Something, other than water, to drink....for little ones!

kittylester

There is no guarantee that they will drink if they are thirsty. Much better for them to drink something than nothing. I have 5 children who drank weak low sugar drinks all through their childhoods. The eldest is 50 now but none of them have any fillings nor are they obese.

A sense of proportion is needed.

Good point, one of our DGC has to be reminded constantly to drink.

Kittylester Agree with you, they need to drink, by the time you are thisty you are dehydrated. A weak diluted squash will do no more harm than feeding them fruit.

What do their parents say?

Water intake can also happen through food

Ginger beer tastes sweet enough if mixed with two thirds water, and the fizz may be fun for the older one. Just an idea. Maybe ginger is bad for babes for all I know.

Hithere

What do their parents say?

Water intake can also happen through food

It's not enough, though, and can lead to constipation.

How about lemon /lime/orange slices or mint infused into the water before you give to them to drink. If they have never had sweetened drinks they will not know any difference.

You could put a few frozen grapes in water.

No, no grapes for little children!

Oh yes!
I've just seen how young they are.
Water only then.

DGC only get milk and water to drink. They are allowed diluting fruit drinks at parties as it is a special treat. DGS1 has an insulated water container for school which he always finishes - also gets milk at school. They are not allowed any juice at all in school.

Baggs

I am one of five healthy adult siblings. We were only offered water or milk both at home and at school.

i think that's best, and i've heard well-respected experts say the same.
OP you should not try to vary the GC's intake without explicit permission from their parents.
that can cause ructions. it's not just about the actual diet, but the interference, the implication that the parents are failing.

My Mum used to call it Corporation pop.

MissAdventure

You could put a few frozen grapes in water.

you don't mean leave them in the cup do you ??
grapes are a choking hazard.
have to be quartered.
or perhaps you meant that, sorry.

I would never give my grandson sugar free squash. It has artificial sweetners in it, some of which are cancer risks.

If he has to have a cordial, I'd rather he had one with sugar than sugar free. Although, it is rare that they have no colour/artifical anything. Roses Lime Cordial is pretty pure. DGS prefers water though. It's the only thing he considers a proper drink!

He's occasionally allowed apple juice. Definitely not orange juice. It sends him nuts.

Yes, I meant leave them in the cup!
Imagine that!

I thought the children were much older. because I didn't read the thread properly
They could have been 37 and 42..

I would only give water/milk if that's what the parents are doing, but if they are concerned about how much water the children drink, they could try making up a jug to keep in the fridge, and add water melon, or mixed berries, such as strawberry/raspberry/blackberry (even the frozen ones are good for this). They flavour the water very delicately, and it's all natural, and not as much natural sugar as eating the whole fruit.

If their parents have decided (quite rightly) that they should only be given water or milk why are you looking for approval on giving them an alternative?

Why not?
DannyRae has said she would discuss it with the parents first.

As toddlers, ours loved a drink of tea with milk (no sugar) in the tippy cup.

A children’s tea set is an excellent device to encourage them to drink more. Warm water in the teapot. Food suggestions for the plates: puffed wheat, dried fruit (soaked in boiling water for five minutes to plump up and patted dry on kitchen towel) and slivers of fresh apple cut with a potato peeler.

DanniRae

Just to say that I would never give my grandchildren anything to drink without discussing it with their parents first. I am sorry that I didn't make this clear

Please note the above!!

Here in Germany, babies are given teas. When I first arrived in the 70s, no one would have even considered drinking tap water. Teas made with fruit, herbs, particularly fennel or chamomile (like Peter Rabbit!) were the norm. They are unsweetened and the water has been boiled.

In France, on the other hand, Evian water was what babies have always been given.

Nowadays, however, both fennel and chamomile tea have fallen into disrepute, despite generations having survived them, and even German mothers give their children water.

When would you start giving a child "normal" tea?

My daughter started having tea once she drank out of a cup with a spout.
Quite young, I think, as cups were encouraged at that time from a really young age.

Back in the late forties/early fifties while I was growing up, I was never offered anything to drink at all. Milk quota was consumed with cereal and that was it.

Consequently, I have grown up drinking minimally. Maybe a social coffee every now and then, certainly not water (yuk!), and I don't like alcohol. But I've made it in to my seventies, have healthy skin, so don't think it will do too much harm.

If parents agree of course, a piece of fruit of safe size or form added to water seems the way to go. Definitely not low calorie squash with (probably) carcinogenic sweeteners. I'd rather feed them sugar than Aspartame and its ilk, but preferably neither.

In the fairly recent past, water was what most people drank and no one thought twice about it. I drank water as a very young child, lots of it, as I didn't drink milk, because I hated it so much and it made me sick.