What’s more important to a mom than how well their child’s brain is working and developing? NOTHING!
We talked last week about oxygen and what it does for your child’s body and brain. If you haven’t read it yet or need a refresher, go here and learn how wonderful oxygen makes their life.
Then we talked thru seven simple ways to limit or eliminate screen time so your child can get the oxygen they need to heal, grow, develop and flourish.
So the question becomes…how do we make sure the oxygen gets to our cells to deliver the nutrients and take away the waste (keys for proper brain development and immune system function)?
The answer is simple…hydration.
You see, the body is something like 78% water. What’s more, our blood is 90% water.
The bottom line?
We need water to live.
Here’s what happens…
We breathe.
The oxygen in the air is absorbed into the walls of our lungs. Which then immediately enters our blood stream.
Now, if our blood is 90% water, and we don’t get enough water to move the oxygen thru our body to deliver the nutrients to our cells and to take away the wastes…
Again, where does that leave the wastes?
In our cells. Making trouble.
And where does that leave the nutrients? Well, not getting to the cells.
So!
Here’s a simple 2 step plan to make sure your child gets enough water throughout the day to move the oxygen thru the blood and to their cells to deliver the nutrients…so their brain functions correctly and they can heal, grow and thrive.
Just like when we want to improve anything. We need to measure it.
Step 1 start from where you are.
A dietician will tell you that how much water is enough is based on your child’s weight. And there’s a formula for that.
However, let’s keep it simple.
Dehydration is when you use or lose more fluids than you intake and so the body isn’t able to perform properly.
Some signs of dehydration are:
- dry tongue,
- dry lips,
- no tears when crying,
- sunken eyes,
- listlessness,
- irritability.
For an infant, less than six wet diapers per day is a sign of dehydration.
For a toddler no wet diapers in an 8 hour time span is your gauge.
If your child is older than a toddler, begin to measure how much they drink in a day. Just observe and write down in ounces.
What you can expect your child to experience from not enough water is similar to what you experience when you don’t have enough water to drink…headaches, loss of energy, bad mood, overall feeling blah, even some nausea.
As you begin to notice and measure how much water your child is drinking and may need, be sure to factor in weather and activity level.
In other words, if you spent the day at the zoo or your children have been running around outside or at soccer practice, you’ll want to really pay attention to how much water they’re drinking and make sure they drink at least 8-16 ounces more (another full glass).
Step 2 If you find or feel that, your child is not getting enough hydration, then put a piece of paper on the fridge, every time they drink 2-8 ounces (depending on the age of your child) make a tally mark.
This way you can keep track through the day and not have to try to remember how many they’ve had. Especially as you will do this day after day and you know how it is, pretty soon the days run together with trying to keep track of the numbers.
You may be asking…does it have to be water?
The answer?
Water is the best source of hydration nine times out of ten. But technically, no.
The body needs liquid for hydration. Just pay attention to the other ingredients that your child may be drinking. Our bodies are chemical labs and respond chemically to…chemicals. 🙂
Perhaps you’ll notice a reduction in headaches, a greater overall energy, and a more positive outlook on life. That’s the power of hydration.
Next time we’re going to talk thru how to get the right amount of nutrients to your child’s body for healing, growth and development even if your child struggles with food textures.
If you’d like to come in and haven’t visited us yet, head over to the new patient forms here, fill in what you can and come on in!
Further reading:
https://my.clevelandclinic.com.org/healthy/articles/8276-dehydration-and-your-child
www.newkidscenter.com/how-many-diapers-a-day.html
