Fluid Guidelines

When the heat index is above 95 degrees, athletes, especially children, are at increased risk of heat-related illness. Cancelling or modifying practices and games, or taking others steps to reduce the risk of heat illness, should be taken.

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.

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.

Children need to drink before, during and after sports, drink on a schedule, not only when they are thirsty, and drink from their own water bottles or their own sports drinks.

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.