Let’s cut to the chase. Life with kids is crazy. Is there ever a day that goes by that you don’t think to yourself, “I can’t believe I just had to say that out loud!”? As moms, we tend to drop our needs quickly in favor of those of our kids. While sacrifice and surrender are most definitely a part of mom life, it’s also true that if we don’t prioritize our physical needs and health, then everything and everyone suffers.
A major issue for moms is hydration. I mean, how in the world are we supposed to drink 8 or more glasses of water a day while nursing a baby, cooking dinner, and talking on the phone?
If you struggle to reach your water intake goals throughout the wild days of raising kids, we have some practical hydration tips for you! AND we’ve broken them down to better help you thrive by aligning them with your daily tasks.
Tips for Keeping Hydration Habits During…
Morning Rush (Getting Kids Ready for School):
Getting everyone out the door can be a huge challenge, and prioritizing hydration after a night without fluids is imperative to start the day off right. These tips will make it easier to keep your hydration habits during the morning rush.
- Chug First Thing: Start your day with water. Keep it by your bedside if needed. Commit to chugging 20 oz of water before coffee or anything else.
- Prep Water the Night Before: Fill up your water bottle the night before and set it by your purse or keys so you can grab it as you head out the door. We recommend a giant bottle so it doesn’t surprise you and end up empty while you’re on the go.
- Prepare Electrolytes the Night Before Too: We start the day dehydrated after our overnight water fast and one of the benefits of electrolytes for women is that they help us to replenish quickly. That’s why we like to leave a bottle of Momsanity Electrolytes mixed and ready on the counter. Drinking electrolytes and our morning water helps ensure we meet our hydration goals!
- Drink While Making Breakfast: Another way to incorporate more water into your daily routine is to sip water while preparing breakfast or packing lunches.
- Hydrate During Kids’ Breakfast: While the kids are eating, take time to drink a glass of water yourself.
- Make Hydration Part of the Routine: Teach kids to drink water in the morning so it becomes a family habit.
School Pick-Up/Drop-Off and Errands:
A little bit of planning makes it easy to keep healthy habits even when you're on the go! Something as simple as keeping a giant, reusable bottle filled with water on hand can be a game-changer for your daily water intake.
- Keep a Water Bottle in the Car: Always have a reusable water bottle in the car so you can sip during pick-up and drop-off or while running errands
- Carline is for Chugging: If you are sitting idly in the car, use it as a time to sip. In fact, keeping an extra water bottle handy can be helpful. Pack 2 and make sure one includes a scoop of electrolytes and/or BCAAs. Stay both hydrated AND energized
- Use Traffic Jams as Hydration Breaks: If you’re stuck in traffic or at long stoplights, take a few sips of water.
- Pack Hydrating Snacks: Keep water-rich snacks like cucumber slices, grapes, or oranges handy for both you and the kids while out and about to boost your daily fluid intake.
Kids’ Activities (Sports, After-School, etc.):
One of your key responsibilities is being a chauffeur, right? While we’re in the car or watching from the sidelines, we have the perfect opportunity to keep the water flowing!
- Hydrate Alongside Your Kids: When your kids are hydrating after their sports practice or activity, make sure you do the same. Kids are dehydrated too, so be sure that they’re drinking plenty of water and replenishing with Electrolytes after strenuous physical activity.
- Set a Reminder: Use an app or phone alarm to remind you to drink water while waiting for the kids during practices or games.
- Water First: When you're tempted to grab coffee or a sugary drink at the snack bar, drink water first to ensure you're staying hydrated.
Busy Evenings (Dinner, Homework, Bedtime):
Evenings are extra busy for moms as we’re cooking, cleaning up for the day, prepping for the next day, and helping with homework. It’s a lot!
- Water with Dinner: Serve water at the table with dinner and make sure you drink a full glass before eating.
- Sip During Homework Time: As the kids work on their homework, keep a glass or bottle of water nearby and sip while helping them. If you feel parched from the day, this is a great time to sip on electrolytes in your water. Remember, you can always “catch up” when you haven’t consumed enough water throughout the day.
- Make Hydration a Family Habit: Encourage kids to have a small glass of water before bed. You can join in and hydrate yourself as part of the nightly routine. If you’re short on water from a busy day, you can increase in the evening hours. Yes, you might wake up to visit the bathroom overnight, but you won’t wake up parched.
Sleepless Nights:
When kids are sick or babies are constantly waking, our bodies need even more hydration because when we’re awake and moving, our cells need more fluids.
- Keep Water on the Nightstand: If you’re up during the night with a sick child or baby, keep a bottle of water by your bed to remind you to hydrate.
- Hydrate When They Do: When your child is drinking fluids to recover from illness or breastfeeding, remember to hydrate yourself, too. When sick, we lose more fluids as our bodies fight illness. Using natural electrolytes to boost hydration can be helpful for recovery.
- Hydrate During Quiet Moments: Even if you're sleep-deprived, take a few minutes when things calm down to drink water. Staying hydrated can help combat some of the fatigue.
- Make sure to replenish: Add a scoop of electrolytes for both your sick child and yourself to help replenish those nutrients lost during sickness and sleeplessness.
These practical tips can help moms stay on top of their hydration, even when life feels overwhelming!
