The Importance of Clean Water for Children
Aug 28th 2023
For children, healthful hydration is everything. Drinking clean water can promote better health and development while preventing waterborne illnesses and chronic diseases, like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Staying hydrated can also improve memory and attention. Studies show that 1 in 5 children do not drink enough water during the day, and about half of school-aged children are underhydrated.
Here's why it's crucial your child drinks enough clean water.
Health Risks of Children Drinking Contaminated Water
While poor-quality water isn't good for anyone, it's especially harmful to young children whose bodies are still developing. Due to their smaller size, how their bodies work, and how contaminants can build up and stay in their tissues, children are more vulnerable to the effects of water contamination than adults. Here are some of the risks of children drinking contaminated water:
- Waterborne illnesses and life-threatening diseases: Drinking water contaminated with viruses, bacteria or microorganisms like Giardia or ecoli can have serious results for children like diarrhea, which is one of the leading causes of death in children under 5. These health conditions can be life-threatening for children, who have weaker immune systems than adults.
- Malnourishment: Unsafe water can cause diarrhea, preventing children from getting crucial nutrients, ultimately leading to malnutrition and stunted growth. Stunting can have several health consequences, including a greater risk of infections in childhood, decreased cognitive development, and poorer educational outcomes.
- Dehydration: Diarrhea can also cause dehydration. Staying hydrated is especially important for children, as it helps maintain their body temperature and make bodily fluids for daily functioning. Young children and infants are at a higher risk for dehydration than adults, which can cause complications like electrolyte imbalances, heart-related illnesses, and kidney problems.
- Lead poisoning: Children who are exposed to lead in contaminated water are at a higher risk of health problems as their growing bodies absorb more lead than adults. Health effects can include kidney and brain damage, anemia, learning disabilities, and stunted growth.
Clean water access for children is crucial, as it can prevent illness and promote better growth and well-being. Filtered water for kids can help them stay healthy and promote better cognitive function. Families can take advantage of a water filtration system to safeguard their children's lives and set them up for success.
8 Benefits of Clean Drinking Water for Children
Drinking clean water can promote healthy growth, improve cognitive function and promote a better future for children. Here's a breakdown of the importance of clean water for kids:
1. Promotes Healthy Growth
Clean water is crucial for your child's growth and development. Drinking the proper amount of clean water daily supports their digestion, cellular function, and absorption of nutrients, which are crucial for their physical growth. Water also helps maintain healthy skin, muscles, and bones, ensuring your child can reach their full potential in height and weight.
Hydration also helps circulatory and respiratory systems function better, promoting overall wellness and vitality.
2. Improves Daily Functioning
Staying hydrated throughout the day can promote better daily functioning for your child. Drinking clean water can reduce the risk of dehydration, leading to fatigue, dizziness, and headaches. When adequately hydrated, your child can focus better in school, be more alert, and engage in fun activities.
Since drinking water can also improve cognitive health, children can concentrate better on tasks and actively participate in sports and physical activities to enjoy a better life overall.
3. Prevents Illness
Studies show 80% of diseases and 50% of child deaths are related to poor drinking water and sanitation in the world. Clean water is a powerful tool in preventing waterborne diseases and illnesses caused by contaminated water. Children often fall ill to waterborne illness when natural disasters like floods hit. Water line breaks can also add contaminants to drinking water. And when water resources decline, children cannot wash their hands to combat diseases.
Access to clean and safe water helps reduce your child's risk of infections, gastrointestinal issues, and water-related diseases like diarrhea. By providing clean water to children worldwide, we can prevent life-threatening health problems across the globe.
4. Enhances Cognitive Development
Proper hydration directly impacts your child's cognitive development and mental health. Water is crucial for maintaining brain function, memory, learning, and processing new information. Children who drink enough water each day demonstrate better cognitive abilities, concentration, and mental clarity. Ultimately, this can positively influence their academic performance and intellectual potential.
5. Better Skin Health
Proper hydration can help your child maintain smooth, clean, and healthy skin. While dehydration can lead to skin conditions, healthful hydration supports the skin's elasticity and helps flush out toxins to maintain a clear complexion. Drinking clean water also keeps the skin moisturized, reducing the risk of irritation, dryness, red patches, itchiness and other skin issues.
6. Promotes a Robust Education
Access to clean water can significantly impact children's education and future. Proper hydration ensures that kids are attentive and engaged in the classroom. And with fewer sick days due to waterborne illnesses, children can attend school consistently and get a more robust education. Overall, this means continuous learning opportunities and personal growth. Uninterrupted education can set a strong foundation for children's future and empower them to pursue meaningful careers later in life.
7. Supports the Immune System
Clean drinking water is crucial for supporting a child's immune system. It flushes out toxins, helps maintain proper bodily functions, and delivers essential nutrients to cells. Water allows our lymphatic system to function better — our lymph has immune cells in them and requires water to flow and circulate throughout the body. By staying hydrated, your child's immune cells can spread and target pathogens more effectively, combatting diseases and other illnesses.
Ensuring that your child drinks plenty of water daily can promote a more robust, resilient immune system — safeguarding their health and well-being.
8. Encourages Healthy Habits
Drinking clean water can help your child establish healthier habits that benefit them throughout their lives. When taught the importance of hydration, they can better understand their body's needs — such as learning to listen to signals of thirst to prevent dehydration. They may also start choosing water over sugary drinks like soda or juice, which can provide significant health benefits for kids like combatting obesity, protecting dental health and promoting more energy.
This awareness and early introduction to healthy habits can influence your child's life choices as they grow, making them more likely to exercise, regularly seek out water, and choose nutritious foods.
Protect Your Family With a High-Quality Water Filter
Clean, safe drinking water is crucial for your child's health and well-being. As a parent, it's vital to help your child establish healthy drinking habits early. When you purchase and install a Multipure water filtration system, you take the first step toward establishing better habits for your family while safeguarding their health.
Invest in your child's health today, and browse our drinking water systems. For Life. For You.