To think that teacher should make sure 4 yr old has a drink?

[aliharris]

OK, DS just started school, had 7 half days and then started full time this week.
All the children have to take a water bottle in, and as DS won't drink anything else, this isn't anything unusual for him. However, he always needs to be reminded to have a drink as he won't stop playing etc to have one unless he is absolutely desperate.
I quickly realised that he wasn't drinking very much and put a note in his home to school book (the messaging system). TA wrote a note that she would encourage him to drink plenty.
Today I picked him up to find he hadn't had anything to drink from his bottle at all. He said he had had one drink from the water fountain, but nothing else, not even at lunch time. I waited to speak to the teacher and she just said, "Well I remind them to have a drink, I can't check individually".
Now I realise he has to learn to drink more, but I am so, so cross that he has gone a whole day at school without a proper drink - his bottle is transparent so it's not like you can't see.
AIBU? If it continues what can I do?

YABU - maybe he doesn't want to drink. I don't drink much. I am not a very sweaty person (even when exercising) and don't drink much in the way of fluids.

I remember my nana always nagging that I would get dehydrated & my lovely mum always defending me that I would drink if I was thirsty.

Give your kid a break. He isn't going to die of thirst, he has fluids available, so why try & make him drink if he doesn't feel the need?

"so why try & make him drink if he doesn't feel the need?"

Or more to the point, why get cross and blame the teacher?

Sir

If you are reading my posts why are you asking me this then. I assume OPs school is pretty generic typical school?

Do you expect the teacher to remember which children are to be reminded to drink throughout the day and then make a point of reminding them individually?

I had already answered your question.

Yes. Ours managed it, the strategy was a success and teaching did not suffer.

Clam

you have already said you would be able to do more than OPs teacher you said:

If a parent specifically asked me to remind a child I would, but can do no more than that

So I have no idea what your arguing about here. You could manage it.

I am off to bed! with a large glass of refreshing water

I'm not doing more than her. THE OP SAID THE TEACHER HAD BEEN REMINDING HER SON BUT HE STILL WASN'T DRINKING ENOUGH (in her eyes). That's all I would be able to manage too, although in a Reception classroom it's probably much more hectic than with my older ones.

Asking you what? It's already been explained to the OP by the teacher that she can't check every child individually. Whether or not your DD's teacher was able to is moot.

Can we get a bit of perspective on this please?

The OPs son is NOT dehydratedl.
He is NOT constipated.
He is NOT coming out of school complaining of thirst.
He is NOT being refused access to water.

He DOES have access to water at all times during the day.
He DOES have access to water fountains at lunch and is doing so.
He DOES get reminded to drink throughout the day.

He does NOT have a diagnosed medical reason for requiring a large consumption of water between certain hours of the day.

It does NOT fall under the provisions of special needs requiring individual teacher attention to checking the water levels in his drinking bottle throughout the day.

It does NOT require a meeting with the school to put in place special provisions.

Just get the other kids to waterboard him. He'll learn.

Or. realistically, YABU.

I agree with Midnite. Whatever next.

Use a pen.to make a line on his waterbottle, and tell.him to drink down to there each day. Problem solved.

The obvious solution is to have an anxious parent sitting beside their child in school each day to monitor hydration. This would also solve the not-eating-enough, too warm/cool, lost property, ouchies, sunscreen, don't-correct-my-little-smasher, mine's-gifted-not-a-pain-in-the-backside, why-won't-teacher-peel-thirty-individual-banans-surely-it's-easy, wet-sock-watch, what-they-should-manage-their-own-coats-well-mine-simply-can't and other special parent request issues.

The children are asked to take in a bottle because they need to have access to water, should they feel thirsty.
The school aren't asking for bottles because the children have to drink all their water, just that's it is available when/if they need it.

Am I the only one who hopes the OP will go into school and tell them she is 'so so cross that he has gone a whole day at school without a proper drink'. They will LOVE you! Don't forget to report back here, will you?

I had issues with my DD1 not drinking enough even in middle school. She even has issues with it now at 18 not my problem any more.

I used to send her with a drink, she would drink it throughout the day but might need the toilet in class, the teacher would refuse to let her go, she would then refuse to drink, get headaches........................

I actually have two out of my three DC who are reluctant to drink, it is worrying, I get that but even bringing it up at school may make you look unhinged.

Tell him off. Tell him you will be cross with him if he doesn't have a drink.

Am I the only one who hopes the OP will go into school and tell them she is 'so so cross that he has gone a whole day at school without a proper drink'.

To which the response would be "neither have I, and the bar just opened, so bugger off."

Erm, somehow, at the end of the day ehen lining up for home, or when it's wet break and the children have water bottles at tables, STUFF most certainly DOES get wet, IAmSlave. Even with standard school water bottles which we do have.

what's your experience in a class of 5-7 year olds? Do you work in a school?

