How do you keep your children hydrated in the summer months?

Last week we were sitting at baseball in our winter jackets and this week my kids are sitting under a tree with bright red faces complaining it is too hot.

In Minnesota you never know what the weather is going to do.  Therefore, parents must always be prepared.  As we enter the hot and humid days of summer, one question that comes to a parents’ mind is, “Are my children drinking enough fluids?”

Children sweat more and produce more body heat than an adult.  This puts them at a greater risk for becoming dehydrated while they are out in the heat.  This is why it is important for parents to be aware of ways to prevent dehydration.

I am thinking of making a batch of Gatorade popsicles just to be prepared.

Tip of the Day:

Read through a couple articles on dehydration before the hot summer temperatures arrive.

Preventing Dehydration in Preschoolers

Dehydration in Children

Dehydration and Youth Sports

Summer Safety

Do you have a favorite site you visit for children’s health issues?

It seems whenever there is a new symptom or illness in our house, I automatically go to Google to find out more information.  Sometimes I will use  WebMD to look up information, however I realized that I do not have a site I visit for overall health and wellness.

Recently I came across a great site that has health resources for both parents and children.  KidsHealth has everything from medical problems and general health to important recall information for parents.  For kids, it has information on staying healthy, brain games, recipes and much more.

I will definitely be using this site more often when I am in need of health resources.

Please share any other health sites you have found helpful.

Idea of the Day:

Check out KidsHealth when searching for health related topics.

Are your children’s plastic cups and plates BPA free?

Yesterday I happen to turn on the TV, (which is very rare.  Who has time to watch TV during the day?) to find Dr. Oz discussing pollution and chemicals.  I was rather intrigued and sat down to listen to the segment.

Needless to say I learned a great deal about BPA or Bisphenol-A.  The Dr. Oz website states, “ninety-three percent of us have BPA in our bodies. We live with it, and we excrete it when we go to the bathroom, sending the chemical into the environment.”

I found myself very interested and very concerned about what chemicals were entering my children’s bodies.  I then got on a plastic mission in my house.  I started looking at the bottom of the plastic cups, bowls and plates.  Sure enough I found a few of them with the bad plastic numbers (3, 6 & 7).

It is my goal to be much more aware of the plastics in our house.  My son was excited to hear that he would now be eating on “regular” plates instead of plastic.

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Are your children loving the warm weather?

In Minnesota, the temperature has finally reached the fifties and we are loving it!!!!  The kids were able to get out their bikes, shovels, buckets, bubbles and sidewalk chalk.  Their mood has improved and they drop at night from all of the fresh air and exercise.

The rule at our house is that after school they need to play outside.  They can go in the house to drop off their backpacks, change clothes and have a snack.  Once these things are done, they have to be outside.  This is their time to enjoy the outdoors before the evening chores of dinner, homework, baths, etc must be done.

I think it is important to have children play outside.  There is no reason why kids should be playing video games or watching TV after school.  Outdoor play has the benefits of physical activity, vitamin D, exploration and creativity.  Parents need to make sure their children have time to play outside.

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Do you have a system for keeping track of cups in your house?

Without fail, at least a couple times a week you can hear the joyful sibling rivalry over who had which color cup that day.  Our kids typically have one cup throughout the day for water.  They can drink as much water as they would like as long as they are not taking a new cup each time.  However as the day goes on it is easy to forget which child started the day with the blue cup.

By the end of the day (usually around low-blood sugar time), you can hear my 3 1/2 year old shouting, “I had the blue cup.”  This is then reciprocated with an even louder reply from my  7 year old, “You had it yesterday!!!”  This can go on for a good 10 minutes if not broken up.

I realize I could get out the masking tape each day and label the cups.  But this seems like a waste of tape.  Therefore I was pleasantly surprised to see an idea in a magazine that will relieve the cup chaos at our house.

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