Staying hydrated

Love it or hate it we are officially in the grip of a heat wave in the UK! I absolutely love it but our house stays nice and cool and the kids are no longer babies sweating it out in a hot push chair or pram. I do remember the struggle to keep them cool, happy, shaded and hydrated in the hot months (week) of the British summer so my thoughts are with you if this is your current life.

Dehydration is always a major worry for us parents so we've put together our top tips for keeping little ones hydrated and happy in the heat..

• Never leave the house without a water bottle – pick a good sized reusable one so you don’t have to buy water bottles whilst out. Most cafes will happily refill a water bottle for you too. 
• Try giving smoothies and slushies but not too much! NHS guidelines advise that children should have no more than 150ml of juice or smoothies. You can increase this by adding water and vegetables that contain less sugars.
• Ice pops – if smoothies don’t do the trick, Make your own ice pops using fresh fruits and vegetables. Pop an ice lolly in a flask to keep it cool so you can eat it whilst out!
• Take out lots of fruit and vegetable snacks. Some contain as much as 95% of water so even if you feel that your little one isn’t drinking enough water they will be getting extra hydration and nutrients in their snacks.
• If their usual drink bottle isn’t encouraging them to drink more, mix it up by offering drinks in your water bottle, grown up cups or reusable pouches. i can't vouch for other brands but I totally trust our pouches not to leak when filling with water. Whether or not you can trust your child not to squeeze the pouch and spill it is up to you.
• If your baby or toddler is still breast feeding or taking a bottle then they will also be getting plenty of water as part of their feeds. Milk is made of 85% to 95% water. The rest is protein, sugar, fat, vitamins, and other nutrients. You may therefore find in this hot weather that your baby wants to feed more.
• Yogurt also contains a high proportion of water so is a good snack to have whilst out. You can also take Jelly but watch for the sugar content especially if you are already giving smoothies, juices or yogurts or other sweet treats. Those sugars can add up very quickly.

Don't forget to stay out of direct sun for extended periods, use a high factor sun cream and enjoy the beautiful weather as much as possible.

Check out our reusable products to help keep your little ones happy this summer and also help you save money and waste.