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Thank you to Nestle® Pure Life® for sponsoring this blog post. All opinions are my own.
My favorite time of the day is school pick up time. I think it might be Emmy’s too!
Seeing her face after a day at school puts a smile on my face. I miss that kid when she is at school. I like to think that seeing me makes her happy too, and I’m sure it does, but what really makes her happy after school is the snacks I have with me. Emmy is constantly on the move and needs a good supply of snacks and hydration to keep her going!
When I really want to make her happy I pack a huge basket of her favorite fruits and bottles of water. The fruits I choose are ones I know she loves and that are currently in season. They are fresher and taste better that way. For the water, I choose NESTLÉ® PURE LIFE® 8oz “Share-a-Smile™” Kid Designed Edition bottles because they are available in 8 different designs created by kids. The bottles are a great way to make healthy hydration fun for not only kids, but the entire family. I knew that Emmy would take one look these bottles and love them. I was totally right!
Aren’t these bottle designs the cutest?! As a family, we drink water as our beverage of choice. We feel it is the healthiest option for us, especially knowing that replacing a single 12-ounce, 140 calorie sugar-sweetened beverage with water each day for a year can cut more than 65 cups of sugar from one’s diet. I can’t even wrap my mind around what 65 cups of sugar even looks like!
As we all know, kids have many choices when it comes to beverages and, unfortunately, research suggests that water is not always top of mind. One recent study found that more than half of US kids are inadequately hydrated(1). Other findings highlight that up to 75 percent of kids report not drinking any water before school(2) and that roughly 25 percent of kids report not drinking any water on two consecutive days(3). This is shocking to me.
In a 2015 survey conducted by NESTLÉ PURE LIFE, moms and kids revealed many surprising insights about their hydration habits(4). One thing was that drinking water is one of the biggest “healthy habit” struggles moms have with their kids (38%), even more than struggles like “eat your fruit” (29%), “get enough exercise” (23%), “eat your breakfast” (19%), and “drink your milk” (18%). But the good news is that kids who drink 4+ glasses of water per day are more likely to frequently exhibit healthy habits, such as, eating fruits and vegetables at meal times without reminders, and requesting healthy food and beverage options for school lunches. That is great news for us parents!
Encouraging Emmy to make healthy choices like choosing water over sugar and seeing her do so happily makes me smile. Do you know what makes Emmy smile? The great outdoors, books, and stuffed animals. So, we went all out and had an outdoor picnic with her snacks, book and stuffed animal. She declared it the best day ever. I love when she does that. She sipped her “fun water” as she called it, enjoyed her fruit and read a book under the afternoon sun. It really was a great day.
You can learn more about NESTLÉ® PURE LIFE® and find the limited edition “Share-A- Smile™” bottles at a store near you, visit here on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Be sure to share how NESTLÉ® PURE LIFE® “Share-a-Smile™” bottles will help to keep your family’s healthy hydration on track with the hashtag #NestleShareaSmile on social media.
I shared what makes Emmy and I smile. I’d love to hear what makes you smile too!
(1) Kenney EL, et al. Prevalence of Inadequate Hydration Among US Children and Disparities by Gender and Race/Ethnicity: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009-2012. Am J Public Health. 2015 Aug;105(8):e113-8.
(2) Stookey JD. What is the cell hydration status of healthy children in the USA? Preliminary data on urine osmolality and water intake. Public Health Nutr. 2012 Nov;15(11):2148-56.
(3) Drewnowski A, et al. Water and beverage consumption among children age 4-13y in the United States: analyses of 2005–2010 NHANES data Nutr J. 2013; 12: 85.
(4) http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nestle-pure-life-kicks-off-the-ripple-effect-movement-to-encourage-healthy-hydration-habits-among-kids-300143584.html
I love that. Fruit is always a nice choice. It also makes it so special to put it in a basket like that.
Fruit is always the way to go! I wish we would eat more fruit in this house. I think something like this might be a good way to get in the habit of eating something healthy!
