Flavored Water okay...for Toddler on Trip

I suggest using Recharge or watered down juice instead of Gatorade. Less sugar, no additives and they taste just as good if not better than Gatorade.

Good Luck,
S.

What about just a splash of juice in his water. It's a lot heathier than the flavors and artifical sweetners in flavored water. Cheaper too..

K.- you guys sound like a blast--. Here's what I'd do --- make a BIG deal about ''when we go on trips we do some snacky foods ( or party foods - or fancy foods - some words that say '''this is NOT what we usually do) --- and then use watered down gatorade --- since you surely want to keep his hydration up. Back when I was a kid ( only 55 years ago) we had pop several times a year - it was party food and only party food--- and we knew when it was gone - that was it --no WAY it would go on the regular shopping list.

Blessings,

J. - aka- old Mom

If I was you I would stick to the milk and pure water. Nothing alse enforces any good and healthy habits. Flavored water - very bad idea! Good luck!

I take pure fruit juice and water it down for my toddler. The fruit has sugar in it, but if it is pure juice, there are no other additives, and still the benefit of a fruit. Watering it down doesn't seem to bother my kid, and means it spreads out her 'allotted' amount of juice through more of the day.

I'd stay further away from things like gatorade or other 'flavored waters' because they are more likely to contain high sugar contents and extra chemicals. Some also have caffeine or other stimulants to watch out for. But, that is just me. My guess is that whatever you do for your son while you are traveling will be okay, so long as it is in moderation.

depends on the kind - there a many out there, and most have a lot of sugar added (gaterade included - no that it is water, but there are many things I would choose before giving that to my son)...Aquafina is an example of flavored water - propel I believe has added sugar...We took a trip to Israel this summer, and I got my son a camelbak (backpack that has a straw and mouthpiece - you can wear your water!) He LOVED it, and felt like a big kid (they make a child sized one) and used it a lot...maybe you can get a cool bottle or something like this to encourage drinking regular water.

I agree with the camelback for water. We got them for our kids and because of the novelty they drink more water than normal. You can either get the kind that is just for water or they have the backpack version which is what our kids have. Just make sure you don't put in anything sharp that could puncture the water bag.
Like Judy we had food/drink that was for special times when growing up and we do that with our kids too. We are going out of town this weekend also and they will get things they don't normally have.
Good luck, have a fun and safe weekend.

We give our daughter chamomile tea. It has a sweet flavor, but doesn't have any sugar. She loves it! It's worth a try in your situation.

Avoid pedialyte and gatorade at ALL times unless

- You're in the desert (or desert like environs...we're talking heat over 90)
- You doing extreme exercise (we're talking 4hours plus in cooler weather, 1-2 hours plus in high heat)
- You have the stomach flu or similar (diarrhea &/or vomiting)

The main purpose of both drinks to to replace the SALTS (electrolytes...hence the "lyte" in each of their names) that get out of balance (and cause seizures & death) during the above kinds of activities. They're lifesaving under those circumstances. They're also far more loaded with fast absorbing sugars than even the most sugary of juice. For the same reason...in the above situations you NEED those sugars. ((Mini-History: Gatorade was designed for the Florida Gators profootball team...who were training in 90-100 degree heat ALL day long. It's become indispensable in decreasing infant mortality rates for dealing with high fevers/vomiting/diarrhea...but neither were ever designed for casual drinking. It's big business marketing that's pushed the "be like your sports hero, drink what he drinks" that's gotten it to be drunk as often as it is. Which is a stupid concept. Hmmm...Phelps eats HOW many calories a day? <grinning> ah well, I doubt the Cheesecake Factory is going to be able to convince anyone that we should stock up like that.)

So THAT said...my number one rule of travel is to "toss all rules out the window, whatever works, works!" Just as an example: We don't usually eat fast food...but we do on car trips (huzzah for indoor playlands and universally clean bathrooms)!

If you want to stick with milk...Horizon makes box-milk that doesn't have to be refridgerated...won't go bad sitting around in the car. (My son is hypoglycemic...I carry a chocolate milk box around in my purse with me at all times).

Otherwise;

- you can make your own "flavored water" (and save a bundle) by mixing water and juice, or water and fruit.

- Juicy Juice (of course has fructose...aka fruit sugars), but has no added sugars

You can also take your beverage of choice...fill up a bunch of water bottles with it...and freeze overnight. That keeps them cold longer as they melt. Just make sure that you have some that ISN'T frozen. Nothing is peskier than to be thirsty and licking what is essentially an ice cube.

Have fun on your trip!!

PS....Water tastes different EVERYWHERE. (As a matter of fact so do juices/sodas/bottled waters made by the same company but bottled in different locations...but it's more subtle, because the flavors mask it. Grape masks best for some reason, apple the absolute worst). One reason why kids will get finicky about drinking water in different places is that their palettes are still sensitive enough to REALLY taste the differences. I'm stuck being a super-taster, so it's horrendously obvious to me even when filtered like crazy...but I know most adults don't taste it unless it's extreme. So I thought I'd just throw that out there. Because the other thing you MIGHT try (not very fuel efficient) is to grab a bunch of his favorite bottled water from home, and bring it with you.

