10 Drinks Kids Want Before Water

Water is the best drink for kids and adults, but unfortunately, it isn’t always our first choice, especially for kids. It can take some training on our part to help them make this a preferred choice and make sure that they get all the water that they need each day. Below are listed 10 choices that many kids would choose to drink instead of water.

1. Juice – Fruit juices do provide some good, healthy nutrition for kids, and their sweet taste will often make them a favorite for kids. Apple, grape and orange juices are the three safe choices for smiles. However, there are many combination flavors that kids enjoy today as well (cran-grape, orange-pineapple, etc.). Checking the content to make sure there is no added sugar and that the product is 100% juice is an important step in getting the most nutritional value out of the juices kids love.
2. Soft drinks – You may call these ‘soda’ or ‘pop’, depending on the area of the country you live in. Root beer and fruit flavored soft drinks seem to be the favorites among young kids and are generally free from caffeine, but have lots of sugar. There are few kids who would choose water over a soft drink with their meal, but there are a few.  This one is difficult to combat since there is almost no nutritional value, the best thing you can do is be sure to offer this choice as a last resort (basically use it more as a treat).
3. Milk – This is another healthy choice for kids who want to drink something other than water.  You also have the choice of providing it in different fat contents.You will find that some kids do have a preference for the milks with higher fat content, skim, 1%, 2% or whole milk, depending on what they are used to drinking at home.
4. Koolaid – This fruit flavored powder has been used by parents for years to provide an inexpensive sweet drink for kids. Kids will get their water by drinking this drink, but they’ll also get a lot of sugar unless you buy the sugar-free variety (which of course we recommend).
5. Lemonade – Lemon juice, water and sugar are the three simple components of this time favored drink. The sour lemon juice is tempered by the sugar to make it just right for a hot summer day. Of course, it has also been used as a money maker for many children over the years.  This is another favorite that you can control the amount of sugar, so not a bad choice for kids under your care.
6. Smoothies – A cold, slushy drink made with fruit, your limitations in this area are created only by the limits of your own imagination. Any single fruit or combination of fruit can be used. You can find many different recipes for smoothies online to satisfy the taste buds of even the pickiest kids.
7. Ice cream floats – This drink can double as a dessert. Root beer floats are one of the most popular, but floats can be made with any flavor of soft drink, just add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  This is a true treat for obvious reasons and an effective prize for good behavior.
8. Flavored milk – Some kids prefer flavored milk to either white milk or water. Chocolate is the most common flavor and usually comes in a skim milk variety. However, strawberry flavored milk or flavored powder for adding to milk is also available.
9. Sports drinks – There are times when sports drinks with electrolytes are actually more beneficial to children than just water. Any time when dehydration is a concern, pediatricians recommend these types of drinks. Pedialyte or Gatorade are the two most well-known brand names.
10. Flavored waters – Many sugar-free flavored bottled waters are available in grocery stores that can be helpful for getting kids to drink the water they, need without adding any sugar to their diet.

As we mentioned at the beginning, water is an important part of a healthy lifestyle for kids, and such be encouraged as their drink of choice. If you are looking for other options, there are plenty of them available that kids will happily take as a first or second choice.

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