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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Drinks in nursery

133 replies

Alicetherabbit · 02/10/2017 09:53

My dd has just turned 2 and moved to 2-3 year room last week, she's been coming home dehydrated, so I raised it today (amongst other issues) and was told that the children in that room get their own drinks.
Am I being unreasonable to think ajust turned two year old is too young to remember to drink water?
Also shouldn't I have been told this so I can help with transition at home?
Thanks

OP posts:

EvilDoctorBallerinaDuckKeidis · 02/10/2017 13:08

DD 10 has just started extra maths lessons on a Saturday morning, came out and drank a full sports bottle of water. She announced that maths makes her thirsty. 😂

Katescurios · 02/10/2017 13:08

At my lg's nursery they are given drinks with breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner. Then they have access to a water cooler and cups to help themselves.

mindutopia · 02/10/2017 13:17

When mine was in nursery, she had her own water bottle (which they stored there and filled up each day). They were brought out for snack times and then available throughout the day if they wanted a drink. They were expected to drink a small amount of milk at snack time along with food and then unlimited water was provided on the table at lunch. Certainly at snack times or if it was really hot and they came in out of the sun, they were encouraged to drink, but otherwise, the water is there in the room, but it's up to them to drink it as needed. I think at 2 it's also reasonable to expect them to ask for a drink if they're thirsty. But as long as water is available, then I think that's fine. I would send her in with a water bottle to keep in her bag so she can always access it if she needs it in addition to water provided at nursery.

BertrandRussell · 02/10/2017 13:23

i hate it when people say "dehydrated" to describe a healthy, NT, developed world child who hasn't had a drink for a couple of hours. The bottled water industry have really done a number on us!

Wolfiefan · 02/10/2017 13:28

So she's not dehydrated? She's thirsty. That's different. As long as they have drinks with meals and snacks they won't be dehydrated. Children don't need to drink water every 30 seconds

everydayanewday · 02/10/2017 13:28

My son started school this year. He did this every day after preschool or nursery for the past 2 years and now does it after school.

I assumed he was too busy playing and didn't think to have a drink and he runs round more when he's out.

I just make sure I have a full bottle of water with me when I collect him. Problem solved.

At school he's expected to take his own bottle of water. He has never (I've been experimenting with filling it to different levels to check my theory) drunk anything out of it at school. He empties it on the walk home every day.

Children are strange creatures.

ineverbakecakes · 02/10/2017 13:30

I'm a bit at some of the responses on here. OP's dc has just turned 2, and just moved to a new room. That is very young to assume she will have the confidence to ask for a drink, especially if she is not familar with the new routines and different staff. Even 6 months at that age is a big difference froma development perspectve, so yes, I imagine the 2.5-3 years old in the group are fine with it, but staff should keep an eye on the little ones.

My ds is in the 2-3 room. Drinks are given at snack and meal times, so every two hours, with water available at other times if they ask. Bottles on the side at introduced in the 3+ room. It is a particularly caring nursery though.

Original poster

Alicetherabbit · 02/10/2017 13:31

Evildoctor thats hilarious, she is learning to count so maybe that's why extra thirsty.

OP posts:

Notso · 02/10/2017 13:33

The thing is if children are too busy playing to get a drink even if staff ask them whether they want a drink they will generally say no.
As long is drink is available I don't see a problem.

EvilDoctorBallerinaDuckKeidis · 02/10/2017 13:37

Maybe! 😂

coddiwomple · 02/10/2017 13:46

i hate it when people say "dehydrated" to describe a healthy, NT, developed world child who hasn't had a drink for a couple of hours.

with the rate of obesity and over -eating in this country children (and adults) are clearly not drinking enough water. You can get used to drink very little, you won't "die" of dehydration around here, but it has been proven time and time again that it's not good for you.

I would rather make sure my kids drink enough water during the day than snack constantly. There's a medium ground between giving them water every 10minutes - which no one is asking for - and letting them remember their water only at lunch.

There are people making a fortune with apps etc. to remind adults to drink!

cathf · 02/10/2017 13:48

But how much do they need to drink?
As a PP said, a drink with each meal + the odd extra one if it was really hot sufficed up to about 10-15 years ago.
Suddenly parents are panicking if they child has not drunk for half an hour and words like dehydration are flung around. Grown adults are forever sucking on water bottles like overgrown babies.
I tend to agree with some other PPs - the water industry has done a fantastic job on us!

