The child's fluid needs, how much is needed?

In one day, how much fluid does your child consume? The need for fluids in children should not be underestimated, because maintaining normal fluid levels in the body can maintain proper functioning of the organs. Then, how much fluid needs in children must be met every day? What if your little one doesn't like drinking water? The following is the full explanation.

How important is fluid requirements for child development?

Maybe all this time, you have only focused on the nutritional needs of children that must be met and missed the needs of their body fluids. Even though children's water needs are no less important to pay attention to.

Actually your little one's fluid needs are quite a lot, but it depends on the child's weight. Not to mention that if your little one is very active, he definitely needs a lot of fluids to replace the fluids released due to his activity.

70-80 percent of children's water needs are obtained from drinking, while the rest comes from food. This makes your little one have to get used to drinking water regularly until their minimum needs are met.

However, unfortunately many parents do not realize the signs that their children are not drinking enough water. The reason is, based on a study entitled Cognitive Performance and Dehydration, it was found that only 6.1 percent of children aged 11-12 years were used to drinking water in the morning.

Meanwhile, 24.4 percent of the other children drank water only when they had lunch and 33.5 percent drank in the afternoon. This indicates that there are still many children who are not accustomed to drinking water according to their needs.

In fact, not drinking enough water can hinder children's brain development. Mild dehydration experienced by children can interfere with their concentration in learning.

This study proves that children who consume 250 ml of fluid more than their minimum requirement tend to have better thinking and focus abilities. This is when compared to children who drink less.

How much fluid does the child need in a day?

Actually, the need for fluids for children every day is not much different from adults. Based on the 2013 Nutritional Adequacy Rate (RDA) guidelines, the child's fluid needs are according to age, namely:

Children aged 4-6 years: 1500 ml per day
Children aged 7-9 years: 1900 ml per day

When entering the age of 10, the child's fluid needs are divided based on gender, namely:

Boys

Age 10-12 years: 1800 ml per day
Age 13-15 years: 2000 ml per day
Age 16-18 years: 2200 ml per day

Meanwhile, for fluid needs in girls, including:

Girl

Age 10-12 years: 1800 ml per day
Age 13-15 years: 2000 ml per day
Age 16-18 years: 2100 ml per day

Of course, all of the child's water needs do not have to be precise because the figure above is the child's minimum fluid requirement that must be met. Then you have to make them drink more water to prevent signs of dehydration in children.

It is not uncommon for children to find it very difficult to drink water, to the point of having to be persuaded, especially to consume water. Compared to other types of fluids, plain water that has no taste makes children lazy to drink it.

Even so, do not hesitate to continue to apply this habit to children. Because basically, water is the safest and healthiest liquid for your little one to consume.

If you let your child consume too often sugary drinks or other tastes, your child will be at risk for chronic disease when he grows up. Need to do several ways to overcome sweet food addiction.

You can add plain water with fresh fruit to it to add flavor to the water. That way, your little one is more interested in drinking it.

Types of food that can meet the child's fluid needs

Getting children used to drinking water is not easy, especially if your little one is familiar with sweet drinks. If used, this can damage dental health and requires a way to choose a toothpaste that is good for children.

However, meeting the needs of fluids in children does not only have to be through plain water. You can provide foods that are rich in water content. Here are some types of food that can meet a child's fluid needs:

Watermelon

It's no secret that this one fruit has a high water content. Watermelon has a water content of 92 percent, no wonder this red fleshy fruit can keep the body well hydrated.

The benefits of watermelon cannot be doubted. This fruit contains powerful antioxidants, such as lycopene, which can reduce damage to cells. This substance is associated with the risk of various diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes.

Judging from the Indonesian Food Composition Data, 100 grams of watermelon consumed by children contain 92 ml of water, 28 cal, and 6.9 grams of carbohydrates.

Orange

Not only is it rich in vitamin C which is important for children's growth and development, oranges also contain 88 percent water. This fruit can be used as a food choice to meet the fluid needs of children.

Based on Indonesian Food Composition Data, 100 grams of oranges contain 87 ml of water and 46 calories. The content of vitamin C and potassium in oranges, works to improve the immune system of your little one.

Quoted from a book entitled Flavonoids Health Benefits and Their Molecular Mechanism, oranges are rich in antioxidants that can prevent cell damage and reduce inflammation. Not only that, the fiber in oranges can make the stomach full faster, so it can control the child's appetite.

Spinach

Green leafy vegetables are high in fiber but still low in calories. But did you know that spinach also contains a lot of water? When viewed from the Indonesian Food Composition Data, 100 grams of spinach contain 94 ml of water and 0.7 grams of fiber.

Spinach is rich in magnesium, such as calcium, iron, potassium, vitamin A and folic acid. If your child has trouble eating vegetables, you can make it into a salad by using mayonnaise sauce to increase your little one's appetite.

You can add other vegetables, such as corn, and fruit that have a sweet taste. This is to balance the taste on the child's tongue.

Melon

This green fleshy fruit contains 89 percent of water and is rich in vitamin C, such as magnesium and vitamin K. 100 grams of melon contain 90 ml of water, 37 calories, 12 mg of calcium and 7.8 grams of carbohydrates.

Coconut water

Can you give a child coconut water? Of course. If your child has difficulty drinking white, to meet the child's fluid needs, you can give coconut water. Not only because of its high water content, coconut water is high in electrolytes, including potassium, sodium and chloride.

Coconut water is very suitable for consumption after moving a lot, such as exercise. Given that children have endless energy, you can give coconut water to replace fluids lost from the body.