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Original poster

Water only at school- thoughts please

332 replies

lemony21 · 30/03/2017 22:47

I'd love to hear your thoughts about children being told to bring in only water to drink during school time.

OP posts:
Notso · 01/04/2017 23:26

What I find interesting is when children / babies decide they don't like water. When I was breastfeeding my 4 I offered a tippy cup of water as an alternative. they all spat it out the first few times and then drank it. I didn't consider that they didn't like it - I just thought it was different so they needed to get used to it...What did others give at the baby stage.

As I posted up thread DC1 had only milk or water from weaning until 12 months. She never drank water, she would put it to her mouth then spit it out and either chuck the cup or just shake it around. Then she had squash in hospital and drank it and I carried on giving her squash. Now at 17 water is her main drink.
DC2 was exactly the same though I gave him juice and water 1:10 ratio at 10 months when he had a high temp to avoid the situation I had with DC1 as he rarely drank milk once fully weaned onto solids. He rarely drinks water now. He has lots of issues with tastes and textures and dislikes the 'plainness' of water.
DC3 and DC4 had both watered down juice or squash as well as water and milk offered from weaning. They drink anything and unlike the older two were happy to drink water as babies and toddlers.

RortyCrankle · 01/04/2017 23:38

BertrandRussell
If they're thirsty, they'll drink water. And even if they don't, they won't turn into a pile of desiccated chemicals on their chairs if they don't have a drink every 20 minutes. Despite the clever marketing by the bottled water industry.

I am obviously one of the pile of desiccated chemicals of which you speak. As a child I didn't carry around bottles of water at school although I recall a couple of water fountains. Actually there was no such thing as bottled water in the 1940s and 50s. Nor were our mothers' bags weighed down with emergency food rations to stuff into us as soon as we left school. We ate three meals a day.

Wow, how did we survive?

Ohyesiam · 01/04/2017 23:45

How can anyone not like water? It's like not liking breathing.

Kerileegray · 02/04/2017 03:18

My son doesn't like to drink water even though I do make sure that he does. But drinking warm water out of a plastic bottle is not nice, even I don't like it. I think squash is ok but anything else shouldn't really be allowed. And as for chocolate and sweets in packed lunches totally not! But saying that my son is a fussy eater and only eats Nutella/cheese or crisp sandwiches. Everyday I make them I feel so guilty but what do I do? Send him to school with nothing or something that I know he won't touch. Off subject, sorry!

newshiny · 02/04/2017 05:36

My kids have had a water only rule since they started daycare. I live in a hot country where dehydration is a real risk in the summer. No kid has ever gone thirsty.

It doesn't make a sticky mess if it spills, it's healthy, if that's what there is, they'll drink it.

Falafelings · 02/04/2017 06:03

Kids are only hooked on unhealthy drinks because parents give them.

Falafelings · 02/04/2017 06:04

I'm with you OP. Can you send some studies on to the head or print out some facts for next meeting

BathshebaDarkstone · 02/04/2017 06:25

Bertrand some DC won't drink water if they're thirsty. DD barely drinks at school, she wet the bed until she was 8 because she wouldn't drink at school and then didn't stop from the moment she got out of school until she went to bed. I had to introduce a "no drinking after 4pm" rule. A year later it's sorted, she still barely drinks at school but her bladder's stronger now, I don't need to restrict her drinks.

wonderingsoul · 02/04/2017 06:34

Its fine.

If im feeling nice i buy flavoured water for my boys to take. Other wise theyl drink water.

JoandMax · 02/04/2017 06:38

It's hard to tell why though with some kids - DS2 had significant feeding issues as a baby, oral aversion so was tube fed until he was 3. Basically our aim throughout that time was to get anything in him orally and so anything and everything was tried!! Fluids were so important and he would drink far more of something flavored than plain water so that's how we ended up. The choice between drinking squash and having no tube versus drinking water and keeping a tube was a no brainer frankly.

On the surface he is a completely NT child but there are still some psychological effects regarding feeding with him. I don't want or need to discuss his medical history with every other parent in the class so although the teacher is aware and therefore happy for him to drink non-water I can imagine there's some judging going on from others!!

MargaretCavendish · 02/04/2017 07:32

I'm quite surprised (and a bit fascinated) at all the adults on this thread who say they don't like water - I don't think I've ever knowingly met an adult who doesn't drink water! Are you including sparkling water? When I go for (fairly frequent) work dinners people tend to have a still/sparkling preference, but I've never seen anyone just not have water at all! What do you drink all day if you don't have water? And what do you take with you if you go for a run or to the gym? I feel like at the gym, similarly, I see almost everyone fill their bottle from the water fountain. Also, I guess giving children squash is cheap - but, assuming adults aren't drinking squash, isn't it expensive to drink drinks other than water all day?

Lovelymess · 02/04/2017 08:12

I think it's a pretty standard at school, they can have a bit of squash when they get home if need be

exLtEveDallas · 02/04/2017 09:23

Margaret, I don't dislike water, but I rarely drink it as a choice. I drink coffee and tea throughout the day. I drink lemonade and lime as a non-alcoholic drink if out - i.e. with a meal (vodka and coke if alcoholic). However if the choice was Red, White or Water I'd go for water - still only. I can't wine.

