Water Is Vital (Prediabetes)

Children need to learn how vital water is to their health. Avoid starting your child on soft drinks at all costs. Encourage her to drink water before, during, and after each meal. Feel free to make disparaging remarks about the worth-lessness of soft drinks, flavored drinks, and even dietetic drinks.
Children should appreciate that the best thirst quencher is water. Make sure your child has easy access to water all day long. For very young kids, that may mean placing a stool near the sink or keeping a pitcher of water on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator so they can help themselves.
Explain to your child that dehydration will prevent her from performing at her best both mentally and physically. She needs to know that it’s most important to drink after sweating. If she goes from gym class to an academic subject and is not hydrated, she likely won’t perform well in class or on tests.
The fact that your child is growing makes it even more important that she be well hydrated. Dehydration can occur much more rapidly in children than in adults. They are less aware of thirst than adults, so they can become dehydrated more easily.
Get your child in the habit of drinking water all the time. Doing so establishes a habit that yields benefits through her whole life.

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