Is it good for children to drink a lot of water?

Before learning whether children drink a lot of water is good, parents need to understand the benefits when children drink enough water. Specifically:
In a new study published by the British Psychological Association in London: Students who brought water into the exam room scored about 10% higher than those who did not bring water. University College London also conducted a similar experiment: Divided 9-year-old children into two groups - one group drank 250ml and the other did not drink water. After taking the 20-minute test, children who drank water scored up to 34% higher.
From studies, scientists believe that brain cells can function more smoothly after being replenished with water (because water in the body can promote the cognitive ability of young children). Researchers believe that drinking enough water will reduce anxiety and contribute to improving children's thinking ability.

Although water is essential for the functioning of the body, drinking enough water is very important, but drinking a lot of water is not really good for health. Whether a 1-year-old or a 2-year-old child drinks a lot of water, the answer is no. If you drink too much water, children can face some consequences such as:
Urinate too much: Normally, people will urinate 6-8 times a day. If your child urinates more than 10 times a day, he or she is being dehydrated. Urinating too much will make children feel annoyed, tired,...; Clear urine: Dark urine is a bad sign, but clear, colorless urine is also a sign that the body may have been too watery; Cramps: An imbalance of body fluids can affect muscle function, leading to muscle spasms and cramps. This happens when the body has to excrete too much water, reducing electrolyte levels, causing cramps; Fatigue and stress: Too much water in the body in a short time causes the kidneys to work harder to get rid of the excess. This overstimulates the adrenal glands (which are responsible for dealing with stress). When the body secretes too much stress hormone, the child will be tired and irritable; Effects on the kidneys: The kidneys are responsible for filtering water. If your child drinks a lot of water, the kidneys will have to work harder. Over a long period of time, kidney function may be impaired, easily causing kidney diseases; Harm to the heart: Drinking too much water can damage the heart because drinking a lot of water increases the volume of blood in the body, leading to an increased burden on the heart. This pressure can damage blood vessels or lead to seizures; Brain damage: When children drink a lot of water beyond the ability of the kidneys to process, it will lead to an imbalance of sodium in the blood, which can cause damage to the brain and body (water intoxication). Water poisoning causes severe harm to the body, even leading to brain damage, coma and death; Development of certain diseases: If the child drinks too much iron-contaminated water, the child is at risk of liver disease. Drinking too much chlorinated water can also lead to organ dysfunction and cancer in children.

To protect the health of the child, parents need to let the child drink enough water. However, there are many factors that affect a child's daily water needs such as: Hot - cold weather, high - low activity level, health or fever,...
Recommendations on the appropriate amount of water (filtered water) to supplement for each age in healthy children as follows:
Children under 6 months old: Do not drink more water because the amount of water needed for the baby is already provided by breast milk or formula milk. ; Children 6 - 12 months old: The amount of water needed for babies is related to breast milk or formula, health factors, general nutritional status of children,... General principles of water intake in This age of the child is 125 - 250ml/day; Children 1 year old: 250ml/day; Children 2 years old: 500ml/day; Children 3 years old: 750ml/day; Children 4 years old: 1,000ml/day; Children 5 years old: 1,250ml/day; Children 6 years old: 1,500ml/day; Children 7 years old: 1,750ml/day; Children over 8 years old: 2,000ml/day. If children live in hot climates or they are more physically active, the need for additional water will be higher. If your child is not growing well, the doctor may suggest replacing part of the daily water intake with another high-energy liquid such as whole milk. Teens and adults need to make sure to drink at least 2,000ml of water per day.

Children drinking a lot of water will cause undesirable consequences for health. But if there is a lack of water, it is not good. Usually, children rarely drink water on their own, only drinking when they are too thirsty (this is a sign that the child's body is slightly dehydrated). Therefore, parents need to give children enough water to drink at exact times such as:
Between meals: Do not give water to children before or immediately after eating. The reason is that if you drink water before meals, it will create a feeling of fullness, making children not want to eat. Drinking water right after eating will affect the digestion of food, making it difficult for children to digest and absorb nutrients. Therefore, parents should let children drink water between meals; After bathing: When taking a bath, the airtight space and high temperature will accelerate the rate of moisture evaporation on the skin, causing the baby's skin to dry out and the baby will feel thirsty. Therefore, after bathing for about 15 minutes, parents should give the baby water to drink to accelerate the metabolism of waste in the body and contribute to soothing dry skin; After waking up: Parents should limit giving children water before sleeping because it can make the baby hold in urine, affect the quality of sleep and increase the burden on the kidneys. Young children are also prone to bedwetting due to drinking a lot of water before bed. Therefore, parents should give children water to drink after waking up to reduce dry mouth, increase metabolism and improve kidney function of the baby; After crying: After the child is emotionally stable and stops crying, parents should give the child water to drink. Because crying consumes the amount of water in the body, making the baby's throat dry and sore, it needs to be rehydrated. At the same time, giving children water also helps them dispel negative emotions.

Besides avoiding children to drink a lot of water, parents should also not give children the following types of water:
Water that is too cold or too hot: Children who drink a lot of cold water are prone to digestive disorders, constipation, and system weakness. immunity,... Children who drink hot water are susceptible to damage to the oral mucosa, esophagus, stomach and tooth sensitivity,... The best water temperature for children is 35 - 38°C - close to heat young body level; Juice and sugary water: To entice children to drink more water, parents often add sugar or juice to the water (softer water, easier to swallow). However, this is something that parents need to avoid because eating too much sugar can increase the burden on the heart and kidneys, easily lead to obesity, affecting the growth of the baby. According to the recommendations of doctors, children under 1 year old should not eat sugar, children over 1 year old should eat as little as possible because milk, food and fruit that children eat have provided enough sugar for the body's needs; Water with a high mineral content: This type of water can be harmful to your baby's health. Specifically, water with too many minerals will disrupt the balance of water composition in the body, easily causing water to be lost out; Water left for more than 24 hours: Children should drink boiled water and cooled down during the day, not to the next day because if the water is left out for more than 24 hours, bacteria in the air can penetrate and reduce water quality, affecting health. healthy drinker. In addition, parents should pay attention to store boiled and cooled water in utensils made of standard materials (do not use recycled plastic bottles), with tight lids. Thus, to the question posed at the beginning of the lesson: Is it good for children to drink a lot of water, the answer is NO. Just make sure your child drinks enough water compared to the body's needs because drinking too much water can cause unwanted consequences. Parents should also pay attention to let children drink enough water at many times of the day, do not drink too much at once and do not wait until the child is thirsty to drink,...
For more nutritional knowledge and To take care of children according to each age, parents should regularly visit the website vimec.com and make an appointment with the leading doctors, pediatric and nutrition experts of Vinmec International General Hospital when needing health advice. of children.