NOW CLOSED: Share your child's favourite drink or tip for keeping thirst at bay for the summer months and you could win a £100 Tesco voucher

[AnnMumsnet]

Britvic are working with Tesco.com to provide 4 downloadable guides that offer Mums top tips for keeping the family active and hydrated during summer.

You can download the guides here.

On this thread they want MNers to share their own top tips for keeping children cool this summer (home or abroad) - and to share your thoughts on keeping children hydrated.

For example:
What drinks do your children like to have? Do they like ice in their juice?
Does your child complain of being thirsty or do you have to remind them to drink?
What kind of drinks do you pack for days out? What would be a treat for your children, drinks-wise?

Add your thoughts and comments to this thread and you'll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £100 voucher to spend on summer provisions at Tesco.

Some T&Cs: The prize draw is open to GB residents (England, Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland) aged 18+. Normal exclusions apply. One entry per person. Entries can be made at Mumsnet.com. Closing date for all entries is midnight 10th August 2012 .

Thanks,
MNHQ

[Tawnyhairedandgoldenlimbed]

My children love ice, orange juice, stawberries and a banana blitzed together.

[SpringSunshine]

I tend to take a 1l bottle of diluted squash with sports bottles full too. Different flavours for each of us - ds and I like orange, dds current favourite is strawberry & kiwi. We buy Robinsons no added sugar.

When out I try to buy the sugar free drinks as a bottle of Oasis is over 200 calories! Not easy in restaurants etc so usually have a stock of fruit shoots or own brand bottles in the car too

Definitely have to remind the dcs to drink - they rarely ask for one but if I give them the sports bottle they will graze on it regularly and drink plenty.

Dd like smoothies which are a treat for her especially the M&S Belgian chocolate, or hot chocolate with marshmallows etc. Ds likes pure juice which would tend to be his treat.

Neither likes ice but they do like it coldish

[Astr0naut]

Water. It's all we gave him as a baby, now he won't even entertain juice. I let him try it at other kids' houses, so they don't think I'm up myself, but he turns it down.

He's good at drinking during the but being , he has to have it in a certain cup or it's not right.

He loves, loves, loves milk and has to have a cup as soon as he wakes up.

Dd has just started taking other drinks (apart from bmilk) and drinks water from a sippy cup. I offfer it to her all day, and generally, she takes it.

[FlouncyMcFlouncer]

My kids are older now but when they were younger it was usually NAS squash. To be honest now I know about the stuff that goes into those, if I were doing it all again I wouldn't buy them. Now DS is adult and drinks mainly coffee but for a cold drink will always choose water. DD is 15 and tends to prefer fruit juice or milkshakes, with the occasional coke.

When they were smaller I would freeze cartons of juice to go in their lunchboxes but apparently the schools now frown on this and say they can only have water?

[TitsalinaBumSquash]

I'm really paranoid about the children drinking enough, stemming from my own childhood of sun stroke and kidney problems from dehydration.

We have a Macro card so bulk buy Capri Sun 100% fruit pouches or carton of pure fruit juice for days out.
We can't really use reusable bottles without sterilising all the time because of DS's health condition so we will also buy bottles of water in bulk for when they're out.
They can help themselves to water anytime they're at home and I don't let them play out front without a bottle water/juice.

They live for smoothies and I put everything from spinach/mint/pea and beet root to the normal fruits in there to get the nutrients in.

They don't have to be reminded to drink they're really good at keeping hydrated. A very rare treat (parties) they can have a small glass of fizzy. The only thing I really don't allow are fruit shoots and that isn't a snobby mumsnet thing it's just they do go super hyper after having them.

[TitsalinaBumSquash]

Forgot to add both kids think ice is the best thing ever so ever mealtime there is a jug of water on the table with various shapes of ice and slices of Fruit in. DS2 is currently favouring Ikea "ninja star" shapes and DS1 likes the reusable shapes that we have in a ridiculous amount of variations.

[Roseformeplease]

Mine always have to have water alongside a drink in summer. That way, the juice is a treat and the water quenches their thirst.

[TheQueensDinner]

They would like to have fizzy drinks but they are not allowed although their bloody Grandad gives them it by the gallon when I'm not about and even lets them pour added sugar squash into lemonade. He also fills up their pockets and hoods with sweeties.

They have no added sugar squash or water. In their lunch boxes they have a carton of apple juice or a fruit smoothie. On days out we take water bottles. They are quite good at saying when they feel thirsty, except when they are outside playing.

[nextphase]

Another mainly water household, although the oldest (3) will demolish Apple or pineapple juice which I've diluted well.

I'm not brilliant at remembering to drink, but try to drink every time the kids do, and offer the kids a drink when I'm thirsty.

Adding liquids as home made ice lollies, as people above have mentioned, is also very popular.

We also "play" with ice and water, but use containers clean enough to drink the contents of, to make it fun.

If I'm really worried about fluid intake e.g. if they are ill, melon and cucumbers are usually consumed in reasonable quantities. Not sure how much it helps, but makes me feel better.

A bit off thread, but I actively avoid "no added sugar" and low sugar versions of drinks - artificial sweetener is revolting stuff.

Right, off to get a drink!

[Ketuk]

My 2 just drink water or milk (only at home).
When we're out and about we use the sistema bottles, because the opening/closure mechanism is easy enough for a 2yo to manage, but actually genuinely watertight!

