A simple and effective way to monitor a child's hydration status is to check the color of his or her urine. Light yellow urine indicates adequate hydration while darker urine indicates dehydration. You can also weigh your child before and after activity. Any weight loss as a result of activity would indicate water loss, which should be replaced.
This answer provided for NATA by the Marist College Athletic Training Education Program.
The most important, and probably most obvious, way to prevent dehydration during exercise is to drink plenty of fluids. You should drink fluids before, during and after any form of exercise. Pay attention to your environment, as it is much easier to become dehydrated out on a sports field in the middle of the summer than it is in an air-conditioned gym. Therefore, your environment should play a role in determining what type of exercise you will be doing and for what duration.
The last and probably most important tip is to listen to your body. As you become dehydrated your body will give you signs and encourage you to rehydrate. Some signs of dehydration include dry mouth, thirst, sweating, fatigue, muscle cramping, flushed skin and dizziness. If you begin to develop any of these symptoms you have already waited too long to hydrate and should start drinking fluids immediately.
To prevent dehydration, make sure you're properly hydrated when you begin the day, says James Bush, MD, from John Randolph Medical Center. Find out what else you can do—in addition to drinking water—by watching this short video.