AppleTrayBake · 02/10/2017 13:52

As long as drinks are available, then there is no issue. They will be drinking at meal/snack times and that's plenty.

Why not just mention she seemed thirsty at pick-up, can you encourage her to drink please? No drama, nothing to over react about.

If one of mine came out of school/nursery a bit thirsty, I would just give them a drink. I don't get what the issue is

What could possibly happen to a child because they are a bit thirsty?

Danceswithwarthogs · 02/10/2017 13:55

I'm pretty sure at 2 ours still went home with a day sheet saying what they had eaten/drunk, nappies etc....

Rather than sounding like you're complaining about the way they run the room, maybe just ask if they could try to do more to encourage drinking if you've noticed excessive thirst or very concentrated urine at the end of the day. In a similar way that managing a picky eater or toilet training is a two way thing between nursery and parent.

coddiwomple · 02/10/2017 13:57

What could possibly happen to a child because they are a bit thirsty?
they drink too much water when they come home after 6pm, and struggle to stay dry at night.

It's not a good habit to get used not to drink enough water, there's no valid reason to do something unhealthy!

Original poster

Alicetherabbit · 02/10/2017 13:58

To everyone saying that dd doesn't need to drink every ten minutes, that's fine, my concern is that she is downing a bottle of water, with a few minutes, when leaving nursery so is obviously very thirsty, she didn't do this until this week and the change is that she is in a new room. Personally I concentrate better when I have regular water, so to me it is important she drinks regularly.
I do expect the nursery to transition her to a new routine and to let me know of changes so I can help her. BTW I asked what I needed to do months ago to get her used to new room and was told there was nothing I needed to do, hence I assumed it was a similar set up.

OP posts:

EvilDoctorBallerinaDuckKeidis · 02/10/2017 13:59

Ah yes AppleTrayBake, but that can cause another problem. DD was in Dry Nites until age 7 because she only had a sip of water at lunchtime, then drank a full sports bottle at 3 o'clock. This caused her to wet herself every single night. It's taken a lot of nagging about drinking during the day to cure her of night wetting.

ElizabethShaw · 02/10/2017 14:00

Normally in nurseries children have drinks at snack and mealtimes (so approximately every 2 hours) and have labelled cups or bottles to help themselves in between.

I have never reminded my children to have a drink hourly, even as tiny babies . Social services haven't come knocking yet.

sirfredfredgeorge · 02/10/2017 14:00

but it has been proven time and time again that it's not good for you

No, really it hasn't.

Original poster

Alicetherabbit · 02/10/2017 14:00

Appletray it isn't just once this has happened everyday. I raised it after a week with a number of other issues.

OP posts:

Twofishfingers · 02/10/2017 14:00

OP if she has just turned two, and has just moved into the bigger kids' room, the nursery staff should have reminded her to drink, and to go to the loo. It does take a few days for a child to settle in to a new room and they are not used to the new 'rules'. They are children, and they don't automatically 'get it'. They need to be reminded a few times. It's not a big issue really but I think I would have probably told the key worker to remind her for a few days until she understands the new rules.

When DS was two and settled in the bigger kids' room at nursery he'd come home super hungry (I don't want to use the word starving here as obviously, he wasn't starving to the point of passing out). When I asked the nursery workers what the issue was: it was because in the big room they only had 15 minutes to eat their lunch then the plate was taken away. He had to get used to eating much faster!

Original poster

Alicetherabbit · 02/10/2017 14:11

Twofishfingers I'm not sure teaching kids to eat in fifteen mins is the best idea either, but as dd is also eating much more at night now I'll check on that too. I had assumed she was just hungrier as she was being more active in that room.

OP posts:

Wolfiefan · 02/10/2017 14:17

Struggle to stay dry at night?
That's to do with hormone production. Not a weird side effect of being deprived of water in the day.
If children are thirsty I'm sure they have the brain power to get a drink. The nursery should ensure they get drinks at snack and food time.

coddiwomple · 02/10/2017 14:23

struggle to stay dry at night? That's to do with hormone production

to a point! Try drinking a few pints of water in the evening and see if you don't need to get up at night! I do, and I am an adult.

Wolfiefan · 02/10/2017 14:24

This child isn't doing that.

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