The topic of hydration of children over 3 years of age is often neglected in general pediatric consultations, even though proper hydration is essential for optimal physical and intellectual functions.

To evaluate the daily water and beverage consumption of 3- to 8-year-old patients in a private pediatric practice through a retrospective observational study.

This single-centre study was conducted in a French private practice with five pediatricians and included 200 healthy children, aged 3–8 years.

Recommended intake of beverages was reached in 62% of 54 children in the 3- to 4-year-old group and 43% of the 146 children in the 4- to 8-year-old group. Recommended beverages intake of±20% was found in 55% of the 3- to 4-year-old group and 45% of the 4- to 8-year-old group. The potential risk factors of inadequate hydration could not be demonstrated in this study. Water alone was the predominant intake in 63% of the 200 children; milk accounted for 19%, and sweetened drinks for 17%.

These results show a persistent gap between recommended and observed total beverage intake. Although our results are more robust than previous French and international published data, they remain insufficient. In the future, a systematic approach to hydration with parents and children is needed including personalised advice, while maintaining other public health interventions in schools and canteens.