Family | Life | Food | Travel

22 August 2017

Keeping the Kids Hydrated with Highland Spring



As quite a busy family that loves to travel and take part in new activities, hydration plays a vital role in our day to day lives. Saying that, being incredibly busy we can sometimes forget to consume enough fluids so this summer I've been particularly eager to ensure the Mini Mes get plenty of water with the help of Highland Spring.

Highland Spring have launched their #BraveByNature campaign which focuses on the natural drive in children to succeed without anything getting in their way and the importance of staying hydrated to do so. We received a huge crate of water, the only drink with no calories, sugar, preservatives or additives, to help make dehydration a thing of the past for the Mini Mes' first fishing trip and beyond. After all, its incredibly important to drink plenty whilst playing sports and if you're looking to get active like us you might want to visit this website for some great equipment.






The fella introduced me to fishing recently and we have had quite a few trips to enjoy the beauty of the surrounding area and to catch some carp during school days and child-free weekends. It is very relaxing, and competitive, and I've found it fast become a hobby that we enjoy together, one that I also wanted to introduce to the children as they love to be outdoors too.

It's also the perfect activity at the moment as it involves minimal effort and I can't do a lot physically for a while (but that's another story!) so we headed to our favourite fishery in Barby, a small village nearby, for the Mini Mes to finally experience the 'sport'.

This particular site is man made and situated behind an old barn and along a small dirt track. It's generally quiet but we decided to go mid afternoon into the evening when it was still warm but nearly empty and the fella helped us to set up the equipment - showing the Mini Mes how to use the baiting needle to add boilies to the line and cast out. It wasn't long until they were doing everything themselves fearlessly and like pros, despite neither of them being keen on swimming and both needing to frequently stand on the ledge, and I was incredibly impressed and proud by how quickly they learnt the basics...

...It really wasn't long until both Minxy and Jambo had caught their own fish, we caught over 20 between us in just a few hours in various sizes, and they were requesting a little break for food and drink.









Tips to encourage hydration


New research undertaken by The Natural Hydration Council reported that by consuming just 300ml of water thirst was satisfied and 'good mood' levels improved by almost 20% - even the smallest quantity can make a vast difference. It's therefore very important to encourage your active little ones to drink regularly and these tips off mine may help....


  • Have some bottles chilled so the family can grab them whenever required. The Mini Mes prefer bottled to tap water in a glass so I like to top up the fridge each evening.
  • Freezing it is particularly great this time of year when the weather is warmer as it will refresh and cool you down whilst quenching thirst. Placing a frozen bottle in your bag will also keep any picnics or packed lunches nice and cold too.
  • We use funky straws and add fresh fruit for flavouring to make it a little more appealing.
  • Download an app or set a countdown timer to have a drink if you are busy/often forget.
  • Decorate them in stickers or doodle on the packaging. Maybe leave a note so they will pick up the bottle and therefore be more inclined to drink.
  • Set an example, drink more water yourself and it's likely your children will follow.




Being well hydrated can improve memory and concentration by up to 25% so I'll be ensuring the Mini Mes have a supply each day in their school bag too - the 330ml version with a sports caps are particularly useful. It's one of our #TermTimeEssentials.


Have your children been fishing? 
How do you encourage your children to drink water?


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*I'm working in a paid relationship with Highland Spring and BritMums on their #BravebyNature campaign, which highlights the benefits of hydration for children. Get additional advice and benefits of hydration for children on http://highlandspring.com/*

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14 comments

  1. Thank you for sharing your summer activities and its lovely to see your children trying something new and staying hydrated too! Thank you for being part of our campaign.
    Vicky - Commenting on behalf of BritMums

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  2. Nevermind hydration, I can't believe you like fishing Emma. My wife has no interest but my oldest boy loves it and I am very happy to accompany him. We are even joining a local fishing club to learn more. My eldest boys best catch is an 8 pound carp but we often catch bream, roach, rudd and hybrids with the odd perch and eel thrown in. Tight lines. :)

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  3. i like these bottles as they are a good size for kids. Other brands tend to have big fat bottles.

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  4. Great catch! And you are so right about setting an example. IF they see you doing it, they'll do it too!

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  5. My younger son loves fishing :) Living where we do, it gets very hot over the summer, so it's really important that my guys drink plenty of water, and they definitely follow our example to make sure they stay hydrated.

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  6. Oh wow well done you! I've been fishing with my granddad when I was young but I never caught anything! Staying hydrated is so important, I'm terrible for it but my kids do drink a lot of water.

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  7. these are fab tips, I definitely need to get my little one to drink more water. Also looks like you had a great time fishing, my hubby is loves fishing and we can't wait to do family fishing trips when our boy is a bit older x

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  8. I know my own water consumption is so far below what it should be - but the kids do pretty well.

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  9. I always make sure the kids are well hydrated but never myself. We to are an outdoorsy family so I really should make more effort with myself.

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  10. It's so important to stay hydrated. I'd love to take the kids fishing. I bet they'd love it.

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  11. Wow catching 20 fish is impressive! I absolutely love water (ice cold) and luckily my daughter drinks a lot of it too :)

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  12. It is so important to stay hydrated, no matter where we go and what we do. I didn't know that drinking water can lift your mood! That's so interesting! :)

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  13. I love how you go fishing as a family, what a lovely activity for you all to do. I am so good at keeping my boys hydrated but sometimes i forget about myself. I recently purchased a big water filter for my kitchen as the tap water is awful. It has a pouring spout so my boys love the novelty of helping themselves to water whenever they want, i just need to make sure i do the same :) x

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  14. Great tips on getting kids to drink more water. Mine will grab a glass if they feel like a drink.

    As for fishing, it really doesn't appeal to my brood. (Maybe that's because it doesn't appeal to me!)

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