As your child runs around the soccer field trying to keep the opposing team from scoring, the last thing that will be on your little one’s mind is drinking enough water. As a parent, keeping your child healthy and hydrated is a handful. Whether you are getting your child dressed in the uniform, cheering on your youngster as she plays volleyball, or drives the family home after a long day of playing beach volleyball, here are some tips to remember about keeping your family hydrated.

If your child is already thirsty or complaining about how dry her mouth is, she already is dehydrated. When playing sports, the body sweats releases the body’s water and nutrients. In order to keep everyone healthy, you need to know the signs of possible dehydration. They include dry or sticky mouth, feeling thirsty, headaches, muscle cramping, extreme fatigue, weakness, irritability, and dizziness.

To keep your family properly hydrated no matter the sport activity, you should hydrate before, during, and after the fun. Thirty minutes before your daughter’s volleyball games starts, give her 12 ounces of water of drink. When she is playing, she should be drinking water also every 20 minutes. The amount of water will depend on her size. If she is less than 90 pounds, she should have 5 ounces of water. If she is over, she should have 9 ounces.

Drinking water after the game is also important. Everyone should be drinking water every 20 minutes to help restore your body’s water loss. It should be in the first hour after the outing. Do not let anyone in your family fall victim to dehydration. It is possible that if someone is extremely dehydrated, they can pass out and they would need to go to the hospital to get intravenous fluids. Do not let this preventable incident happen to your family.