Founder Story: How Two Friends Turned Parenting Struggles into Hydra Helpa

Some of the best parenting products are born out of those everyday battles every mum and dad can relate to: a full drink bottle coming home from school, a child flatly refusing to drink water, or the stress of trying to keep little ones hydrated during gastro. For longtime friends and mums behind kidhy, those challenges were all too familiar.

“The idea for kidhy started when our kids refused plain water as well as electrolyte drinks we offered during rounds of gastro,” the co-founders explain. “As a parent it can feel incredibly stressful when your little people are unwell and not keeping up their fluid intake. There was also the everyday battle of encouraging our kids to drink enough water, and the worry with seeing an almost full drink bottle coming home after school. It was this shared experience that got us wondering about how we could get our kids to drink more water not only when they’re unwell, but all day every day.”

Their curiosity quickly turned into research — and a realisation. “When we started looking into hydration for children, we realised just how incredibly important it is. Most of us (yep, even the grown-ups) don’t drink enough water. Did you know 80% of Australians are chronically dehydrated? And even mild dehydration in children can mess with memory, mood, focus and learning.”

That was the turning point. “So we asked ourselves how do we make water less boring, dial up the fun and get our kids into the healthy habit of drinking plenty of water every day? There were other hydration products on the market, but nothing specifically formulated for children that tasted good to kids. You can have the best product in the world, but if your child won’t let it past their lips because it tastes or smells funny, it’s not going to work. We had a personal need, and we saw a gap in the market. So, we partnered with trusted scientists, and created hydra helpa water infusions for kids which are full of electrolytes, prebiotics and probiotics, taste delicious and make water fun.”

A Game-Changer for Parents

Anyone who has tried bargaining, bribing, or flat-out pleading with their kids to drink water will understand the need for something better. “Hydra helpa is a fantastic alternative to the endless list of sugary juices, soft drinks, and energy drinks that children are often drawn to. We use natural colours and gentle sweeteners such as monk fruit and fruit juice powders, so hydra helpa looks and tastes deliciously sweet without any nasties. Our three flavours are designed to appeal to little taste buds, without the horrible sugar spike and inevitable crash.”

But this isn’t just a sugar-free swap for juice boxes — it’s carefully designed with children’s unique needs in mind. “Unlike adult electrolyte products, hydra helpa is formulated specifically for children. We worked closely with microbiome specialists to develop a kid-friendly blend of electrolyte salts, prebiotics, and probiotics that supports hydration and gut health. Importantly, the daily requirements for electrolytes like sodium, magnesium, potassium, and calcium are very different for children than adults because children are still growing and their bodies have different needs. Children need much less sodium than adults, which was a very important consideration in our formula.”

The result is a product that parents can feel confident about. “We believe hydra helpa is a real game-changer for parents, providing a balanced, child-focused alternative to both sugary beverages and adult electrolyte drinks currently on the market. Hydra helpa offers an everyday go-to for hydrating kids without the power struggles, bribes or bargaining. Your kids will actually want to drink more water with hydra helpa.”

More Than Hydration: Gut Health Matters Too

From the beginning, the team wanted hydra helpa to work harder than just replacing fluids. “When creating hydra helpa, we didn’t just want a product that would keep our kids well hydrated, we wanted a product that would support kids’ health more broadly. Around 70% of the immune system actually lives in the gut, and the gut microbiome; that community of good bacteria, plays a huge role in how children fight off everyday bugs. Prebiotics and probiotics help nourish and balance those good bacteria.”

“Probiotics are the ‘good bugs’ that help balance your gut flora and keep things humming along, while prebiotics are like the food for the good bugs already in the gut. Together, they help keep the gut lining healthy, train the immune system to respond appropriately, and even help kids recover faster after being unwell. Hydration is important on its own, but when children are sick, active, or not eating well, supporting the gut can be beneficial. We wanted to make a product that not only replaces fluids and electrolytes, but also helps build long-term wellness from the inside out. It’s about giving parents a product that works hard in more than one way, keeping kids hydrated and helping them stay resilient.”

Flavours Kids Actually Love

Even the best formula won’t work if children won’t drink it. So the team started with the toughest critics — their own kids.

“When it came to choosing our flavours, we wanted simple, familiar flavours that kids would recognise and relate to. We surveyed our own kids and their friends, and these fruity favourites were the winners: Apple and Raspberry, Orange and Passionfruit, Pineapple and Coconut.”

“There’s probably a little bit of nostalgia at play too, as millennials we grew up drinking sugary cordials (hello cavities), so our flavours are a nod to the classics without any of the nasties. Then of course we refined our three flavours to what they are today through a lot of trial and error, and a lot of taste testing. Naturally not every child is going to love every flavour, but from our experience so far, most kids (even our pickiest eaters) will like at least one of our three flavours. Which is why we offer a Mixed Flavour pouch and sample packs. And then you have some kids, who love all three flavours and bicker over who gets what on any one day.”

How Much Is Enough?

For parents wondering how hydra helpa fits into daily routines, the founders provide clear guidance. “Hydra helpa is suitable for children over the age of 12 months. We don’t recommend hydra helpa for children under 12 months of age as infants’ kidneys are still maturing and their sodium requirements are generally met through breastmilk or formula.

“Hydra helpa is carefully formulated for children, with our ingredients aligned to Australian guidelines for adequate intake. Our serving suggestions are simple: for ages 1–3, up to two servings per day; and for ages 4 and up, up to three servings per day.”

And when it comes to water intake overall, they remind parents just how much kids really need:

• 1 to 3 years old: 4 cups per day
• 4 to 8 years old: 5 cups per day
• 9 to 13 years old: 5–6 cups per day
• 14 to 18 years old: 6–8 cups per day

“Encouraging kids to drink enough water isn’t always simple, in some circumstances it can feel stressful for parents, but hydra helpa can help.”

What Families Are Saying

So far, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. “The kids have been really enjoying hydra helpa as a drink, but also as ice blocks during the warmer months. It’s been great to see how some kids have a very distinct favourite flavour and stick with it, whereas other kids love all three flavours and mix it up depending on what they feel like. The best feedback we’ve had from the kids is an emphatic ‘yum!’ and ‘can I please have some more?’”

Parents are just as enthusiastic. “Even some of our most sceptical parents with kids that have typically refused electrolyte drinks have been pleasantly surprised to see their same child enjoy hydra helpa. Parents tell us it’s a relief to offer their children something delicious that they actually want to drink, knowing they’re getting the hydration and gut health benefits without any nasties. We’ve also had positive feedback about our kidhy Hydration Chart that parents are placing on the bathroom door as a prompt to start having conversations and educating their kids about the importance of good hydration.”

What’s Next for kidhy

With hydra helpa officially launched, the founders are already looking to the future. “We’re looking forward to receiving feedback from our customers and taking that feedback onboard to make kidhy even better. We hope to partner with customers to foster a kidhy community of like-minded people who see the importance of good hydration for kids’ overall health and wellbeing. And of course, we have a few ideas in the pipeline, so we’re excited to see what the future holds.”

Parents can now shop the full kidhy range online at www.kidhy.com.