We have 4 bottles in a variety of colours, each with a different coloured cap, so that I know whose is whose (for times when I can't wash them as well as I'd like e.g. camping), and they're bpa free too which is good.

Because they're transparent, I can see how much water they've had/not had, and encourage more sipping (or loo trips!) as necessary.

[SirBoobAlot]

Always water.

New trick here is those connector straw kits - you know, the ones that are half straw, half different angles etc. Put it together, see how many twists and turns we can make and STILL get the water.

[bluebump]

My DS (4) likes to drink apple juice which I tend to dilute with water - sometimes hot water if he fancies it. I find it hard to get squash type drinks without sweetners in, i've found there is one in Tesco otherwise he sometimes has Ribena.

He doesn't like ice in his drink, i've no idea why!

He will ask for a drink if he's thirsty but often needs reminding to have a drink if we are busy/he is having too much fun. He is terrible about having a drink at other people's houses if he doesn't like the cups/beakers they use so I have to try and remember to take one with us when we go out or pack some juice cartons.

A treat drink for him would be a smoothie (he loves the Innocent ones) or something like a hot chocolate.

[flamingtoaster]

To keep kids cool in summer get them used from an early age to wearing a sunhat (decorate it with favourite characters or customise it according to what they want to ensure it is worn).

We all drink water at home - and take it on days out. Occasionally fruit juice. I never felt DS and DD would drink enough if left to their own devices so I would make sure they always had a drink when I had one. Milk at bedtime.

[WhenDoISleep]

DS1 drinks water throughout the day - he particularly likes it with 'ices' in atm. He generally had a small cup of diluted fresh orange juice in the morning. Occasionally he has well diluted high-juice orange squash or lime juice. If we get a drink when out and about, he will have mango, apple or orange juice. Very occasionally he is allowed a small cup of lemonade, but has not had any for months since I discovered the brand we normall buy contains asperteme. DS1 doesn't like milk, unless it is chocolate flavoured or in hot chocolate - both treats he gets from Daddy periodically.

He always has a cup of water in easy reach in the house and when out and about.

DS2 likes breast milk.

[ShatnersBassoon]

They ask for drinks when they're thirsty, and are given a drink with every meal.

Water is the least favourite, but gets drunk when given. Juice or smoothie with breakfast. Eldest likes a cup of tea. They drink gallons of milk. Squash is more of a treat. Fizzy only at parties or on holiday. Ice cubes never, straws sometimes.

Err, no more dull drink facts to share.

[modernbear]

My toddler son drinks water, diluted juices and milk. In order to get him to drink you either have to be travelling somewhere (train, bus, car, pram whatever) or reading him a story (consequently you go through quite a few books in a day). If he is thirsty he asks for 'a cup of tea' (At this stage all drinks are 'a cup of tea').

[Lilyloo]

Frozen calypso cartons last for ages.

[coffeewhitenosugar]

Mine drink water mostly but prefer natural juice, which is a rare treat nowadays and always have milk at bedtime or hot chocolate if it's cold and we're cosying up.
I don't have any problems getting them to drink, they have their own non-spill bottles which go everywhere with us and I take an empty squash bottle of water with us to top them up with and drink from myself. I also freeze fruit juice lollies when it's hot and if I've got any fruit juice in.
A treat would be apple and elderflower juice - they love it.

[PavlovtheCat]

DD aged 6 prefers water, whatever is on offer. She might have a sip of something sweet if I have something.

DS aged 2.5 prefers weakly diluted juice (apple is his favourite), but he gets water! He will have several sips of something if i have it, and every now and then I might give him a cup of squash with his meal, but not regularly.

We take sports bottles for each of the children wherever we go, whether on a day out or just out and about, if they run out, we fill it up in a cafe/wherever we happen to be.

As an extra special treat, I will buy them a babycino or normal sized hot chocolate to share if we are stopping for a coffee ourselves, but again, this is a treat, not usual thirst quenching activity.

[skyebluesapphire]

DD 4yo drinks water or squash or orange juice. She won't drink anything with bubbles in (thankfully)! She was quite difficult to get off a bottle so once her teeth came through she was only allowed water and is quite happy to drink it now.

She loves innocent smoothies for a treat. (known as her "special drink" ) If we are eating out I always get orange juice rather than fruit shoot.

[PavlovtheCat]

oh and DD now helps herself if her cup/bottle is empty at home. DS tells me he is hungry!

[TittyWhistles]

Is this a test?

Kids drink water. I don't care what their favourite might be.

They get water.

(cabbage water if I'm feeling generous)

[HannahLI]

My son likes water and if I need him to drink something I will sometimes offer some squash but I find a great way to get him to drink water in the heat (he's two) is to give him shaped ice cubes to put in his drink. We have fish and cat ice cubes and they work really well as a great way to get him to enjoy his drink rather than it being a chore to him!

[BlastOff]

Well, my 3 yo gets squash, watered down juice or water. Amazed by all these 'only drink water' children about. I don't know any! Or actually I do know one, because his Mummy makes sure we all know he only drinks water by telling us all very loudly whenever there is an opportunity, especially if we offer him anything else by mistake.

My one year old only drinks water still though, but I expect that will change and he will drink a variety of things, like his brother.

I don't have any tricks as they tend to drink when they are thirsty, or if I prompt them to if I don't think they've had enough. But curly straws, or any straws actually, are always a winner.