Water only at school- thoughts please

[lemony21]

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

I hate it when people describe well fed developed world children as dehydrated when they haven't had a drink for a couple of hours, or "won't drink water".

Does your school have a healthy eating policy? If not then maybe you could suggest one to governors. They could produce one based on what's good for the pupils as a whole rather than on what staff members children do or don't like.

Lions drink water

Just Water in the classroom fine though. Not lunch

I'd love to take this further but without my colleagues support I think I'd be made to feel like I'm trying to create problems and seem to be upsetting their children.

The thinking behind having water in the classrooms is that children who are well-hydrated do better in school.

My son hates plain water. At first I gave him water in his bottle and he never touched a drop and had a huge tantrum after school very big because he was so thirsty. So I bought him a coloured bottle and put a tiny amount of no-sugar squash in it every day, diluted with water. He drinks it now and we don't get the meltdowns.

Which is better?

It is possible to really dislike water you know? Imagine if you hated Sardines and I said that you had to have sardines every day for lunch st school. When you protested, would it be ok for me to say 'well, you won't starve will you. If you're that hungry you'll eat them...'

(FWIW I'm not totally against healthy eating advice from schools provided the teachers know what they're talking about, it the amount of bullshit my child is parroting this year is astounding. He's basically been told a list of 'bad' foods and 'good' foods by teachers who seemingly have no clue. Apprently raisins are a healthier alternative than chocolate. Not according to my dentist they're not. And too much fruit is unhealthy. Tough shit. I'd rather give them fruit when they come home than a mars bar.)

This topic is always split between those with perfect DCs, and those who can't force their DCs to drink water.

But drinking squash won't make the perfect DCs worse. It will, however, improve things for the others.

Who said their dc were perfect?

The thing I don't get though is this: you think water is best. You gave only water to your children. All good. But WHY do you think that your opinions should matter to all other parents? And why should you control what every child does? Isn't that rather arrogant of you, especially when you are calling anyone who doesn't agree a poor parent?

I think in class it should just be water. At lunch time i think it should be up to parents if they want to give something else (not fizzy though). Plenty of schools do have strict rules about water/choc/crisps etc so it's not that crazy a suggestion.

I don't think it's possible to dislike water. I think some children get so used to drinking sweet drinks that it feels weird for them to drink a plain liquid,

Totally sensible to have water only policy at school from my point of view!

Dingdong I think you'll find that taethet a lot of people and institutions think water is better than sugary squash. It's not exactly rocket science is it?
Water = hydration
Squash = hydration plus sugar and about 8 other ingredients.

Great idea and fairly common where we are.

*rather

DingDong- School should be promoting healthy eating. My concern is with the amount of sugar in these drinks and the effect it has on behaviour and their teeth. It seems like a no brainier to me, give your child water or sugar filled water? I feel it is poor parenting as they aren't thinking about their own child's health and well being.

We didn't have drinks at all except access to the drinking fountain at break and whatever you got in your packed lunch.

Water with school dinners.

No one had water bottles.

our school asks us to send water bottles and a healthy snack each day.
The exception is Friday, when they are allowed an unhealthy snack and drink. I do still only send water though, as it's better for their teeth.

I would fully support only water in the classroom. That's what our school do. I would be really angry if they dictated that my child couldn't have squash or a milk based drink with their packed lunch.

8Dingdong I think you'll find that taethet a lot of people and institutions think water is better than sugary squash. It's not exactly rocket science is it?*

Well obviously. . But OP is not the institution. She's not the head, she's not the nutritionist, she merely "works at the school". And she is very judgemental.

Most squashes sold now are no added sugar. They are not sugar filled at all. And just because a parent might give their kid the odd squash, how dare you say they don't think about their health and well being? Who are you to judge?

Mine only take water, so its nothing to me, but you are no position to judge, and you don't even know what you are talking about.

Great idea. What do you want them to drink? Red Bull?

As if there's nothing in between? A carton of fruit juice in a lunchbox doesn't seem that outrageous to me.

"I don't think it's possible to dislike water. I think some children get so used to drinking sweet drinks that it feels weird for them to drink a plain liquid," this! My dd had only had milk or water until she was 2. Then I split from her dad and he started bloody giving her juice! Totally unnecessary and put her off water AND milk. I was so annoyed!

Cakeninja - the child with the kidney issue may have same condition a relative of mine has. They have to drink a lot of water but the vast amount of water dilutes their electrolytes so to rebalance they have special drinks that rebalance the electrolytes. Horrible for them as they constantly feel bloated/cramped due to the amount of fluid they have to take in and with this condition transplant and dialysis are not neceesarily possible.

I hated water and I still hate water. I will drink at an absolute push. Had sugar free squash all through my childhood, teenage years and early 20's (only stopped drinking it when the recipe of my fave changed). I've gotten to the grand old age of 29, I'm alive and a well and don't even have 1 filling to show for all that squash I consumed.

It is not poor parenting, it's a no brainer for me (and also to the teacher who suggested it to me) to send in clear flavoured water.

My child's teeth are fine and the only change in his behaviour is that he is more alert in class and not complaining to the teachers that he has yet another headache!

The OP is merely bringing the school into line with the vast majority of schools who already have a water only policy. As I said my dds school had this policy in the 90s.
And if there's no sugar in the squash that means artificial sweeteners have been added. Not the best thing to pump into a small child.