I think this is a great snack idea. My boys would LOVE this.
This is such a neat idea! My kids would go bonkers over a snack basket.
My kids go through tons of fruit. We are big fans of water as well.
I am thrilled that my grandkids are, for the most part, water drinkers. In our family, I’m the one that needs encouragement to keep hydrated. Your daughter is just adorable, She does look happy with her beautiful snack basket.
This is a great snack idea. I loved to have little picnics with the kids when they were younger. It is so important to teach kids healthy eating habits.
This is such a great idea! My son would go crazy over a snack basket!! Love it!
Toss in a blanket and my kids would be over the moon! They love snack time outside under three or on their picnic table.
I can tell you that getting a basket like that would put a big smile on my face! I love fresh fruit – especially grapes. Your daughter looks so pleased with her healthy after school snack. Plus she’s absolutely adorable.
This is such a great idea! I love giving my kids healthy snack options!
I would have loved a refreshing snack basket like that within reach after school when I was growing up. How cute is it that she declared it the ‘best day ever’!
I love those little waters. They are so cute! I love water myself. I drink a lot of it everyday. I think it is the best drink their is, I am not just saying it because it is good for you, but because I really do like it.
Love the fact that this after-school snack basket is super healthy! Love the presentation as well.
I love serving healthy but yummy snacks for my kids when they were still in school. That is a beautiful basket.
I love this idea and those cute bottles! Perfect for kids fun snack!
Eating healthy is important but water is super duper important.
An after school snack basket is a great idea. I really like the kid designed water bottles. They are the perfect size to also send with lunch.
Those are the cutest water bottles I have seen. My son takes a refillable water bottle to school but getting him to drink water at home is sometimes a struggle.
Keeping your kids (and yourself) hydrated is so important especially in warmer weather and when they are more active. You are so good to recommend fruit instead of chips or candy as the snacks of choice.
This is such an adorable and healthy snack basket. It’s perfect for kiddos because they can serve themselves.
I love that everything is so healthy, but still things the kids love! This is a great idea and perfect for after school!!
I love this idea. My youngest is always super hungry after he gets home from school. I try to keep healthy snacks available for him to eat.
love that it’s healthy and tasty looking for snack time! Easy preparation too, just wash off and toss into a basket and you’re set… great idea!
Such a beautiful snack basket. I think those smaller bottles of water are the perfect solution for kids.
This is such a great idea for an afterschool picnic! I would love it and I know my kids would love it too!
What a fun idea!! I love that this gives the kids healthy options in a creative way for after school snacks! Great idea!
I always make sure that we don’t run out of snacks for our son because he is always hungry when he comes home from school. Love the idea of a fruit basket.
I love the fruit picnic basket! You can never go wrong with water that’s for sure. Thanks for sharing!
I have been wanting to buy that kind of basket for picnic days. LOL! Anyway, wow! They have designer water bottles now? Designer. LOL. Yes. Now I do not need to cover and personalize my own during parties because they are already worth putting on the table! 🙂 Awesome! Wish that would lure my kids to drink water and dehydrate that way.
This is such a good idea! I remember being a kid and coming home from school and always being starving and just rummaging through the cupboards. I love all the healthy choices you’ve given her
My boys love to devour fruit and water. This basket would last a day.
My kids love fruit. I buy like 2 bags of bananas a week because it goes so fast at home.
That’s a very nice basket full of healthy goodies. My kids love snacking on fruits after school too.
Those bottles really look cute. When I look for mineral waters, sometimes I get carried away on those unique bottles too. Water is very important for us and it is good that you are able to make sure everyone in the family is drinking enough water in a day.
A good healthy snack after school (or work) is a great way to boost energy and stay healthy.
I love the idea of bring a basket of water and fruits when you pick up kids — My kids will love this idea!
My friend’s daughter was the designer of the second water bottle on the left (Savannah). We were so tickled when we got our own “Savvy bottle” in one of our packages! I’m pretty sure I kept it & used it for something crafty.
That is so awesome! What a great drawing she made!