Cool and healthy drink ideas to keep the family hydrated

Keeping children hydrated can feel like an impossible task. They don’t like water, and Granny slips them a sugar-filled fruit juice at every opportunity - it’s a losing battle.

But fear not, there are lots of ways to ensure that your little ones stay hydrated as we slowly move into the summer months.

In this post, we list 6 fun and simple ways to keep your children hydrated - no bribes needed.

1.  Make fun ice cubes

Freeze raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, pieces of orange - really, any kind of fruit! - into an ice cube tray with water to make some exciting ice cubes. Use your child’s favourite fruit to create your fruity ice cubes so that they’re more likely to drink it.

If they’re more of a vegetable fan, you can always freeze pieces of vegetables in the tray. 

2.  Ice lollies

Use an all-natural squash with water or blended fruit to create your own ice lollies. Simply add the liquid ingredients into an ice-lolly mould and leave them a couple of hours to set.

To make multicoloured ice lollies, simply fill the moulds ½ or ⅓ of the way up, freeze, then add the next layer before freezing again. Repeat for each layer. 

3.  Slushies

When made at home, slushies can be a really healthy drink idea. Simply blend your chosen fruit with a little honey or maple syrup and some ice.

Here’s a recipe for strawberry slushies:

• 12 strawberries - quartered
• 2tsp honey or maple syrup
• 1 ½ - 2 cups of ice

Add the strawberries and honey to a blender and blend until smooth. Next, add the ice and blend until you’ve achieved your desired consistency. 

4.  Fresh fruit juice

It doesn’t have to be water - fruit and vegetables are very hydrating too. So if your little one hates to drink but loves to eat fruit, you can rest assured that they’re getting some hydration.

To make fresh fruit juice simply pop everything into a juicer! If you don’t have a juicer, you can blend your fruit and then strain it through a muslin or milk cloth to make it smooth.

Trying to make sure that your kids get their 5-a-day can be challenging - this is a really easy way to achieve that!

5.  Magic colour-changing drinks

The secret to colour-changing drinks is adding a little food colouring underneath some ice. Simply add water and let your little one watch in amazement as their “regular” drink changes colour!

6.  Glow-in-the-dark cocktail 

Glow-in-the-dark cocktails are great for children’s parties and other celebrations - and they’re really easy to make! You’ll need a black light to make these drinks glow in the dark.

Simply add tonic - it contains quinine that glows in black light! - and a little blue food colouring to your drinks, turn the lights off, turn the black light on, and you’ve got glow-in-the-dark mocktails.

What’s your favourite way to ensure your kids stay hydrated?