Alternatives to Water For Kids

Some kids will drink water all day long, others won’t touch it. If your child likes water, then give it to them whenever they want it. If your child doesn’t like water, then give them the best alternatives you can that are not loaded with sugar. There are a lot of options these days that are pretty healthy for kids. This means that you will have to watch the back of drinks a bit closer, but you’ll also help build healthier habits in your kids.

The top choice for kids in terms of a drink that isn’t water is milk. Milk is loaded with protein and vitamins that are good for your child’s health. While it’s a fairly high calorie drink (at least it’s not low calorie), it actually has some nutritional benefits whereas plenty of drinks these days do not. While your kids are drinking their calories (which we generally recommend to avoid), this is a scenario where it makes sense to do so.

After water and milk, there are a ton of options available in terms of what you can drink. Figuring out what is the best option may seem overwhelming, but it’s really not. Focus on drinks that are low calorie and that are low to no caffeine (your child probably has plenty of energy already - you don’t need to get them even more amped up). By focusing on these two things, you’ll be able to easily determine what your child can drink.

Below are a few different ideas of ways to get your child to get fluids in their body if they’re refusing plain water.

• Lemonade. We’re talking about the no calorie water sweeteners. Crystal Light and other similar type lemonade mixes are perfect choices for sweetening up water without adding tons of calories. These will have a few calories, but nothing like Kool-aid which was the choice of drink when we were younger.
• Mio or water sweetener. Similar to lemonade mixes, but this is generally a fluid that is added to water. This also is a no calorie choice for drinks that will make it easier to drink.
• Sodastream. Use a sodastream to make soda like drinks without all of the calories and without spending all of the money that you would buy soda at the store. You can use this with the Mio or Crystal Light mixtures above to carbonate the drinks if your child thinks that they need a carbonated drink.
• Diet soda. If your child must drink soda, then choose diet sodas and zero calorie options. While they may taste a little bit different to you, your child will likely not notice a difference. Most kids just like the sweet taste and the carbonation in the drinks. Diet soda is way better to regular soda - there’s way less sugar.

There are a few drinks that you may buy in your home missing from this list. Namely, there is no juice on the list. Juice is a tasty drink, but it’s usually high in calories and sugar. Almost all juices are simply not that healthy in spite of what the juice companies may claim. Give your kids fruits if they are craving some juice and skip buying it.

Give your kids low calorie drinks in place of water when they don’t want to drink it. There are a lot of healthy and decent option available these days, so find what your kids like.