School water policy help

[88Pandora88]

Vague title, wasn't sure how to word it.
Anyway my DD is 8 and her school has a water only policy except for with packed lunches. My dd is a nightmare with food and drinks. She eats limited foods, which we are working on and has increased slightly, but liquid wise, she will only drink vimto, pure orange or occasionally strawberry milkshake (but only certain brands)
Schools said today to her she's not to bring vimto, only water (during class times) Her juice bottle isnt one you can really see through so not sure how they've found out.
If we send water, the bottle will come home just as full as its sent in, she will not drink it. Trust me, we've tried many times.
Weight wise, she's small for her age in height but just within the healthy range for weight to height on bmi. This is something else I'm monitoring to make sure she's always gaining etc.

Anyway, she's told us her teacher said only water in future, yet she's told us teachers are allowed juice, some have orange, vimto, blackcurrant etc. Not sure that's setting the best example really.
Any suggestions on how to get around all of this and keep her on juice, don't want her going all day without drinking (she will get some juice at dinner though)
Also she's been getting headaches recently which touch wood we've got on top of, so don't want her getting dehydrated and headaches returning either 🙈

I should add we've tried flavoured water etc.
Thanks!

Can you not just give extra drinks in with her lunch? If she won't drink flavoured water it's about your only option left. We didn't have access to drinks all day when I was at school. Juices are sticky if they get spilled so I can understand water only in the classroom.

How on earth does she know what teachers may or may not be drinking?
And even so, teachers also drink coffee, which children aren't allowed. They wear non-uniform too, unlike children. Rules for adults are different and I don't think you're helping the situation by planting the idea there should be parity here.

Will she drink some of those flavoured waters that are clear? You could empty them into her own water bottle.

Tbh though, I wouldn’t allow the school to dictate to me what my child is allowed to drink if it will negatively impact her health. I would be making it very clear where the boundary lies, that would be that YOU are the parent and the final decision is with you, that she’s taking something she’s able to drink with her and that’s final.

Whatever you decide, don’t bring up the fact that ‘teachers are allowed juice’. Surely you can explain to your child that there is a difference between rules for children at school and choices that adults are allowed to make.

Can you access any support to help her with the limited food/ drink intake? Could you try working with school to reduce the cordial: water ratio? Can she consume most of her liquids before 9 and after 3, especially if other drinks are allowed at lunch? Oranges or other juicy items as snack?

You could look for schools with different policies.

I would give her flavoured water. You decide what's best for your child, nutritionally, not the school.

I think they can smell it rather than look at it. So they may smell flavoured water.

Hi, yes I'm going to push more fluids before school for sure. As for the teachers vs kids bit, I think if they want kids to only have water, teachers should be setting an example. I get teachers are adults but i just feel it's unfair on the children.

Also we have tried flavoured water but she won't entertain it.

No child will dehydrate not having a drink between 8.30 and 12 and 1and 3.30 in the uk in winter.
put more drinks in her lunch box maybe ?

unless there is an autism drip feed this is simply about learning to drink water whether you “ like the taste “ or not if you are thirsty.

it’s very understandable school don’t want sweet sticky drinks hanging around the classroom with all the “
mines better than yours “ and to take it to an extreme “ my child will only drink fizzy pop “ arguments ( of course a child will prefer a sweet drink ). School rules are there for a reason not so the teachers can have power all the time.

what the teachers drink is irrelevant . I’m afraid I don’t believe they are swigging vinyl all morning - after all they would struggle to go to the loo enough times 😂 as they definitely can only go at break !

My child's school has the same policy, water only.
For his whole 7 years at primary school I filled his water bottle up with MacB flavoured water and they didn't have a clue.

What about trying those water tablet/pod things or even the bottles that have the smelly bit in the lid that's supposed to trick your brain.

It’ll be because the bottle has been spilt at some time in class. Children are constantly taking the lids off their bottles and messing around, rather than drinking (not saying your child messes around).

Load her up with drink before school, give her plenty of her drink for lunch then have her drink ready when you collect - she’ll be fine.

50 years ago, we never drank during the school day. Wasn’t right but we’re still here.

Do primary school kids still eat fruit at break? Will she eat juicy fruits like satsumas or pears ?

I've not heard of those before, I'll have to look into them 😊

No child will dehydrate not having a drink between 8.30 and 12 and 1and 3.30 in the uk in winter.

This. (Wait for it) ... when I was at school we never had water except at lunchtime. No one became dehydrated. I don't know where this obsession with drinking water came from? I don't think I have EVER seen my father drink water in his life...

Tell her to drink water or go thirsty. She’ll not be harmed for not drinking in lessons. Stop pandering to really poor choices.

Air up bottles. They’re a very expensive fad that an awful lot of children have now. Doesn’t encourage then to drink, just something else to play with.

I personally would just make sure she’s having a decent drink with breakfast and lunch and not worry about the water bottle too much. Maybe send 2 drinks with lunch? Obviously if it’s affecting her health or it’s extremely hot that’s different, but presumably she’s going a maximum of 3 hours without a drink.

Maybe work on slowly diluting the vimto down? School might be accommodating if she has a severely limited diet, but I think a water only request is very reasonable unless exceptional circumstances.

Also - I think at our school the kids can have a drink at breaktime. I don’t send mine with anything as they have water bottles and the school has never mentioned it, just a snack. But my DD mentioned her friend has juice at morning break so they might accommodate you there?

The PP who said that all those sweetened drinks are really sticky is absolutely right. They’re an absolute menace if they are spilled.
I would treat drkpl’s advice with caution. School very much can dictate what is allowed in the classroom - I absolutely will not have it in mine. If your child has a medical need or an SEN that is preventing her from being able to drink water, then go and talk to the teacher and explain the situation and ask how you can work together to ensure your child drinks enough. It may be that the teacher is happy for her to access squash in the playground or other agreed area but not in the classroom.
however, be aware that if the school rule is no squash, then your child may have to drink separately from her peers- otherwise everyone will want squash all the time.

My son won't drink water so we sent flavoured water in his class bottle no one ever knew any different.

I think you need to let go of the idea of teachers only being allowed water to make it fair. It's making you sound a bit silly. Teachers drink coffee, drive to work and do all sorts of things that children shouldn't be doing. It's not the same.

😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂
As someone who grew up with an eating disorder, yes I probably do pander to her more than other parents would, but through her limited diet, red flags are there I'm wary of.

There's this? Doesn't seem to be available anywhere else though so not sure if it's been discontinued.

groceries.morrisons.com/products/vimt2o-still-fruity-spring-water-grapes-raspberries-blackcurrants-388176011?gclid=CjwKCAiAvK2bBhB8EiwAZUbP1IDVddzm5r5RA_Bk4RU-sheeG4m924A8Ur6xwukqp-N1Lw7ZJqYtEhoCfvMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Fruit juices etc from drinking bottles are very bad for teeth too !
My children's school had water only with lunch too.

Agree with PP saying that having a water bottle constantly on the go is a relatively new thing. She will be fine with a drink at breakfast and one at lunchtime.

All schools my kids have been to have had a water only policy.

I work in primary. You can smell squash quite easily. Plus chn tell others. We have a water only policy but there is an increase in chn who will only drink squash. This then causes other chn to pressurise their parents for squash.