Another way to determine if your children are getting enough fluids is to check the color and smell of your kids' urine. Except for the first time in the morning, children's urine should be clear to a light yellow color and nearly odorless. This is a particularly helpful check for babies and toddlers in diapers who aren't talking yet.

Keep cold water on hand. The body absorbs cold water, at about 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, more readily than warmer water. In addition, drinking cold water while exercising or during hard play has a double effect. Drinking cold water under these conditions will help cool your body inside by absorbing the cold water and cooling the outside of the body with sweat.

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Water Consumption & Obesity

According to Harvard University, Americans are consuming about 300 calories a day more than Americans did 30 years ago. About half of this calorie intake is attributed to drinking sugary drinks. During this same time period, childhood obesity has tripled or quadrupled in certain areas. Training your children at a young age to go for water instead of other types of fluids may be able to help your kids from gaining excess weight when they are children and keep the weight off during their adult years.

Obesity in children has social as well as medical impacts. Heavy children are often bullied or teased for their appearance. In addition, if the child doesn't lose weight, they are more likely to develop diabetes and heart disease beginning in childhood and continuing into adulthood.