You have heard how important water is for your children. Choosing water helps your children stay hydrated and keeps the electrolytes in their growing body balanced. Replacing sugar-filled drinks with water also reduces the amount of calories that they are consuming. Unfortunately, kids don’t always want to drink water and still ask for those sugary drinks. You may be confused when this happens and feel like you are out of options, but good news! Help is here!

The blog, Little Dippers Eat More Fruits and Vegetables, mentions very appropriately that we are naturally born with a preference for sweet-tasting things. The sugar hiding in sweetened beverages is what makes these drinks so irresistible to everyone, especially children.  Since kids naturally want the sugary drink and don’t always want water, this leads to the question, “What else can my child drink?”. Here are a few helpful tips to follow for healthier beverage options for your kids, as well as some ideas to put these in your day-to-day routine.

Drink more water

Make drinking water fun by letting your child pick out a fun cup or water bottle to drink out of.  Also, simply letting your child use a colorful straw will make them want to drink the water in their cup. This can be useful with a meal or on the go!

Add fruit to your child’s water

Let your child pick out his/her favorite fruit. Slice it up into small pieces and add to the water for a colorful, more flavorful beverage option. You could also mix in a small amount of 100% fruit juice into the water to add some more flavor.

Skim or low-fat milk

Milk is a great source of calcium to help your child’s growing bones! Two cups per day is recommended for children ages two and up of either 1% or skim milk.  This is a good choice to have with dinner or with a snack in between meals.

Keep these tips in mind and you’ll be on your way to making fun healthy beverage choices. Do you have any other tips to share that have helped your children drink smart?