Water, it does a body good and is recommended as the “go-to” drink for children over a year old. But how do you get them to enjoy it? Experience shows, kids are more inclined to drink brightly colored, fruity flavored waters over plain. So kick those sugary drinks and juices to the curb and follow these ideas and recipes to get them onboard with water.
What will you need? It’s really simple… tap water and a large mason jar or a glass pitcher, assorted fruits and your child’s favorite cup or sports bottle.
Tips:
· Let them pick out their favorite fruits. That way, they feel in charge and in control of selecting what they like to drink.
· Select fruits they like and avoid lemon and lime if they don’t like sour foods.
· If your kids are not big fruit lovers, start with only a few and build up over time.
· Love a challenge? Kids who love a check-off list could be encouraged by giving them a reward for for finishing “x” number of waters. Create a chart and let them see which kid finishes their water.
· Hard fruits such as apples should be sliced thin to release flavor more easily and keep soft fruits like berries and lemons chunky so they will hold up a little longer.
· Give them the freeze! Freezing some of the berry’s before adding them to the bottle, can take the place of ice and extend the flavor.
· Let it sit for an hour or even overnight in the fridge before enjoying; the longer time you leave it to infuse the more flavorful it will become.
· Reuse, recycle. The fruit will continue to infuse all day, so just refill your bottle/jar/pitcher with water as many times as you want for a refresher.
· Get creative! Mix & match flavors. Let it be a learning experience – like a tasty science lab!
Fruits to Use:
· Red: Strawberries, Raspberries, Watermelon, Red Apple
· Orange: Oranges, Clementine’s, Cantaloupe
· Yellow: Lemon, Pineapple, Mango, Yellow Pear
· Green: Kiwi, Green Apple, Pear, Honeydew
· Blue: Blueberries
· Purple: Blackberries
Recipes:
· Berry Breeze - Strawberry, Raspberry, Blueberry
· Rainbow Refresher - Strawberry, Orange, Pineapple, Kiwi, Blueberry, Raspberry
· Sipp’in Summer – Watermelon, Cucumber, Strawberry
· Berry Lime-Aid – Strawberry, Kiwi, Lime
· Cherry Lime-Aid – Cherry, Lime
· Citrus Bliss – Lemon, Orange, Lime
· Orangesicle – Orange and a drop of vanilla extract
Here are a few other mixes you might want to try:
· Lemon Orange Strawberry
· Pineapple Cucumber Strawberry
· Orange Lime Cucumber
· Cantaloupe, Strawberry
· Grapefruit, Lemon
· Apple, Orange, Raspberry
· Lime, Mint
· Strawberry, Orange
· Blackberry, Orange, Lime
For more information about the new beverage guidelines and recommendations, visit: https://healthydrinkshealthykids.org/parents/