Hydration For Kids

One crucial element of hiking and enjoying time outside is staying hydrated. As a parent it's important that we stay conscious of our children and how much liquids they are consuming. One of my children will drink anything on the planet if it's got some kind of color additive in it, but when it comes to clean and clear water he won't swallow unless I'm hovering over him like a hawk. He has gotten better with time though and I think that has to do with the way we've learned to present it to him.
We went and explored Goblin Valley in South East Utah this last summer. It is an amazing place that makes you feel as if you're on another world with mushroom shaped sandstone scattering the landscape. We were visiting in August! If you don't already know it's unbelievably hot there during this time of year. We decided to go during the cooler part of the day but it was still roasting. In our Kelty Kids pack, that we carry our youngest child in, there is a built-in hydration bladder. On this particular day we filled the bladder which has a tube that connects to the shoulder strap of the backpack. You simply lift it to your mouth, bite down a little and suck. It's great! But since there were five of us on this adventure we needed more water than just what was in the bladder. So we took another daypack, our favorite Lowe Alpine, which can hold two Nalgene water bottles, a powerade, a first aid kit and snacks. The Nalgene bottles are the kids favorite. We let them make it their own by having them pick it out from the store and then decorate it with stickers. That little bit of independence seemed to make them more excited to drink from their very own waterbottle. They began to stop frequently to take a couple swallows. We also put some water and powerades in the car for when we returned from the hike. Just in case we needed a little more.
These Nalgenes are no ordinary water bottles. They are made of polycarbanate. Which means your small child could through it off the cliff of the Grand Canyon and you'd still find it at the bottom as good as new. They also can withstand extreme temperatures from freezing to boiling. When we go camping we like to fill them up with boiling hot chocolate at night and then put it in our sleeping bags to keep us warm and cozy. When we wake up it's the perfect drinking temperature. They also have Nalgene sippy cups that don't leak when tipped over and that are easy to grip for small hands, perfect for babies and toddlers. Oh and one other thing. It doesn't retain tastes, ordors or stains. As one retailer put it, you can find three-day-old chocolate milk under your couch and still get the roton smell out! Now as parents I'm sure we can all relate to that. Can I have a Hallelujah!