Keeping Ethan hydrated has always been a big issue for us. We had the non-verbal issue where Ethan wasn’t able to tell us if he wanted a drink, then we have his restricted mindset of how and when he will drink and lastly if he doesn’t see a drink he doesn’t remember that he wants or needs one.
Quite recently Ethan has discovered a new drink, Robinson’s Summer Fruits, and Robinson’s Squash’d has really helped with our struggle to keep Ethan hydrated when we are out and about.
For a few years now Ethan has refused to drink water, it used to be the only thing he drunk but when he moved onto a cup water was refused and orange was his choice. This sounds easy when out and about but Ethan would only drink from ‘his’ cup so if we forgot it we were stuck. He would also only drink Robinson’s Orange so we had two hurdles to take into account when making sure our busy boy kept hydrated.
We have been able to teach Ethan how to drink water from a bottle which has saved us on a few occasions but he drinks this water under protest and not enough.
With Ethan’s discovery of his beloved red juice and our introduction to Robinson’s Squash’d it was easy to keep Ethan hydrated on our recent trip to Diggerland. One very plain bottle of water quickly turned into Robinson’s Summer Fruits.
Other ways we have learnt to keep our family hydrated
Setting phone reminders – It’s a simple thing and we use our phones so much more now than we ever did before. Setting a simple reminder which prompts you to offer a drink can be a good idea if you are having a busy and fun day.
Visual reminders – We find that placing and leaving our children’s cups in the room they are in will result in them asking for a drink more than if there is no cup around.
Reward Charts/Trackers – Robinson’s supplied us with a visual chart and stickers to help track our water intake. Every child loves a sticker chart and it has worked very well for Little E.
Robinson’s Squash’d has also helped Ethan become excited about trying and drinking the different juices. He thinks it’s magic to see the water change colour and he asks about the different colours and is sometimes willing to give them a try.
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