Hi K.,

We occasionally give our little boy Honest Kids juice and First Juice drinks. I'll fill a sippy cup nearly full with water and then add a touch of one of these for flavoring. My son thinks he is getting bona fide juice but in actuality it's really water with a couple tablespoons of juice. Both have less sugar than your typical juice drinks and First Juice incorporates vegetables as well as fruit. I can't imagine giving my son anything that approaches a sports/energy drink. He'd be bouncing off the walls for hours. If hydration is a concern, ask your pediatrician if Pedialyte should be something you have on hand. (I'm not sure what the sugar content is but have heard it's good for kids who aren't drinking well and might be suffering from diarrhea.)

Best of luck on your road trip!

C.

Zoe's post has some good advice for you! I also like the suggestion about getting him his own camelback. Does he have a "travel" water bottle? Maybe take him to the store and let him pick a special one out, just for the trip? It might get him excited about using it.

As for flavored water, etc., we give our daughter diluted juice on occasion. Just put in half juice/half water. Luckily, she loves milk and water, so it's not a common occurrence.

Keep water on-hand for him all the time. Tell him it's time to sip when it has been a while.

Enjoy your trip! Hope you have a worry free time.

Hi,
My dentist stated to never let my children drink Gatorade. It will eat away the enamel of the tooth. She stated that favored water was okay...although, I didn't check with my pediatrician.
Like others stated...we allow special drinks/food when away from home and don't have any issues transitioning back to what's allowed at home.
Good luck!

water flavored with a little apple juice seems to work around our house

I used to not be able to get either of my boys to drink any water at all so I thought maybe those flavored waters were the next best thing however, they are filled with tons of high frutcose corn syrup and usually 2 artificial chemical sugar substitutes which is even worse so I started putting things like lemons and cucumbers in plain old filtered water and they LOVE it!

Our pediatrician suggested V8 Splash for our picky eater. She loves it, and has no idea she is getting a full serving of fruit AND veggies when she drinks it!

Good luck!

K.

K.,

We let our 6 year old and 2 1/2 year old drink propel. It's not as packed with all the stuff gatorade has, and you can buy a box of the little packets in a 10 count for the same price as a bottle of gatorade. They see Mommy drinking it and want some. I can't drink plain water, it give me killer heartburn and has since I was pregnant with my 6 year old.

Be prepared for capacity diapers if you let him drink propel or gatorade exclusively though. It goes through my kids faster than anything else they drink.

Hope this helps,
Melissa

My kids (3 and 5) like propel, and crystal light. I also let them have vitamin water and such while traveling. It is better then soda, and watering down juice just tastes nasty, and they do have taste buds!! To save money I will sometimes get a powder mix and put a gallon of water in a color and then each kid has his own little water bottle. It saves having to stop at all the stores, but will add to the pee breaks!

Hi K.,

I pack several waterbottles and bring the crystal light "to-go" mixes. One bottle of water and one packet mix perfectly and then I can pour it right in the sippy cup. There are many different flavors. It's fairly cheap (less then $2) at Wal-Mart.

Don't worry so much about the gatorade when you're traveling. It is designed to replace vitamins and minerals that are lost during exercise or periods when your lil' boy isn't drinking.

I myself can't stand the stuff except when I am ill or dehydrated, so when I crave it, I know that it is a big flag for my well being.

Have fun on your trip.

I agree with Judy about "special for the trip."

Especially for a short trip, whatever makes the trip go smoothly and doesn't cause the kid long term health imbalances is fine. Hydration and sufficient (but not too high) sugar levels will help prevent all sorts of grumpies. You may have to cope with a day or so of grumpies when you get home, but grumpies are always easier to manage at home.

One the other hand, if you can find local grocery stores that carry your milk (eg., I have websearched for natural food stores in the towns I visit, before I go, or asked at a local restaurant or hotel for directions), well, stick with what he likes and is used to!!

I would really investigate what flavored water is. Most have artificial sweeteners such as aspartame (among many other horrible sweeteners). Also, some contain high fructose corn syrup which contains mercury. Be careful and do your research. I work for a holistic dentist and he advises flavoring water with juices you squeeze yourself, but stay away from citrus fruits due to acidity. Store bought juices still have added sugars/sweeteners that even when watered down still create decay. Stay away from Gatorade. Good luck!

Flavored water is fine for your little guy to drink. Actually my pediatrician suggested giving my daughter that instead of soda. She suggested watering it down a bit for this age (my daughter is also 2).

you've already got tons of suggestions -- I'll add that my 18 month old loves a little lemon juice in her water! She likes tart things!