If your child begs for Monsters, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, or Kool-Aid, you need to know a super-secret parenting trick, sure to make you and your kids smile. First of all, the facts.
- Sugar-packed drinks aren’t healthy
- Artificial sweeteners are a bit scary, as well
- Acids in carbonated beverages can eat away battery corrosion, and they also erode tooth enamel
- The dark pigment in coffees, colas, and Kool-Aid can stain teeth
- Water is the best beverage on the planet, but kids are not in love with it
As a family dentist, Dr. Calcagno is a proponent of kids’ health. If you’d like to see your kids drink more water and less of the junk-beverages they crave, make water tempting. Straight from the faucet, H20 is medicinal. It contains trace amounts of fluoride to thwart cavities in children’s developing teeth. It also has the ability to hydrate the body and neutralize oral acids. What water lacks is intrigue. It has no personality. Parents, it’s time you get wise to marketing!
Packaging
Don’t serve water in a cup or bottle. Instead, buy some fun, fancy, even personalized beverage containers for the kids. Having a special cup that no one else can use, one with a lid and straw, makes kids feel empowered. Make this special cup a “water only” container. As a parent, you have the power!
Presentation
Water on its own isn’t impressive. It has no color, no flavor, and no pizzazz. Fill a water pitcher with fresh sliced fruit and a few sprigs of mint. Add a drop or two of food coloring, if you like. Make sure that your kids get fruit with their serving of water, and the boring drink becomes an awesome snack. In the hot summer months, freeze fruit and use it as you would ice. Kids love grabbing frozen grapes, berries, and melon slices to drop into their water.
Exclusivity
Exclusivity is a big factor in your child’s world. Kids whose parents buy them Monsters and Starbuck’s Frappuccinos have something others don’t. Be strategic. When you pack lunches for your kiddos, include a very cool, clear container with colorful fruit-filled water and mint sprigs – so everyone in the school cafeteria will think, “Cool! I gotta have that!” Your kid could become a trend setter, a position of high acclaim in the elementary, middle, and high school arenas. And you’ll be the mom with the most, or the raddest dad around.
Here are a few more tips for making water magnificent…
Your Family’s Favorite Dentist
For a family dentist who can help your family enjoy healthy living, call Calcagno Family & Cosmetic Dentistry in Rochester, MN today at (507) 281-3659. Scheduling your kids’ dental checkups for August means that their next visit won’t be due until winter break, so don’t hesitate. Dr. Janet Calcagno and our kid-loving dental team serve patients from Rochester, Red Wing, St. Charles, Winona, Hastings, Farmington, and the neighboring Rochester communities.
