Drinking Water and Children

Just because they have smaller bodies does not mean they need less of it. Water is in fact one of the most important nutrients for children. Often times when we read tips for nutrition for our children, they leave out important information about the intake of healthy fluids.

Water not only keeps children healthy, but also will help them perform better in school. See, dehydration leads to a reduction in both mental and physical performance. This can be show results in the classroom! Long-term chronic dehydration may cause health problems and illnesses.

Because many schools have inadequate water resources, parents and teachers should regularly encourage children to drink water at home, and even bring their own to school. Children should especially drink water after taking part in sports, such as in gym class. As stated above, even a small degree of dehydration can lead to a reduction of mental and physical performance. So, not having access to that water, or not being hydrated before school, can lead to poor concentration in the classroom, which could mean not as much participation, and even lower test scores.

Contrary to what people may think about size, although children are smaller than adults, they need to consume more water. In fact, the smaller they are, the more they need to drink. A boy between the ages of 11 and 14 needs to drink 3.3 litres of water per day, and a girl the same age needs 2.8 litres per day. A recent survey revealed that 65% of school aged children between the ages of five and 14 drink less water than they should.
Children are at a much greater risk of dehydration, as the process can begin much more rapidly in them. Once the body is dehydrated, the internal temperature rises and the body, particularly the brain, overheats. Since children are still growing, there is all the more need to keep the body hydrated so that it functions properly. Children should always have unlimited access to safe drinking water. A loss of 2% of body fluids causes a 20% reduction in performance in both physical and mental activities. Dehydration in excess of 3% may lead to heat stroke, a condition to which children are much more prone than adults are.

Another reason why children should drink up is that their thirst mechanisms are less developed than adults’, and tend to appear after dehydration has already set in. Children should therefore be encouraged to drink water even if they are not thirsty. Headaches, irritability and sleepiness are often signs of dehydration. Of course, children are bombarded with ads of cool soft drinks, but parents, please note that water is a far better choice.

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