All living beings need water. The human body is made up of approximately 70% water and plays many important roles in the body of living beings including regulating the body temperature, digesting food and in the process of excretion. The body loses its water through sweat, breath, and urine. It is important to replace the water you have lost to prevent yourself from dehydration. According to the experts from Preschool in Monrovia, CA, children are at greater risk of dehydration than adults. This is because children have a larger proportion of their skin available to sweat and is exposed to heat. Moreover, they hardly recognize that they are thirsty and need constant encouragement and reminders to drink water.

How do you know if your child is hydrated?

There are a few ways to understand if your child is hydrated. Frequent bathroom breaks or wet nappies can be the easiest way to understand that your child is drinking enough water. Moreover, you can also lookout for the below mentioned common symptoms of dehydration:

• Frequent headaches
• Poor concentration or attention span
• Feeling thirsty
• Having cracked lips and dry mouth
• Constipation and dark urine
• Showing a lack of energy or enthusiasm

Benefits of drinking water:

The teachers suggest parents to encourage their toddlers to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Although water does not contain any nutrients, it is essential to your child’s good health. It makes up more than half of your child's body weight and helps all other body parts function properly. Drinking plenty of water also supports a healthy digestive and a proper blood circulation system and prevents constipation in toddlers. Water also helps in transporting nutrients and oxygen to cells, maintain body temperature and sodium balance in the human body.
For kids having congenital heart problems or structural heart defects, proper hydration is of prime importance to ensure good blood flow in their body. Parents should encourage children to drink plenty of water as they are prone to dehydration because of their higher metabolic rate and potential increased water losses. So, Preschool in Monrovia, CA makes sure children drink a lot of water to stay healthy and strong.

How much water do children need?

The amount of water any child needs to drink throughout the day depends on her age, the kind of activity she does every day, the weather temperature, her diet, and health. Following the general guideline 5 to 8-year olds should drink at least 5 glasses of water a day and children above 8 years old require at least 7 to 8 glasses of water a day.

Tips to help your kids stay hydrated shared by teachers of Child Care:

• Encourage your child to pack a water bottle for school and any outing.
• Insist her to drink water before, after and during physical activities.
• Always offer water with meals and snacks.
• Talk to your child about the importance of drinking enough water.
• If your kid is reluctant to drink water, you can try some flavor water like orange juice or lemonade.
• Try to be a role model in front of your toddler.