Fluid Guidelines

Because children tolerate heat and humidity less well than adults, there may be times when it will be necessary to modify or even cancel practices due to extremely hot or humid conditions. In deciding whether to do so, you should keep in mind the following:

When you are watching your favorite sports team on TV, have you ever noticed that the first thing the athletes do when they get to the sideline or dugout is get a drink? Whether on their own or from the hand of a trainer, they drink constantly every chance they get throughout the game. That is how important hydration is to athletic performance.
So it is a true mystery to me that proper hydration isn't weaved in the fabric of our youth sports culture.
In fact, proper hydration is just as important to safety as any protective equipment. If our young athletes had better access to the right fluids in the right way, their sports performance would not only dramatically improve but the risk of one of the most dangerous sports injuries, dehydration and heat illness, would be dramatically reduced.

A number of studies in recent years have shown that sports drinks re-hydrate kids who are active in the heat better than water. Given a choice, kids will drink a lot more of a sports drink than of a glass of water. An oft-cited 1999 study in the Journal of Applied Physiology reported that drinking a properly formulated sports drink with carbohydrates and electrolytes (sodium and potassium) increased fluid intake by nearly one-third (32%) compared to water. Because they taste better than water, sports drinks encouraged kids to keep drinking until their fluid needs were met.

There are three key points parents need to keep in mind when it comes to making sure their child gets adequate fluids
while playing sports: (1) they need to drink before, during and after sports; (2) they need to drink on a schedule, not only when they are thirsty; and (3) they should drink from their own water bottles or sports drink can.

Surprising as it may seem the most important part of an athlete's diet isn't what he eats, it is what and how much he drinks. Hydration before, during and after exercise is especially important for pre-adolescent children because they have special fluid needs compared to adults, or even teenagers. As a parent or coach, here are the precautions you should take to prevent heat illnesses in exercising children and making sure they drink enough fluids.

Electrolytes are important to bodily function but are lost, along with water and sodium, as your child sweats during sports. They can be replaced by foods in a balanced diet and by sports drinks containing sodium. If they aren't, an electrolyte deficit or imbalance may occur which can lead to heat cramps.