Nestle® Makes Keeping Hydrated Happens by Ripple Effect

Thank you to Nestle® Pure Life® for sponsoring this blog post. All opinions are my own.

For as long as I can remember, Mor Mor Baby has always been one to push us (my siblings) to drink water. We always had to drink water, because water was healthy, and provided way more energy for us to continue our studies, and run like crazy kids do on the playground. Water made our skin beautiful, and kept our insides running effortlessly. Water also provided great hygienic benefits, but I’m sure you don’t want to READ about those, especially from the 80s and 90s. You don’t I promise you. 

I honestly can’t imagine having my children reach for anything FIRST other than water. I am that mom that would prefer for them to drink it, and I don’t give pop to them in general. Of course there are special times such as holidays, and a birthday party of THEIRS, but those come around only five or six times out of the year. 

Nestlé® Pure Life® recently surveyed moms and kids* and found that 54% of all school-aged children are inadequately hydrated. This shockingly high number alarmed Nestle® Pure Life®, and they’re creating efforts to reduce it. Partnering with After-School All-Stars, Nestlé® Pure Life® has committed to provide nearly one million 8 ounce servings of water to kids this school year through After-School All-Stars an organization that strives to keep children safe and healthy through afterschool programming. Additionally, they’re helping consumers keep their own families hydrated with information and tips on the site pureliferippleeffect.com.

*Source Prevalence of Inadequate Hydration among US Children and Disparities by Gender and Race/Ethnicity: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2012. Erica L. Kenney, ScD, Michael W. Long, ScD, Angie L. Cradock, ScD, and Steven L. Gortmaker, PhD Am J Public Health,2015.

After seeing kids in elementary school with Nathaniel NEVER reach for water, I became concerned. Even with playing sports, there was always some sort of juice drink in their water bottles, and well, it kind of perplexed me. As a natural hydration source that is so readily available, I always wondered why it was never the go to. There are several reasons that have been given by Nestlé® Pure Life® and I can share some of them with you. Moms don’t give regular water reminders. Barely half of moms (52%) regularly remind their child to drink water, and we all know that moms can get people to do anything with a little encouraging. Ha! Without that encouraging, it’s not likely to happen. So, what do we do? We find ways to make the water more accessible, and more enticing. Water bottles, rebanding (what we do for parties) and even letting the little ones see you drink water, all encourage water consumption. 

I’m glad that the trifecta loves water. I digress. They love water when it’s time for bed, or time for a nap, or time for school, or as I’m preparing dinner. They especially love it if it comes bottled, because then it’s THEIR water and no one else can touch it. If it’s in a cup, then it is fair game, but a bottle? All bets are off. Nestlé® Pure Life® is one brand that they really love. The fact that we can snag bottles for their little hands make them even more happy to have their necessary amount of water each day. It’s also easy to drop them into lunches when we go on our homeschool field trips out and about. It helps to also ease the desire they may have to load up on super sugary drinks.

In order to continue the love of water in our houseful, I have taken to using a few tips and tricks. I leave a plastic pitcher (can’t use glass with four year old people, y’know) on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator and cups at a level where the kids can reach them. Water is free flowing, and can be consumed at any time. As long as they can pour it, they can have it. It has increased water consumption greatly, and not just with the kids either. Having cold water in our fridge makes me reach for it often as well. I also keep a water bottle on my bedside as well.