To think water only at school is ridiculous

[Joanne279]

I'm having a gripe at my kids new school. We werent informed of the water only rule before we started.

Ds aged 6 and dd aged 9 (suffers with autism) now refuse to drink.

Ds, on the grounds he hates water. I gave him flavoured water which he likes, but the school said no!!!!!

Dd, has been allowed to take squash because is her ASD but now refuses to even take a drink because she's different to everyone else. She won't drink water at all.

The teachers all drink coffee/tea in the staff room but kids are water only! Surely the teachers should be setting the example?

I've rang the council who say the healthy rules are at the school discretion. I'm waiting for a call back from the head teacher because I think it's stupid! I could understand if I was sending them with coke or lucozade, but flavoured water a no no? Really?

Just wondered what you all thought x

[Pinealike]

I, too, don't see the problem with only being allowed water. It's ridiculous a child declaring that they don't like it - it's water, ffs. If they get thirsty enough, they'll drink it.

Maybe offer only water more at home (or, eg, say they can have whatever drink they like, as long as they drink a cup of water first), and they will get used to it.

[OneInEight]

People saying "my dc won't drink anything but squash" are totally annoying and previous. Anyone will drink water if they are thirsty. How did mankind survive with squash?

You obviously have not met my ds2 then. He has no sense of thirst, will not touch water and gets aggressive on even minor dehydration.

[Nocomet]

It lasted +/- 2 weeks at DDs school

DD2 point blank ignored the rule as did many of the other DCs.

DD was Y6, she has never drank water (age 13) she still doesn't.

She would probably still risk feeling ill rather than drink water.

[wobblyweebles]

It takes parental choice completely out of the equation and is, in my opinion, overstepping the role of the school in my child's life

Yes fundamentally that is the issue.

[Floggingmolly]

Why in the name of God should "fussiness" be classed as an additional need??? Should kids be allowed lunchboxes full of chocolate because they're too fussy to eat sandwiches and fruit?

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

But why in the name of God the school get to dictate what I feel my child can drink at school. Actually my DS doesn't eat sandwiches but he certainly doesn't have a lunch box full of chocolate. As a responsible parent I make other healthy choices for him - they do exist not that a sandwich is a really healthy meal anyway.

It's the nanny state gone mad.

[mrsmopps]

Next we'll be hearing about angry parents feeding their children fruit shoots through the school railings because the little dears were dehydrating with only water to drink.

[ThatBloodyWoman]

I have no problem at all with it.

[Nocomet]

For DD2 thirsty enough is one or two sips in Mediterranean/Orlando 80 degree plus.

She really will do whole British summers days without a drink if she forgets hers.

DD1 is perfectly sensible, but DD2 BF forever and drinks have to be faintly sweet. She doesn't drink tea or coffee either.

[moosemama]

I also think in some cases it goes way beyond fussiness. If a child is just fussy, then they will drink the water if thirsty enough. I wouldn't class those with very real problems around food and drink, restricted diet etc, as fussy and I wouldn't think there are that many pupils with that sort of genuine problem in each school, in which case it should be possible for there to be some degree of flexibility to meet their needs.

My dd whinges when given just water at home, she likes apple juice, (although has no idea that she only gets watered down juice anyway - because I am a mean Mummy ). She will and does drink it though, as we don't give her any choice - same at school, it's the rule, so she has water. Ds2 is happy to drink just water at home or school - both are a whole different ballgame to my eldest ds. In his case it's not water/drinks that are the issue, but if it was, hell would freeze over before you'd get him to drink it.

I think for the majority of pupils it shouldn't be an issue, but like anything, where there is a genuine problem, be it SEN or restricted/disordered eating, then the school should take that into consideration, be flexible and work with the parents.

[redcaryellowcar]

Yab ridiculous!
water is fine, better for their teeth, highly unlikely to cause behavioural problems as some squashes do, and as others say very easy to clear up if spilt.
For those who wonder if headteachers have better things to do, i'm sure they do, so they make a simple rule, as parents you now need to abide by it and let the HT get on and do their job!

[AlarmOnSnooze]

Fgs the sanctimonious claptrap,on here is unbelievable.

No, not all children will drink water.. Yes, some will refuse water to the detriment of their health.

My dd1 used to drink water. That's all she had (other than milk) until she was about 2.6. All was fine. And then she stopped drinking. Anything at all. For 9 months. Seriously, she drank not a single drop of fluid voluntarily for 9 months.

Yes, it was a nightmare. Yes, it didn't do her any good. No, she didn't eventually give in and drink water.

For years after that, she only drank minimal amounts (talking less than 50ml/day) - in those circumstances, it is not possible to drink enough before and after school to tide over the middle part of the day. So it was important she was allowed to drink whatever the hell she had decided to accept. Was ok to drink (a mix of pear and pineapple juice, at that point - god knows how she fixed on that!)

All of you spoutig "the rules are the rules, your child will learn to follow them if you don't let them behave like spoilt pfbs" are talking absolute bollocks.

[SpottieDottie]

Yabu. At my DCs school they are allowed water only in the classroom because they have it at the tables and spilt squash spoils the books. Milk goes off, hence water only.

[diaimchlo]

I am with AlarmOnSnooze with this one

[overthemill]

Ornery teacher here fed up to the back teeth with kids endlessly whinging on about being 'dehydrated' so they HAVE to drink all through lessons. Total crap. Drink in breaks- morning break lunch break before and after sports lessons. Use the water fountains in between lessons but stop farting about time wasting other students time. And water is the ONLY non sticky drink. Anything else when spilled on desk or in bag is sticky and foul.

Fgs, none of us died from just having water. Kids today are incredibly 'entitled' ooh probably just as well I don't teach any more. And OP, couldn't you think if something better to campaign about? Like the lack of resources in schools for exercise books and reading books?

[Lucylouby]

The four year old I childmind for refuses to drink water with her parents. She claims she doesn't like it. When she is with me and at nursery she drinks loads of it. I don't give her squash or fizzy pop so she has learnt to drink the water. Her toddler sibling is the same, although doesn't drink to the same extent as her sister, but still drinks enough to stay hydrated.
I think if you keep sending water to school, they will learn to drink it, especially if they don't want to be different to their peers.

[BarbarianMum]

Yes, during the second world war the country was simply littered with the bodies of children who died of dehydration when squash or coke wasn't available. As is the developing world today

[Ninetysixpercent]

They have this rule at ds's school and I think it's fine, however they allow sweets and crisps for snack .

[Pinealike]

AlarmOnSnooze, wouldn't she be dead if she had drunk nothing for 9 months?

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

That's all very well, Lucy but unfortunately my DN really won't just drink water if you offer her nothing else. And peer pressure won't change that. She's lucky enough that she goes to a school where they will allow non-water drinks in the lunchbox though.

[AlarmOnSnooze]

Clearly not, Pinealike

I worked incredibly hard to keep her alive.

Your comment shows how ignorant people can be, though. It's not something to try to score points over, it is a matter of health. And it certainly isn't a case of offering only water and waiting for the child to come around, like all the holier-than-thou posters on this thread suggest.

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

Totally agree alarm - there are some very high wedgies on this thread.

[enderwoman]

I thought most schools did this?

My children's schools have had water during the day, non-fizzy drink with lunch as the rule.

One of my kids are lactose intolerant and with dairy allergies being so common I would have thought that it was too risky to have milk in classrooms?

[extremepie]

All these jokes about it being the parents fault and just don't give in to them are, hmm, misguided at best!

[Rideronthestorm]

DCs have had free milk in the classroom for years. One of my DSs is allergic but the other enjoyed his.