Our Hot Summer

It was a hot summer, I think no-one will argue with that. I spent most of my time between our chalet on the beach and our mountain home. But with two kids under two, I had one main concern; keeping the kids well-hydrated and protected from the sun.

As most mothers can attest, it sounds easier than it is especially since children can’t really express when they’re feeling hot or thirsty, you have to mostly rely on your instincts. Now while Baby Sienna just started solids and gets most of her water through milk, it was little Luca I was concerned about the most. That boy is active, his curiosity is relentless, always running from one spot to another, always dropping his hat somewhere and almost always discovering something new. I also knew that the habits parents instill in their children at a very young age could be the ones to stick around in the future, so it was imperative for me to get him not only get used to drinking water but to actually enjoy it. Again sounds easy, but let me tell you something about the wonderful world of toddlers, they will usually resist what their parents want them to do the most. I wanted to make drinking water for him fun rather than a chore.

I seldom leave the house without a bottle of water in hand, and I’ve made it a point to always say it out loud, something like “Oh I forgot my water bottle, let me go grab one from the fridge!” With time I started asking him to help me get one and he would be so excited for the task, so I knew he was falling for it. It got to the point where he would hand me one on the way out and say “momma water.” I also didn’t want him to drink from his sippy cup, I knew he was eager to drink like a “big boy” so I also wanted him to be comfortable drinking straight from a bottle his size, without forming a puddle of water and drenching his clothes.
I was also keen on choosing the right type of water, we’re blessed to have many naturally sourced water brands in Lebanon, but it was the level of minerals and sodium I was most concerned with, something I haven’t given much of a thought of before, but with all my doctors warnings about salt and sodium being so hard on children especially their kidneys, this was now something that was high on my priority list. So when Aquafina approached me to partner with them on a campaign I did some research. I found out something that really comforted me, it was actually bottled at sourced from Kaa Il Rim Springs in the Lebanese mountains, without any chemicals or treatment. I also learned that not only does Aquafina enjoy one of the lowest levels of sodium it’s also rich in Magnesium and Calcium which works wonders for bone structure. And to top it all of, they have released a new 330ml bottle, which was the ideal size for Luca to carry around.

I’m happy to report that we have now officially ditched the sippy cup and drink right out of the bottle. It took some effort but we got there! I’m sad to bid farewell to yet another beautiful summer, but I hope you all had a great one!