There's a lot of talk about getting kids to eat healthy, but what about getting them to drink healthy? What a child drinks can drastically affect the amount of calories consumed, as well as the amount of calcium needed to build strong bones.

Serve Water, Some Natural Juices and Milk.

For kids of all ages, water and milk are the best choices, so let them flow. Not only is water calorie-free, but drinking it teaches kids to accept a low-flavor, no-sugar beverage as a thirst-quencher. Because a cup of milk has 300 milligrams of calcium, it can be a big contributor to your child's daily needs.

Here's how much calcium kids need each day:

Toddlers (ages 1 to 2 years): 500 milligrams of calcium daily

Kids (ages 4 to 8 years): 800 milligrams 

Older kids (ages 9 to 18 years): 1,300 milligrams

Current dietary guidelines recommend that children ages 2 through 8 consume 2 cups (480 milliliters) of low-fat milk (or equivalent dairy products) every day. Children 9 years and older should have 3 cups (720 milliliters) per day.

When kids drink too much juice, juice drinks, sports drinks, and soda, these beverages can crowd out the milk they need. Sugary drinks also can pile on the calories.

This chart shows the calories and sugar in different beverages:
 
Water
Size- 8 oz (240 ml)
Calories- 0
Sugar- 0 g
 
Low-fat milk
 
Size- 8 oz (240 ml)
Calories- 100
Sugar- 11 g
 
100% orange juice
 
Size- 8 oz (240 ml)
Calories- 110
Sugar- 22 g
 
Juice drink (10% fruit juice)
 
Size- 8 oz (240 ml)
Calories- 150
Sugar- 38 g
 
Powdered drink mix (with sugar added)  
 
Size- 8 oz (240 ml)
Calories- 90 
Sugar- 24 g
 
Soda
 
Size- 8 oz (240 ml)    
Calories- 100
Sugar- 27 g
 

* A Quick Word on Caffeine Consumption

It's a good idea to keep caffeine consumption to a minimum, especially in younger kids. The United States doesn't have guidelines for caffeine intake and kids, but Canadian guidelines recommend that preschoolers get no more than 45 milligrams of caffeine a day. That's equivalent to the average amount of caffeine found in a 12-ounce (355-milliliter) can of soda or four 1.5-ounce (43-gram) milk chocolate bars.

Caffeine is a drug that's naturally produced in the leaves and seeds of many plants. It's also made artificially and added to certain foods. At lower levels, caffeine can make people feel more alert and energetic.

In both kids and adults, though, too much caffeine can cause an upset stomach, headaches, and sleeping problems. Especially in young kids, it doesn't take a lot of caffeine to produce these effects.

Too many sweetened caffeinated drinks can lead to obesity and dental cavities. And since caffeine is a diuretic, it causes the body to eliminate more water and can contribute to dehydration. Caffeine can also aggravate heart problems and some behavioral and nervous system disorders.

Remember that because kids don't weigh as much, the effects of a caffeinated beverage on a child will be much more pronounced than on an adult.

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