I've always taken weak lemon or grapefruit squash to the gym, and have an isotonic drink afterwards.

Water just doesn't 'do it' for me. I'll drink it if there is no other choice and that will be fine. I detest sparkling water though. It's just not right. Water shouldn't have bubbles! (DD is a funny one for bubbles - even now she's nearly a teen she doesn't drink anything fizzy, which her friends give her grief over, annoyingly)

ILikeBeansWithKetchup · 02/04/2017 09:47

Margaret, lots of adults don't drink water! I grew up in the 70s and 80s in Glasgow and view water (bottled anyway) as a bit new fangled and definitely something young uns drink : I align it with the also new fangled gym culture. My gran didn't drink water, my (really rather posh) dad doesn't, my (very posh) step mother doesn't. I don't like seeing people glug out of bottles.
I don't go out for work meals - but if I did I'd have lemonade (or wine). Someone else might ask for a jug of water at the table,, sometimes. I'd top up my wine with it .

During the day I drink tea.
DH drinks tap water every so often and has a drink of water before bed but , if offered a drink, he would have tea.

We are not weird : this is perfectly normal behaviour! Squash is not really an adult drink.

You move in quite rarefied circles. Every adult in the world does not go for work lunches or go to the gym or for runs! If I did do exercise , I would have water...

I agree with a PP about the bottled water industry making a mint out of us. I am one of those stupid pole that if I drank water it would probably be bought for a shop!

Our fridge has a water dispenser thing : the kids love that in the summer and I have been known to have a sip. Generally my aversion to water is about not wanting to pile gallons of any fluid into myself.

I do like eating ice cubes though! But I admit that bit is odd.

ILikeBeansWithKetchup · 02/04/2017 09:50

Plus, if I drank water the way some people do, I'd be constantly going to the loo!

I just really don't feel the need to drink all the time. If I go out to lunch, I only have a drink because it would be weird not to. I've always thought people who ask for just water are either ascetic or tight.

Buck3t · 02/04/2017 12:18

Water only at school is not necessary, but appears to be the done thing.
I don't need to qualify my reasoning with any medical health issues. It's just not necessary. Never had water in classrooms either. Also had shandy in school till someone decided alcohol for 11 year olds was probably not a good idea.
I just feel I shouldn't (and won't) have to take advice from people (i.e. gov) who think sweeteners are better than natural occurring sugars.

Oh and for those who say kids will drink if nothing else is there. Well babies will self soothe if we just leave them too. I don't mind cordials, not a big fan of squash. Stopped buying vimto a few years back when they changed the recipe.

isittheholidaysyet · 02/04/2017 14:51

Margaret
I don't like water. I'll drink it if I have too, but quite often will go without rather than drink water.
As well as tasting nasty it just doesn't make me feel like my thirst has been quenched and leaves me feeling thirstier than before.
My normal drinks are tea, coffee, (decaff or normal) and squash. I generally drink squash in pint glasses.
If out for a meal I will get tap water for the table because I drink so much, but I'll have a cold drink on the side (beer, coke, lemonade or j20) so that after downing a slug of water I can have a sip of 'juice' to take the dry feeling away.
Fizzy water is disgusting and bottled water almost as bad.
If exercising I fill my bottle with squash.

IloveBanff · 02/04/2017 14:53

I drink sugar-free squash and I'm definitely an adult, Margaret. I must drink pints of it every day.

cazisalittlenuts · 02/04/2017 15:31

When I was at school many years ago, we didn't have access to water during class, or water fountains at break, and at lunch time it was massive metal jugs sat on the table and nothing else. The water tasted disgusting and metallic. We werent even given access to drinks after gym. It was a case of get changed and back to class.

Even now, I wont drink the water that comes out of our taps (unless I'm really ill oddly) as it smells like pure bleach and tastes funny. No amount of water filter jugs improves the taste of the water.

BathshebaDarkstone · 04/04/2017 06:12

I drink a lot of water at home, in summer I drink a bottle of presse every day.

ICantLikeDirtyTuna · 04/04/2017 09:33

When I went to school we only really brought in water to drink, I know my Mum wouldn't have given me anything else.

Our school has a water only policy, my kids are fine with it.

I'm surprised that so many people have mentioned drinking luke warm water out of a plastic bottle. My boys have stainless steel insulated bottles for their drink bottles at school. As do many other kids. There are also multiple refrigerated water fountains around the school for during their breaks or refill their bottles.

Badgersarefriends · 04/04/2017 09:42

I drink squash only, no tea, coffee or water. I am middle aged.
Two of my dc drunk water, the other one only squash. I had to speak to the school as he was not drinking all day.

It really does frustrate me when people suggest that children will drink water if nothing else offered, some really won't.

Water has a taste for me, of metal. Maybe it depends where you live.

I thought that water fountains were taken out now in schools because of high bacteria rates?

Badgersarefriends · 04/04/2017 09:50

*drank

ICantLikeDirtyTuna · 04/04/2017 09:53

I'm in Australia, we haven't had any issues with high bacteria rates in water fountains. Must be regional then. (We have in a kids water park though)

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