WUBL Water was created because, as a Dad I found there was no genuine, fun and, above all, healthy drinks alternative for young children, like my daughter Daisy, when out and about. There were plenty of bright, colourful sugary drinks that were bound to catch Daisy’s attention and sure, I brought a sippy cup along, but I found that Daisy wanted to be included and that I would’ve been happier with an alternative for her. So I made one – with the help of a cool Co-Founder called Leigh and my very supportive and patient wife, Bonnie.
I think we are all aware that our kids need to hydrate. It wasn’t until Leigh and I started our research however, that we found out how much. The truth was surprising. Did you know that our children should be having up to 1.3 litres of fluid a day? Yep, that’s not a typo, children should be having up to 1.3 litres of fluid every single day. Did you also know that around 70% of children don’t drink enough?
We can address this by talking about wee colour. I know, it’s not the most fun conversation, but it is an important one and like a pre-schooler with a felt tip pen in their sights, we don’t have time to be distracted by polite conversation, we’re heading straight for our point. Wee colour can tell us a lot about our health, but specifically whether we’ve been drinking enough. If your wee is almost clear, then you are topped with fluid and, as I say to Daisy, “high five!” If your wee is dark yellow, then it’s time to worry, find some water and rehydrate.
Once everyone’s fully hydrated they are less likely to become ill and all because they have drunk enough water each day. Interestingly children’s bodies are made up of 70% water, whilst us adults are made up of a mere 60%, which means that it is even more imperative that children stay hydrated.
Where are we going with this? At WUBL, Leigh and I want to improve kids’ health and hydration, specifically pre-schoolers between 2-4 years, as good health and wellbeing habits should start early. We know how hard it can be to get your child to stop and drink during the day. Pre-schoolers are busy people. They’ve got exploring to do, mixed in with learning and playing, and of course Amanda’s Action Club. They don’t have time to stop for anything other than snacks, nap time and the occasional tantrum. That’s why we’ve made water and hydration fun, without adding unnecessary stuff like sweetener, flavouring, fruit, sugar, a teddy bear, a parrot, a tube of toothpaste – just checking you’re still with us!
What we have added is cool, funky and fully recyclable carton packaging, with immediate kids’ appeal, including new characters called WUBLs, and that’s it! Well actually, it isn’t, we also have an awesome digital world for them to play in too, called WUBL World.
We’re offering a genuine alternative to fizzy drinks, smoothies, squashes and juices (which pre-schoolers don’t actually need) giving water some proper positive pester power that it’s not had before and removing that trade off for parents of what your child wants and what you as the parent want to give them, particularly when out and about.
If you’d like to be part of the WUBL journey with Leigh and I and to hear more and share your experiences, opinions and ideas go to:
Twitter – @WUBLWorld
Facebook – @WUBLWorldOfficial
YouTube – WUBL World
We can’t wait to hear from you. Happy hydrating!
We have loads of reports, articles and authors whose research helped us, these include Public Health England, the National Hydration Council, Mintel reports, specifically the Baby & Toddler Report, YouGov, the Office for National Statistics, Action on Sugar, the World Health Organisation and many others.