Move over, juice boxes. See you later, sugary sports drinks. There’s a new drink in town – and it’s just for kids. Meet Wave Kids™, the first-ever canned water brand designed specifically For Kids, By Kids™. Wave Kids was created by a mom tired of seeing kids offered drinks that their bodies just don’t need – the kind that lead to sugar spikes and meltdowns.
Wave Kids was created by Shelly Garg – a practicing FDA regulatory attorney and mom of two – to make drinking water actually fun for kids, with color-changing technology that activates when chilled or in sunlight, and a look-and-feel that speaks directly to children.
At birthday parties and sports games, kids are routinely offered and drawn to sugary juices or sports drinks. Garg saw the disconnect: kids are forming habits around drinks packed with added sugar and artificial colors that are marketed as fun or a treat, while plain water – the healthiest option – feels boring to them.
In early 2025, leading pediatric and nutrition organizations brought together by Healthy Eating Research (HER) released updated guidelines reaffirming that plain water is the “best option” for children to drink.
Wave Kids is Garg’s answer to that call: a kid-centered solution designed to help families build better hydration habits, in packaging kids actually love.
“Wave Kids was created to give kids something better: a drink that’s healthy, fun, and truly made for them,” said Garg. “As a parent, I kept seeing how limited the options were for kids’ beverages. It was either sugary and colorful or plain and boring. I wanted to create something kids would be proud to choose — without parents having to worry about what’s in it.”
Wave Kids is launching with two vibrant can designs with interactive, color-changing ink, both featuring original artwork created by real kids. One is sunlight activated, revealing new colors and silly surprises when taken out in the sun. The other is cold activated, wrapped in bright rainbow art that changes color and brightens when chilled.
Each 8.4-ounce can is sized for kids’ hands and contains nothing but refreshing, crisp water — no sugar, no dyes, no (hidden) caffeine and no plastic kiddie straws. It’s hydration that looks cool, feels fun, and tastes just right.
“I wanted everything — the size, the look, the feel — to tell kids this was for them,” said Garg. “The kid-sized can fits their hands. The color-changing ink makes it interactive. And the artwork is made by real kids. We weren’t pretending to talk to kids — we actually let them speak.”
Built on the belief that healthy habits start early, Wave Kids champions hydration, imagination, and sustainability, with a kid-first voice that’s Super Refreshing, Seriously Silly™, and shaped by real kids’ creativity.
Wave Kids is now available for purchase at Wave-Kids.com.
About Wave Kids
Wave Kids™ is the first-ever canned water brand made just for kids — with no sugar, no nonsense, and tons of fun. Founded by a practicing FDA attorney and mom, each color-changing can features bold, kid-drawn artwork, and a mission rooted in health, sustainability, and pure joy. Wave Kids is here to change the way kids hydrate – and prove that families don’t have to choose between healthy and fun. With a kid-first voice that’s Super Refreshing, Seriously Silly™, it’s water kids will actually want to drink. Learn more at Wave-Kids.com and follow @helloWaveKids on Instagram.
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