Water is classified as a nutrient because it is essential to life.Water is 100 per cent fluid, which quenches your child's thirst -without adding sugar or calories. In other words, it won't spoil her appetite for meals. Schedule water breaks every 30 minutes or so to make sure your child gets enough. However, it is not a source of energy like fats and carbohydrates, nor does it build or repair body tissues, as does protein. Instead it functions primarily as a solvent and transport vehicle for nutrients, wastes and body substances.

Milk is also a top-notch fluid because it provides calcium, protein and B vitamin riboflavln. Small children should drink about two glasses of milk in a day. You can supplement your child's diet with milk products like curd, cheese, milk shakes and so on.

Juice is an acceptable drink that usually offers vitamins such as vitamin C. It is known to have high nutritive value and is extremely beneficial, as it is rich in sugar and thus high in calories. Juice has an abundance of vitamins and minerals, which are excellent for your child. Some children are fussy fruit eaters so juice is a good way to add fruits to their diet. But care should be taken to ensure absolute cleanliness and hygiene while making the juice. The utensils and the juicer used should be clean and free of any sort of germs.

Aerated drinks contain empty calories, and don't offer the nutrition of milk or juice. They don't provide the body with any sort of vitamins or protein. Furthermore, the carbonation can fill up your child so that he won't drink or eat as much as he needs to. And some of these drinks may contain caffeine, which is likely to make most children restless and uneasy. They may cause bronchitis, too, in some children who are allergic to them. While it may not be possible to ban aerated drinks entirely, their intake could be limited.

Sources of water

Juices, drinks and other beverages contain large amounts of water too, as do fruits, vegetables and other foods. Foods that appear dry like cereals, bread and meats also have a certain amount of moisture in them. The metabolic breakdown of food for energy yields water as one of its products. The water balance in a healthy adult follows a certain ratio of intake and loss.