Does Your Kid Drink Enough Water?

Kids Need Different Quantities of Water Depending on their Different Criteria

Water is the elixir of life. While people can survive without food for even six weeks, they cannot live without water for more than a week or so. This is because, more than 60 percent of our body weight is due to water content. Water helps the body to:

• Maintain constant body temperature at about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Transport nutrients and oxygen to all the cells and flush away waste products out of the body.
• Maintain blood volume, lubricate joints and body tissues (mouth, eyes and nose).
• Replenish liquid needs without sugar, caffeine or above-all, calories.

Quench Your Thirst with Water

The water requirements of a kid depend on the child’s age, sex and weight along with other factors such as air temperature, humidity, activity level and overall health of a person. The chart displayed here gives anyone an idea about the number of cups of water needed by your healthy child/teen everyday living in temperate climates.

While the amount of water mentioned here might seem to look too much, it includes water from different sources such as drinking water, beverages and food. Fruits and vegetables have increased water content than other solid foods making them rich in nutrients and low in calories. This is a great reason to insist children to eat more foods from these food groups. Eat your water might seem to be funny, but in reality, water can be consumed from water-rich produce as given in the website www.firsteatright.com.

Generally, kids should drink at least six to eight cups of water every day and eat at least two cups of fruits and two and a half cups of vegetables daily to fulfill the recommended levels. Physically active kids need more water supply than other kids, particularly during the summer season. Target on drinking at least half cup to two cups of water every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise.

Total Daily Water Requirements of Kids
Age Range		Gender		Total Water (Cups/Day)
4 to 8 years		Girls and Boys		5
9 to 13 years		Girls		7
		Boys		8
14 to 18 years		Girls		8
		Boys		11