How do I know? Because if your child is between age 6 and 19, there’s a 50/50 chance he or she is dehydrated. That’s according to a study conducted by Harvard scientists, who analyzed 4,000 kids.
And they found that nearly 55% of them were “inadequately” hydrated, with boys being more at risk than girls. Erica Kenney led the study for the Harvard School of Public Health – and she says, this doesn’t mean that kids are dropping like flies or need to go to the hospital. But even slight dehydration can negatively affect a child’s mood, energy level, and ability to learn – and can lead to headaches and irritability. And kids are more prone to dehydration than adults. That’s because their thirst mechanism isn’t fully developed, so they often don’t feel thirsty until they’re in the early stages of dehydration.