Great tasting Wateroos – with no sugar and no artificial ingredients or sweeteners – is a healthier alternative to juice and helps parents teach their kids good nutritional habits from the start
 
San Francisco – (July 2006) – Wateroos has added two new flavored beverages to its line of all-natural children’s water-filled drink boxes. All-natural Berry Flavored and All-natural Grape-Flavored Waters now join Wateroos’ previous varieties of Original (unflavored) Wateroos and All-natural Apple Flavored. Wateroos is the only children’s water beverage packaged in familiar drink boxes (complete with a straw) that’s ideal for kids between one and six years of age. They’re easier than a bottle for small hands to hold and sip, and are a convenient and portable way for busy families to bring water on-the-go. Best of all, the colorful and playful drink boxes make Wateroos fun for kids so they are more likely to ask for it again and again. 

Wateroos contains nothing but water with no sugar, artificial ingredients or sweeteners and no calories. That’s because Wateroos was developed by a mom for moms who are concerned about offering their children healthier alternatives to juice and soda and who want to teach their children healthy nutritional habits from the start.

“Being a mom myself, I knew I wanted to teach my child good nutritional habits early on, but was concerned about the lack of healthy children’s beverages available to me,” said Roberta Greenspan, founder and CEO of Maddie’s Beverage Company (maker of Wateroos). “I set out to develop a kid’s drink that moms would feel good about giving their children and one that children would enjoy drinking. The result was Wateroos and with the addition of our two new flavors, there’s sure to be a Wateroos that every child will enjoy.”

It’s important for parents to read the labels on the beverages they purchase for their children as many appearingly “healthy” products still contain high levels of sugar and calories. For example, eight ounces of 100 percent “no sugar added” apple juice contains a staggering six to seven teaspoons of sugar and 120 calories. When children consume too much juice they pack in excess calories which can crowd out their appetite for more nutritious food. This can lead to a host of children’s health issues such as childhood obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.

American children have become so accustomed to sweet beverages that more than 70 percent of preschoolers drink no water at all and more than 15 percent of school-age children are now considered overweight. In response to such disturbing trends, the beverage industry announced on May 3rd of this year that it will voluntarily remove high-calorie soft drinks from all schools and will limit the amount of other sugary beverages in school vending machines. This announcement demonstrates the new emphasis our nation is placing on the need for healthier kid’s beverages, such as Wateroos.

“As a pediatrician, it’s alarming to see the rise in illnesses such as childhood obesity and diabetes,” says Alberto Gedissman, MD, MMM, FAAP, the Orange County, California Medical Director of  PowerPlayMD-OC, a unique medically based training program to help the fight against childhood obesity. “These conditions are partly due to too much simple sugar and calories in the diet. Many of these empty calories come from juice – even “natural” and “no sugar added” juices are loaded with sugar. Products such as Wateroos water-only beverages are ideal for young children, which not only reduces their intake of sugar but also keeps them hydrated. It’s never too early to start teaching children good nutritional habits.”

Wateroos is specifically designed to fill the gap for a healthy alternative to high-sugar and high-caloric juices. It’s just the right portion size for small children, eliminates sticky spills and is disposable (unlike sippy cups). Each of the Wateroos drink boxes features a different water-loving character (called Wateroo-ligans) with educational games and puzzles on the back of each box. Designed to teach and entertain kids, children can choose to sip Wateroos with Puddles the Penguin (Original Wateroos), Tank the Turtle (All-natural Apple Flavored), Gurgles the Gator (All-natural Berry Flavored) or Half-Pint the Hippo (All-natural Grape Flavored).

Wateroos is packaged in six packs of 8 oz (237ml) boxes with an SRP of $3.29. For distribution and sales inquiries, please call Maddie’s Beverage Company at 1-650-292-4908 or visit www.wateroos.com.