Ihave had two children with diagnosed bladder issues whose parents have drawn lines on bottles as mentioned above. Maybe you could try that, aliharris.

Stuff regularly gets wet in year 7 and 8 classrooms with water bottles, and if I were to pause a lesson to remind everyone to drink I can just about guarantee that at least one bottle would mysteriously develop a hole, the lid would come off another and something, somewhere would get wet. The whole thing would take ten minutes, too. This is why I keep a sheaf of paper towels in my desk drawer, and yet still have children pulling forlorn, sodden exercise books out of bags on a weekly basis. Don't even get me started on "can I go and fill my bottle up..."

My daughter won't drink water at all. Only watered down juice. She is autistic and it's just one of her quirks. She is six and takes a bottle of juice to school with her. She has a drink before school, one at lunch and after school and for the rest of the time before bed as required. She is physically healthy and it is not doing her any harm. If she requires a drink in between those times she can but her teacher says she never wants one even when prompted.
So op don't worry too much about it, if he wants a drink he knows where his water bottle is and the fountain. It's autumn now anyway so his water in take won't be that much anyhow.
If you are still worrying just make sure he has a drink before and after school :)

Driving, that happened to Ds1 in Yr 10 with a leaking bottle in his bag. Ruined coursework! He had to do some of it again (luckily 3/4 had been done on his PC and was saved). He didn't take any bottles after that, just used the drinking fountain at school.

And you wouldn't believe how many calls I take about their children (secondary) not eating their lunch and the request of a canteen lady/whoever is on duty sitting with them to make sure they finish it...

I work as a TA in a reception class. YANBU to ask the teacher to remind him to drink however YABU to expect the teacher to do this constantly (but I can't work out from ur op if that is what u are expecting?) there's a lot to do and see in reception - children are really easily distracted when they first start, so much to see and do!!

You can also do things to help ur dc to make it easier to drink during the day.
Make sure the water bottle is clear - that way he can see quickly and easily how much he's drunk.
Make sure the bottle is easy to drink from - if he has to suck hard to get any water out - that's effort for him with a lot if distractions around - if the water flows out there's a lot less effort iyswim?
Put a line / stickers halfway down the bottle and tell him he needs to drink to there - really praise him if he does this. If not make him drink it in the playground as soon as u pick him up.

In our classes, the children sit down in a circle at carpet time, with their water bottles and are reminded as a class to have a good drink. Then we hand the fruit round. The children all drink, it something we encourage, and we use that time to remind any how need reminding that this is a good time to drink!

I too am a bit shocked about the aggressive responses on this thread. There has fairly recently been an introduction in many schools of requiring children to bring in water bottles, not because of severe dehydration (unlikely during the school day) but because it has been clearly shown that drinking water during the day improves brain function. Because actually the brain can lose up to 10% of function before the body shows signs of dehydration. Thirst is actually not quite the effective method of communicating this as many think - it only kicks in after the dehydration process has begun so really drinking before you are thirsty is the best way to go.

Reminding the children to drink does not have to involve disrupting a lesson, and it's a bit ingenious to suggest this - as others have said, a couple of minutes before scheduled break or lunch to have a quick drink works just fine.

OP, you are definitely not being unreasonable to be worried - I too have chatted with dd's teachers about this (they instigated the conversation, and actually with a family history of kidney problems and an early scan for dd it is something about which I am slightly paranoid. Rightly or wrongly, in the eyes of many on this thread no doubt). If they have agreed to look out for it then i would expect them to honour that, in the same way that a teacher would keep an eye out for a wheeze in a small child (also dd) - part of being a teacher of young children is to be aware of individual needs, and this is something that primary school teachers and TAs should be applauded for. Yes, they have to teach them responsibility and independence but you don't do that by abandoning them to fend for themselves, you actually teach them what to do - and repeat until they can do it tehmselves. They are still very young and don't always respond to body cues if they are involved in something exciting.

However, I do agree that more of the burden could be taken on by you as his parent, it is a discussion that I have with dd over and over at home and it seems to be making a difference. If you could see for yourself that he is more aware of the reasons for drinking it might put your mind at rest - would he be interested in something like a child's body book and a discussion about how the kidneys and waste systems work and why water is so important to us?

Sorry, this became an essay - I don't think anyone is being unreasonable and it is an issue that can definitely be alleviated....

But why just rec kids?

My kid are in ks2 and never drink.They are far too busy,ditto going to the loo and eating their veg sticks.

Sorry at the end of the end of the day teachers are there to teach.There is no way they can monitor drinking,eating and going to the loo x 30.

Basically it's up to the parent.Do a chart or something at home and then accept there is only so much you can do and he won't die.Give him a huge drink before and after school.

You know that saying "you can lead a horse to drink......"

Perhaps the teacher does remind and perhaps he still doesn't drink.

If it's anything like reminding re letters,jumpers etc there is only so far you can go.