We all know we need water to survive, but try convincing a seven-year-old of that fact. Lots of kids don't like water and would rather have a sugary juice or soda pop. It's the duty of the parent to ensure their child is getting enough water in their diet.

Drinking water is a very important key to overall health for kids. Water is an essential nutrient that composes 50 to 60 percent of your total body weight. Water is the key component which transports other nutrients throughout your body to help build and repair cells. Blood needs water to carry oxygen throughout the body, which is why one would die if they were deprived of water for several days.

Although it varies from person to person, it is recommended that kids drink six to eight glasses of pure water per day. Additional amounts should be considered during warm weather and when exercising or just playing in the yard.
 
While the best source is a glass of pure water, kids can also get water into their bodies though certain foods. Think of all the delicious fruits and vegetables that have large amounts of water: grapes, peaches, oranges, green pepper, tomatoes and celery.
 
It's best to get kids in the habit of drinking water early. A child spoiled by flavorful drinks may start to refuse water altogether. Understand the dangers of those alternative drinks. Most soda pop is filled with sugar or the deadly sugar substitute aspartame. Very unhealthy, not to mention most of these drinks have caffeine which is a diuretic and actually takes water out of your body.
 
One can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine and is loaded with preservatives and other artificial food colors and sulphites. Studies have linked soda to osteoporosis, obesity, tooth decay and heart disease. 
 
Even juices are packed with sugar, and many have the same amount of sugar as sodas. It's recommended to water down juices when given to children: no more than 50% juice and the rest water. Even in those cases, the amount of juice given to a child should be in small quantities.
 
For a child to drink a proper amount of water, the responsibility begins and ends with the parents. They have a great influence on their child's drink intake. It's best to lead by example. If a child sees his parents consistently drinking soda, they will also want soda.  

Parents should do their best to provide pure drinking water for their kids and consume water filled fruits and vegetables. This will improve and maintain the health of the family.

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