Preventing Dehydration in Youth Sports

Every parent has hopes and dreams for his or her children, and many of those dreams include sports. As moms and dads, we feel excitement for the future as we watch our children take to the fields, step on the ice or enter into the sports arena. My dreams for my almost three year old son flashed by my eyes this past week as I watched a case of severe dehydration cause my son to be unable to walk. As he stood in front of me, arms outstretched and reaching up, legs shaking, physically unable to take a step forward, and asked me to “pick him up”, I wondered what would his life be like if his legs never got back to normal, if he could never kick that soccer ball that I dreamed he would kick next year as he started youth soccer, or if he could never put on his first pair of hockey skates or downhill skis. I was devastated. And to think that a lack of hydration was all to blame. Luckily for me, my son recovered after an ambulance ride and four days in the hospital, including several hours on an IV replenishing his fluids, and now he is back running around as a typical active kid. As parents, we often don’t think of the consequences for our young kids of not drinking water. In my case, it was due to a stomach virus, but in many cases with kids it has to do with youth sports and the lack of consumption of water before, during and after practices and games. I found this article online that gives some guidance as to how much our children should be drinking.  Buying them water bottles is a start, but making sure they drink the water in them is critical. A day before my son couldn’t walk, he looked normal. He was active, running around like all the other kids at his school. Next time your child is out there, ask your child if he or she just had a drink of water. Encourage it. Have fun with it. Drink water yourself to set a good example. It will save our kids in youth sports from facing dehydration and all of the health scares that can come when one doesn’t drink water.

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