Parenting Facts: Is Your Child Getting Enough Water?

Getting children to drink water can be challenging as it is something that requires constant follow up and consistency. Recent data reveal that children are not consuming enough water thus they are prone to dry skin and even dehydration. As it is already confirmed that they lack water intake, how much water should your child need?

The Institute of Medicine  highlighted that children ages 4 to 8 should drink around 2 quarts of water per day. It should then increase as they grow older. For teenage boys however, they are required to drink 23.5 quarts and 2.4 quarts for teenage girls.

These water recommendations do not include the children's water intake when they are out and playing. Children should also drink a lot of water when it's humid and hot.

Stella Volpe, the Department of Nutrition Sciences at Drexel University and member of the panel who set the recommendations for the amount water intake among toddlers mentioned that children would need to drink more if they would engage in strenuous activities.

"When children are outside and it's hot and humid, they need to drink more," says Volpe. "Their sweating mechanisms aren't as well developed as in adults so they could tend to overheat faster."

For kids that are more hyper and those who engage in extra physical activities, it was noted that their first choice of fluid intake should be water. Dr. Patrice Evers mentioned that giving them energy drinks should not be the first option except if they engage on a more devoted athletic workout as per NPR.

"Many parents think the first thing they should reach for is the sports drinks," Evers, a pediatrician at Tulane University School of Medicine. "But really it should be water, unless your child is in the more elite athlete category."

Parents should make sure that their children are getting adequate water as it can lead to several health complications. Parents should be cautious enough to check on their child's water intake and make sure they are well hydrated.