There are so many flavored beverages out there that water is getting less appealing to children. Try to stay away from soda as long as you can, just for a little extra advice

As far as getting your child to drink water there are a couple of different options that I would suggest trying:

*Dilute the 100% juice with water. Do about half of each, or less of the juice if you can get by with it, this way the child gets the flavor but also gets the water.

*Go to the store and let your child pick out there very own insulated water bottle that way the water will stay cold and the child gets to have a "cool" cup!

*If you aren't for adding juice to water you could just put some drops of lemon juice in with the water to give it just a hint of flavor.

Make sure that you have the water very cool though, who wants to drink warm water on a hot day?

If your child is still not wanting to stay hydrated offer fruit snacks that have a lot of water in them, such as melons or grapes.

There was a report on the news this morning saying that childhood obesity has tripled in the last 10 years.  This is very scary, and there are little things that us as parents can do to help bring that down.

For starters we can help our children eat right.  The meals we prepare at home and also when we eat out.  We need to help our children make smart choices when it comes to food selection.  If you have to do fast food, choose the fruit rather than fries and milk or juice instead of soda.

Also a big factor is the one that kids are much less active these days because they are playing video games and doing more indoor things.  Try to do as much activity as you can, because children are very active by nature!