I know I’m in the minority, but my kids (ages 3, 5, 7) have never had soda. I have made an conscious effort to not even let them taste it. I’ve had that control up until now but because they don’t live in a bubble and they do attend school with other kids, I’m sure soda will start to be an option for them. I know I won’t be able to keep soda from them forever but I do want to encourage drinking water as much as possible.
I know we are all busy as parents but we need to consciously cut down our kids’ sugary beverage intake as it is the largest source of added sugar in U.S. children’s diets. I’m sure many kids love to power down soda but I’m confident that if we made an effort, they could learn to love water. There are so many health benefits of drinking more water for kids such as keeping them hydrated, regulating body temperature, helping with metabolism, energizing muscles and much more.
Remember this: a 20-ounce sugary beverage has about 250 calories. Water had ZERO calories!
So, how do we get our kids to drink more water? We make it fun and incorporate it into our family’s day. Here are some tips from Brita to do just that:
- Keep It Handy: Have your kids carry a water bottle. And keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator so it’s cold, refreshing and easy to reach.
- Don’t Run Out: If your child is playing, running, jumping and sweating, he or she needs even more water and other fluids.
- Fill ‘Er Up: Drinking a glass of water before a meal can help your kids feel full and resist the urge to eat more than they need.
- Eat Your Water: Remember the rule about eating more fruits and vegetables? Well, it’s partly because they’re actually good at replacing fluids. Fruits like grapes, watermelon, oranges or cantaloupe are full of water. So are veggies like lettuce, cucumbers and celery. Just be sure to keep the liquids flowing, too.
- Lead by Example: Encourage parents and school staff to carry water bottles and track their own water consumption. Make it a competition for added excitement.
Getting our kids to drink water in our kitchens is easy but what about on-the-go? Sure, we could just buy cases and cases of disposable water bottles but that sure sounds wasteful because while many people intend to recycle those bottles, 69% end up in the trash and not in a recycling container. That is bad for Mother Earth.
Our best bet is a reusable bottle that we can clean and refill over and over. Many people might be worried with a reusable bottle that their tap water or the water out of the drinking fountain might not be up to par.
That is why Brita just introduced their Bottle for Kids. The Brita Bottle for Kids is a 13 oz. squeezable and reusable bottle with a built-in filter that provides an affordable, fun and convenient solution for kids to drink great-tasting water on the go. I know what you are thinking…”Oh great, I have to replace a bottle filter so that must be expensive!”
Nope! It will actually save you money! Look at it this way: one Brita Bottle for Kids filter lasts two months or 40 gallons of water and can replace 300 plastic (disposable) bottles, saving you over $25 a month. Not only can your child get great-tasting water without all the waste of disposable bottles but you’ll save money too! Win-win for everyone (including Mother Earth!).
The Brita Bottles for kids are available in three bright colors and in a kid-friendly 13 oz size that fits perfectly in their hands, plus they are BPA free and dishwasher safe. These bottles are available at retailers nationwide (so no need to order online!) and retail for $8.99 for one Brita Bottle for Kids (with one filter) and $7.99 for a pack of two replacement filters.
Brita isn’t just making bottles to encourage kids to drink more water with less waste, they are making a difference. Brita is working together with the non-profit Alliance for a Healthier Generation to engage students, educators and families about the health benefits of drinking more water and provide tips for staying hydrated every day. As part of their partnership with the Alliance, Brita is donating more than 4,000 Brita Bottles for Kids to schools across the country to encourage healthy habits in their students.
To find out what else Brita has been up to and keep up-to-date on their company, be sure to become part of their social networks.
You know we couldn’t just tell you about something awesome and not do a giveaway, right?!? We are giving you the opportunity to win a Brita Water Bottle for Kids.
What’s up for grabs: FIVE (5) Brita Water Bottles for kids – (that means FIVE winners each getting one (1) of these cool water bottles!)
How to Enter:
Yep, we are back to Rafflecopter this week! A blog comment is the only mandatory entry! Baby Gizmo friends don’t just stick with “mandatory” though, right? So, there are additional (optional) entries you can get. But let us warn you – make sure you actually do the entries! If you click on “leave a blog comment” on the Rafflecopter widget – make sure you actually leave a blog comment. We check! If you don’t do the actual entry – it doesn’t count! You won’t win. We’ll both be sad.
*Doing each entry method will require a few different blog comments so don’t worry about commenting more than once (or you can just combine all your answers into one comment). Just follow the Rafflecopter directions. Today’s Giveaway STARTS now and ends on Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at 11:59pm EST. *US residents only! (Sorry!)
Legal Mumbo-Jumbo: *CLOROX is providing the prizes for this program at no cost to me. This program and blog content is not administered or sponsored by CLOROX or its affiliates, but solely by Hollie Schultz of BabyGizmo.com.
*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post! Of course, all thoughts, opinions and statements are our own. We still think they are great regardless of the “sponsored” part or not!