Sodastream - making water exciting!

A recent study commissioned by SodaStream revealed that 45% of UK parents don’t give their kids water at mealtimes. Almost half said the reason was to avoid the additional stress that this would create at the dinner table.

The study revealed that 55% said it was because their children prefer to drink fruit juices, squash or fizzy drinks and that they find water boring, even though 70% of those parents are aware of the high sugar content in such drinks.

However, the study of 2,000 parents revealed that a staggering 80% want their kids to drink more water and will try tactics such as using novelty cups, straws and ice cubes and have even tried bribing them with treats or money. 45% of parents suggested that one answer to persuading their kids to drink more water was to make it fizzy.

SodaStream is on a mission to get the UK drinking more water by making it exciting, simply by adding bubbles, meaning families can have fun drinking more water this January.


     


We were challenged to take part in a campaign to get us drinking more water at mealtimes.  I have to admit to being in the 55% of parents whose child prefers juice drinks or squash to plain water. In fact Freddy really dislikes drinking water so I was interested to see that if I let him make his own fizzy water using a SodaStream, whether he would be more inclined to drink it.

Being involved in making the fizzy water was something that he really enjoyed doing (kids love that farty sound!), and letting him pour his own drinks also proved fun.  Unfortunately, Freddy was happy doing all this and served us all cups of his fizzy water with our meal, but when it came to the crunch, he simply couldn't drink it. He did try, but it just wasn't going to happen without tears. However, as I think that keeping him hydrated is more important than sticking to principles, I was happy to compromise, adding a small amount of organic cordial to the fizzy water. He drank it with gusto and declared it to be better than fizzy pop!

So for me, I may have cheated a little bit, but this is so much better than chemical ridden bottled pop or neat fruit juice in terms of sugar content.  The fizz definitely makes drinking much more exciting and it's a cheaper and greener alternative to buying bottled drinks,  Mealtimes are happy, Freddy is happy and he is hydrated...I call that a success!  I'm sure that as he gets older he will drink more water, as his siblings all have done, but for now I'm bending the rules a little to keep him as healthy and as happy as I possibly can.

SodaStream has teamed with government public health programme Change4Life campaign as part of the solution to encourage parents to cut down the amount of sugar their children consume by making drinking water fun and exciting.

Win Fill & Go Bottles with the BRITA Drinking Water Challenge

One of the easiest ways of improving your well being is to keep your body well hydrated.  One of the best ways of doing this is to drink water.  Water is cheap, has no calories and no added ingredients.  It is recommended that we drink 1.2 litres of water a day, which will enable our bodies to function properly, improving the skin, increasing energy levels and staving off hunger pangs.

Tap water is the best choice as bottled water is expensive, environmentally unfriendly and bulky to store.  However, tap water can taste a bit yuck!  It is also difficult to keep track of how much you are drinking.  There is a handy solution available in the form of convenient jugs and bottles which allow us to filter tap water at home and on the go.  The BRITA Marella jug and the funky Fill & Go bottle are ideal and make it easier to reach your target.

I was challenged to take part in the BRITA Drinking Water Challenge, to drink the recommended 1.2 litres a day and to see if I felt any better for doing so.  I was supplied with the jug and a Fill & Go bottle.  Keeping the jug topped up in the fridge provides a constant supply of freshly filtered and chilled water to drink.  The Fill & Go bottle is brilliant.  You can keep it on your desk or take it to the gym or in the car on long journeys.  Fill it twice a day and enjoy filtered water on the go for just a few pence a litre.

I am not good at drinking water.  I end up with coffee or Pepsi Max instead.  Neither are particularly healthy options.  But having the Fill & Go bottle by my side has really encouraged me, reminding me to drink water instead.  It tastes good too and is instantly refreshing and rehydrating.  I forget how good drinking water feels!  

I have found that I do definitely feel better.  The most noticeable thing is that I get less headaches.  I know that dehydration is a cause of these but I put it down to being tired - and usually grab a Pepsi Max to wake myself up.  It's a vicious circle!  Drinking water also helps with the healthy eating.  I feel less peckish and feel more in touch with my body.  My skin feels more hydrated too.  My skin looks better too as the bags under my eyes look less prominent.  It is just so easy to make this improvement when you put your mind to it!  I feel ashamed that I neglect my water consumption in favour of Pepsi Max, even though I know that it is just chemicals and caffeine and does my health no good.  Switching my addictive Pepsi craving for water is a really positive step towards improving my health long term.

