Are Your Children Dehydrated At School?

by Emma Barlow | 18 September 2015

A new study by BRITA surveyed 2,000 parents of primary school children. The results show that almost three quarters of parents don't know how much water their children drink whilst at school. 66% of parents admitted to not knowing the recommended daily intake of fluid for children.

92% of parents believe hydration is important for their children and it helps to boost concentration levels during lessons. Parents have more control over their children's drinking habits during the weekends and holidays and 63% of parents say they encourage their child to drink plenty of water when they are at home. 77% of parents across the nation said that the main challenge they face with their children is combating their forgetfulness when it comes to drinking the recommended amount of water.

Renowned London dietician and nutritionist, Jo Travers commented "Children are less likely to recognise the early stages of thirst, which adults are more aware of, meaning they can forget that drinking water regularly is important. When children return to school, after being under their parent's guidance during the holidays, they can quickly get out of the habit of drinking regularly if they aren't being reminded."

Parents notice when their child is dehydrated when returning from school, over half of the respondents said their children are irritable and 59% of parents said their child was tired.

Jo Travers adds "Children require higher quantities of water in relation to their body weight than adults. When hydrated, children have greater cognitive function, better visual attention, improved accuracy in motor skills such as handwriting, and more concentration which helps them to perform better. Therefore it is important that parents have access to the right information and support to help them keep their children hydrated throughout the school day."

Rebecca Widdowson, Marketing Director at BRITA commented "Hydration in children is very important, especially whilst at school, so we wanted to provide a solution that would be both helpful to parents and easy for children to understand. The Back to School Hydration Initiative is centred around making the portable Fill&Go bottle a tool to allow children to monitor what they are drinking themselves."

Water filtration expert BRITA has launched a back to school hydration initiative, to help children stay hydrated at school and allow parents to monitor their intake more easily. BRITA has created limited edition child-friendly stickers for the Fill&Go bottle, which are available to win via BRITA's Facebook page. The stickers provide a measurement level for break time, lunchtime and home time so that children know how much to drink and when, encouraging healthy habits and helping them stay alert and hydrated all day.