they grow older; older children and adults have around 70% water, and the elderly approximately 60% water.
The problem is that most children do not always realise that they are thirsty, and this can mean that they stand a high chance of becoming dehydrated, especially when it is hot out or they are taking part in some sort of sport.
Water is vital to a child’s health as it carries nutrients to cells; helps to remove waste products from our major organs; helps control core body temperature; keeps our immune system working properly; and helps our brain to function optimally.
Mild dehydration can cause thirst, headaches, lack of concentration, fatigue, reduced mental performance and dry skin.
According to the British Nutrition Foundation’s (BNF) guidelines regarding fluid intake for children, they need to drink plenty of water regularly as it will not harm their teeth like carbonated drinks could and also contains no calories.
The amount of water that a child should be drinking varies according to age, gender, the weather and how much physical activity they do. The BNF suggests that children aged 4-13 should drink around 6-8 glasses of water in addition to whatever fluid in included in their diet.
The general rule of thumb according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as to children’s water intake is as follows:
| Gender | Age group | Fluid from drinks and food (litres/day) |
Fluid from drinks only (litres/day)2 |
| Boys and girls | 4 to 8 years | 1.6 | 1.2 |
| Girls | 9 to 13 years | 1.9 | 1.4 |
| Boys | 9 to 13 years | 2.1 | 1.6 |
Children should hydrate with plain, natural drinks that are unsweetened and free from additives, such as water, milk, fruit juice and vegetable juice. They should drink 6-8 drinks per day, starting with some liquid with breakfast.
Children taking part in sports or even just playing outside in hot weather need to drink more water to replenish fluids that they lose from sweating.
If your child does not like drinking water, try adding a slice of lemon or some berries to their water; add a curly straw and make it a fun activity.
Get a bottled water cooler or mains water cooler from Living-Water.
