Human beings need water to survive, and this is no different for children. In actual fact it is possibly more important that you ensure that your children drink sufficient water regularly because they do not realise when they are dehydrated.
A recent study by the American Journal of Public Health highlighted some very serious issues children face when they do not drink adequate water throughout the day, and the research revealed that the health risks are even more than previously believed.
Dehydration in children is connected to emotional and cognitive functioning as well as other serious health risks.
Even a slight amount of dehydration in a child can result in a number of issues, including headaches and bad tempers. Although this was an exclusive United States-based study, the risks are the same for children everywhere, and fortunately Business is starting to realise this and doing something about it such as stocking less sugary drinks for children.
Children in the UK have recently presented with obesity, and drinking too many carbonated drinks is part of the problem. It is preferable that carbonated drinks are replaced with fresh drinking water, as it is far healthier and also does not have such a large carbon footprint as the carbonated drinks have.
Some healthy hydration programmes have been established in UK schools in order to try to ensure that children are drinking more water throughout the day, and most are working quite well, but it is up to you to ensure that your children are sufficiently hydrated.
One of the best methods of ensuring that you and your whole family drink water regularly is to invest in a plumbed-in water cooler that can provide access to clean, chilled, and filtered water on a virtually continuous basis. Children love the fact that they can easily access water out of this “machine†for them and their friends, and it does away with the problem of worrying that they will drop the jug of water or forget to refill it or even forget to close the door properly. Some models even offer cold, ambient and hot water options so you can make the most use of them year-round.
