In children, a greater percentage of their body is made up of water. In addition children are smaller. These two facts put children at more risk for becoming dehydrated than adults.
Being thirsty lags behind a person's need for water. By the time a child is thirsty, he or she is already dehydrated; therefore prevention is key to keeping children from getting dehydrated. Parents can help keep their child from becoming dehydrated when out in the summer sun by following several key steps.
Keep Children Hydrated When Practicing or Playing in the Summer Heat
- Remind children to drink water before, during and after practice or a game.
- Learn and watch for the signs of dehydration.
- Make sure teachers and coaches are aware of the signs of dehydration.
- Teach children to speak up if they do not feel well when playing on hot days.
Recommendations for Drinking Water
Children involved in sports, activities and team practices during the summer heat need to drink water before, during and after hot practices and long games. Staff writers for WebMD cite hydration guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics for children and teens who exercise in their 2004 article on "7 Tips to Prevent Dehydration in Children." These recommendations include:
- Prehydrate. Children and teens should drink water before the game even starts.
- Game Hydrate. During the game a child of 88 lbs should drink 5 oz of water or sports drink. A teen of 132 lbs should drink or 9 oz. of water or sports drink.
- Posthydrate – After the game children and teens should drink water or sports drink even if they do not feel thirsty.
For reference, one ounce is about two kid-sized gulps.
Recognizing Dehydration
Children, parents, teacher and coaches all need to know how to recognize the early signs of dehydration. Staff members at the Mayo Clinic in a recently updated June 2009 article on "Dehydration and youth sports: Curb the risk" offer the following advice for parents and coaches to prevent dehydration in children participating in sporting activities. These include:
- Dry or sticky mouth
- Thirst
- Headache
- Irritability
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Cramps
- Excessive fatigue
Children should be monitored for dehydration when practicing or playing in games.
Concerns About Not Getting Enough Water
Parents and coaches need to be concerned about children not getting enough water because even mild dehydration can affect a child's health and athletic performance. Mild dehydration can also make a child irritable and lethargic (sleepy).
If mild dehydration is not treated, it can turn into more serious heat-related illnesses like heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heatstroke, some of which can have deadly consequences.
Rehydrate First With Water
The American Academy of Pediatrics, in the 2008 article "Water is top choice for keeping kids hydrated", recommends water as the first beverage of choice for keeping children and teens hydrated, since water is the main body fluid lost during moderate exercise. Orange, lemon or lime slices or a small amount of juice can be added to water for those children who are not crazy about drinking plain water.
Got Sports Drinks?
Children and teens who exercise or practice in hot and humid conditions for more than an hour will also lose sodium, potassium and chloride (electrolytes) through sweating that are not replaced just by drinking water. To replace these electrolytes, children and teens should drink 5 oz. of electrolyte-replacing fluids every 15 to 20 minutes. Sport drinks are not needed for children who exercise or play less than three hours in normal (not hot, not humid) weather.
Educate Children, Their Teachers and Coaches
The key step parents can take to keep a child or teen safe when practicing in the summer heat is to teach them to recognize the signs of dehydration and speak up and tell the coach or teacher if she or he does not feel well.
Children and teens need to be reminded of the symptoms of dehydration during hot days. If the child or teen starts feeling dry, dizzy, thirsty, gets a headache or feels extremely tired, he or she needs to tell the coach or teacher and not worry about getting embarrassed.
Dehydration caught early can be treated with fluids, shade and rest. Dehydration caught late that leads to a loss of consciousness can result in a trip to the emergency room. It makes sense to keep children hydrated to keep them out of the emergency room.
More Information
Dyer KA. Prevent Your Child From Getting Dehydrated. Suite 101. Parenting Tweens. 2008.
Mayo Clinic Staff. Dehydration and youth sports: Curb the risk. Tween and Teen Health. 2008.
WebMD. 7 Tips to Prevent Dehydration in Children. Health & Parenting Center. 2004.
Ahmad A. "Water is top choice for keeping kids hydrated". AAP News. 29; 8:29. August 2008.
Kirsti A. Dyer - Kirsti A. Dyer MD, MS, FT is a respected physician, health educator, professor, author and lecturer.
