Something to Talk About Around the Water Cooler

I read an article recently that talked about American children not drinking enough water. The article went so far as to say that most kids are bordering on chronic dehydration. Even children who drink a lot of milk and juice like mine do are not drinking enough water for their little bodies to thrive. I started thinking of ways to increase our water consumption here. One thing that stuck out in my mind was an actual water cooler at my sister's office. Ian, Aaron, & Asher all thought it was the greatest thing ever... self serve cold water. 

I looked into the in-home water coolers and even ones that had refillable bottles were way too expensive for our budget. 

I was walking through Target today and spied  this:

It's plastic, so I don't have to worry about it getting knocked off & shattering into a million pieces. It's green, Ian's favorite color. The spout doesn't pour too fast and isn't too tight for the kids to use by themselves. It's small enough to fit in our refrigerator to keep the water cool during non-drinking times. It is portable. It was cheap: $5.00.

So far, it's a huge hit. Ian said, "Mommy! We get to do it all by ourselves? Into big boy cups? This is great. Great news." 

So my plan is to put the water jug out on the counter in the morning and leave it out until naptime. Then get it out again after nap until bedtime. When we go on day trips we can take it with us, too. The best part is that I'm also happening by and filling my glass with ice water. So far today it has increased everyone's water intake.

I'll update in a couple weeks with how it's going. Maybe you need pretty colored water jug to help increase your water drinking too!