If you want to join the challenge and see how much better you feel after drinking the recommended amount of water a day, I have an excellent giveaway for you! TEN of my readers can win their own BRITA Fill & Go bottle worth £14.99 each to make drinking water so much easier and tastier.  Simply fill out the Rafflecopter entry form below.  Good luck!  It closes at 11.59pm on the 2nd March 2013.

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Learn to Swim with Speedo Sea Squad

Giving your child the gift of being able to swim gives them a fun way to keep fit and could also one day prove life saving.  However 40% of UK children cannot swim at all according to independent research.  A quarter of parents think that schools and the government should be accountable for teaching their children to swim and three quarters of children have never had a proper lesson or been taught by their parents.  In a bid to get parents and children to go to the pool together Speedo has teamed up with Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington to give some top tips on learning to swim.

1:  Get your child used to water at an early age.
2:  Take your child swimming with someone they trust and feels safe with such as an older sibling to boost their confidence and make them feel safe.
3:  Make it fun!
4:  Play games and activities together.
5:  Get the child used to water slowly.  Start by splashing in the bath.  When ready get into pool one step at a time.
6:  Persistence is key - keep going even if it doesn't go well at first or else a child could end up with a fear of water.
7:  Use good swimming aids.
8:  When ready, buy professional lessons from an instructor your child likes.

For more information check out the Speedo Sea Squad who help make learning to swim as easy as 1, 2, 3!

1  Start Splashing

2  Start Swimming
3  Get Confident

For each stage Speedo has a range of dedicated products as well as ideas for recommended activities.  These help children develop their water skills and guide parents through the whole process of teaching their child to swim.

We were sent a selection of Speedo products for 3 year old Freddy.  I have to admit, although he is quite confident in the water, he hasn't learned to swim yet.  Just looking at the gorgeous range of swim related goodies has made me feel inspired to take him swimming more often.

The range features the Sea Squad who are a gang of water loving characters.  Freddy loves Bubble Baby!  The products are really appealing and child-friendly as well as being practical and inspiring.

For water babies, Speedo stock a Sea Squad swim seat, aqua nappy and snug, hooded baby towel.  Once children start to swim there is a range of arm bands, floats, float suits and swim vests to help them to float with confidence and paddle safely.  The arm bands are non-PVC and are extra safe.  The float suits give unrestricted freedom of movement allowing children to focus on their arms and legs. As confidence grows, children can get adventurous using kick boards, water balls, diving toys and masks.  The toys help develop co-ordination, hone skills, encourage diving underwater and make swimming fun!

Speedo's Sea Squad Mask gives kids a window to the underwater world using Biofuse technology.  They are designed for children aged 2-6 using super soft gel-materials for comfort and flexibility.  They are so comfortable that kids forget they are wearing them so they are not distracted by trapped hair or discomfort around their eyes and nose.  The mask has a single plastic front for full visibility so won't need adjusting. (RRP £15)

The Sea Squad Poncho Towel is brilliantly designed to keep children warm and snug.  It is very absorbent and gentle on delicate skin and easy to pull on. It will keep children cosy at the pool edge and won't fall down like a towel might.  I absolutely love the shorts and t-shirt swim suit that Freddy has been sent.  Again the Sea Squad design is excellent and the style is great.  It will protect him if we swim outdoors in the summer months.

I am looking forward to teaching my son to swim.  We have two holidays booked for the first half of next year and it would be great for him to enjoy the pool as a little swimmer. I will post about how we get on and give updates on the products in use.  Kizzy is not a strong swimmer but I can see the water balls and diving sticks inspiring her to be a bit braver when it comes to being in the water.  It really is an excellent range and the Sea Squad brand makes it more appealing and exciting for youngsters.

Swimming is actually a great activity to do in the winter in a heated indoor pool.  It can help combat the winter blues by producing endorphins, it improves circulation, burns energy and helps keep us fit.  So, during the Christmas school holidays why not take your family swimming?  It will help burn off all those excess calories from mince pies and Christmas pudding!

Speedo Sea Squad products would make excellent Christmas presents too, along with the promise of taking the kids swimming and teaching them to swim.  It's a gift that will last a lifetime!

For tips, advice, fun and games, ideas for activities, to purchase Sea Squad products and to find out more see the Speedo website.