It is important to ensure children stay hydrated. Adults’ bodies are very good at regulating the water they need but children’s bodies are not fully developed to do this so it is important that children have drinks frequently throughout the day. Water and milk should be the only drinks offered to children.
Suzy Startwell says… “It is important to drink water throughout the day especially at meal and snack times. Be a role model like me and drink water with the children. Don’t forget to drink more in hot weather too.”
Milk
Milk provides us with calcium to keep our bones and teeth strong and healthy. For children under 1 year of age breast milk or formula milk should be the only milks given as a main drink, from 6 months of age cow’s milk (or alternative) can be used in food preparation. From 1 year of age, children can be given full fat or semi-skimmed cows’ milk. When children are over 1 year of age there is no need to use formula or follow on milk as solid foods should be their main source of nutrition and cow’s milk can be given as a drink.
Once children have started eating solid foods the amount of milk drinks they need reduces. For children who are not being breastfed the following daily intakes of milk are suggested.
| Age | Daily Milk Intake |
|---|---|
| 1-2 years | 400ml |
| 2-4 years | 300-350ml |
For children who avoid dairy products, unsweetened and calcium-fortified alternatives can be given as the main milk drink from 1 year of age. Alternatives include soy, almond, oat, hemp or coconut milk. DO NOT give rice milk to children under the age of 5 due to the trace levels of arsenic.
Water Recommendations
Water helps our brains function and helps us to concentrate and perform better.
The following table from the Association of UK Dietitians (BDA) gives some guidance on recommended water intakes for infants and children.
| Age | Adequate water intake from drinks (ml/day) | Number of beakers / glasses |
|---|---|---|
| 0-6 months | 550ml through milk | N/A |
| 7-12 months | 640-800ml | 4-5½ beakers* |
| 1-2 years | 880-960ml | 6-6½ beakers* |
| 2-3 years | 1040ml | 7 beakers* |
| 4-8 years | 1280ml | 8½ beakers* |
| Adults | Men:2000ml Women: 1600ml | 6-8 glasses** |
* This is a 150ml child’s beaker
** This is a 250ml adults glass
Water / Hydration Campaign
Not only do we want to drink tap water to keep our children hydrated, Birmingham tap water has fluoride added to help protect our teeth and our children should be encouraged to drink it.
It is a good idea to have a Drinks Policy so that parents understand what drinks the setting will provide. This also makes it easier to discuss if unsuitable drinks are sent from home into setting. This policy should be shared with parents as part of the induction process. If you would like a template Drinks Policy please get in contact with the team.
To encourage children to drink more water and to highlight the benefits of water to parents, settings could complete a water/hydration campaign. This would involve promoting the benefits and importance of drinking water to the children and parents and lots of fun based water activities. The children can use water charts in the setting and at home and be rewarded for increasing their water consumption with a Startwell Water Certificate. All activities should be linked to our Startwell Characters. To help you with this, we have created Startwell Characters drinking and enjoying water. We have also created two activity sheets to be used in settings and shared with families to do at home to encourage children to drink more water.
Fruit Juice
Although 100% pure juice and pure fruit smoothies count as one of your 5 a day for adults they do not count towards your 5 a day for young children. This is because they need to be diluted 1 part juice to 10 parts water due to their high acidity and natural sugar levels which can severely damage teeth. For these reasons pure fruit juice and smoothies are NOT recommended for young children under the age of 5 years.
Other Drinks
There are many other drinks on the market and some of them are even marketed at children and make health claims which can tempt parents to buy them thinking they are a healthy option. However most of them have lots of hidden sugars which can damage teeth and lead to weight gain or sweeteners which still promote a sweet tooth in children and are not beneficial to health.
Hidden Sugars
Below are the hidden sugars in some popular drinks, this shows why milk and water should be the only drinks given to children. If you would like more information around transitioning babies and children from a bottle to cup see the information and resources here.
Capri Sun
1 small pouch
200ml
9.8g sugar
(2 teaspoons sugar)
Ribena
1 carton
250ml
11.5g sugar
(2¼ teaspoons sugar)
Yazoo
1 small bottle
200ml
18.8g sugar
(3¾ teaspoons sugar)
Lucozade
1 bottle
500ml
22.5g sugar
(4½ teaspoons sugar)
Coca Cola
1 small pouch
500ml
53.5g sugar
(10½ teaspoons sugar)
Partners
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Congratulations to Hollywood Pre-School Daycare and Edgbaston Grange Day Nursery for achieving their Startwell Awards!
Healthy snacks help keep children energised and ready to learn. Our Startwell character 2 Snacks Max promotes two healthy snacks each day to support children's growth, development, and concentration. Fruit, vegetables, and plain starchy foods such as breadsticks, rice cakes, or crackers are great snack choices for growing bodies. By providing nutritious options and positive food experiences, we can help children develop healthy eating habits that last a lifetime