Does your DC primary school allow squash through a hot day?

[Neowwwm]

Sent my DC with a non- see through bottle with juice in today as since weaning and trying - DC has never drank plain water. Teacher removed the bottle stating water only in the day which will be provided with their own water bottles from school and juice only at lunch time.

AIBU or should this rule be relaxed during heatwaves?

Since year 2 I have given DD (sugar free) squash loads of time. She’s prone to UTIs and I’d prefer she drank that than ignored water, particularly on a hot day. None of her teachers have ever mentioned it. They are all quite sensible though and I think would only reinforce the ‘only water’ rule if she was bringing in a fizzy drink or spilling sticky drinks.

When she was three she was in hospital for particularly nasty tonsillitis/dehydration/UTI and the paediatrician suggested squash as she was refusing water. Since then I’ve been a lot more relaxed about it.

Water only. Why should a heatwave need orange squash?

God, the drama and hysterics over squash! You know you can drink water and still have cavities, just like you can drink squash and have no cavities. Oral hygiene is the key to good teeth.
There are some disgusting comments on this thread, no, some children won’t drink water even if there’s no other option, they end up seriously ill. The people making those comments are gross but there will always be people like that in society so try and rise above it.
My kids schools allow squash but no fizzy drinks. Have had no sticky disasters needing an hours clean up so far. The school also allows crisps (gasp) and biscuits (swoon).

Even if people were right about 'if you insisted they would blah blah' (which they're not), a heatwave is not the time to put this into effect. Many children both NT and ND are unable to connect drinking water / not drinking water during the day with feeling really crap and headachy later on. Any primary school teacher who is -what, sniffing? children's water bottles when the temperature is 29c has lost the plot so thoroughly I can't even express it.

"Hate the taste?"
But there IS no taste! It's water.
And if you live in an area where the tap water is chalky or whatever, then buy bottled water.
Disabilities aside, there are some fussy people around.

so much hysteria over some squash! We get that water is healthier, but some children simply won't drink it. I have one who only drinks water and the other who hates water and they both have autism. Can the parents who hate on squash honestly say they only drink water in the heat?!

I grew up drinking only squash, being a water hater myself and I can say at the age of 30 odd my teeth have not rotted and are in great condition. Things weren't so strict in the 90's.

would rather a child drink squash than be dehydrated.

Water only at mine, which is very understandable.

Air up water bottle!!!
Smell pods to make water taste flavoured!

That will have been set very early in your childhood and you will have been offered an alternative when very little (probably very sugary back then) which you feel preferred. After that water didn’t taste so good and gagging got the response from your primary caregiver that you required.
This in built dislike of water has continued and subconsciously passed to your child as so so many likes and dislikes / character traits do between parent and child.

I don't like water, never did, despite sugary drinks being kept to a minimum when I was a child. It's worse since having DS - had horrendous sickness while pregnant and the tiniest sip of water meant instant vomiting, then being in hospital for two weeks after the birth, having to take a lot of medication, usually with water which meant a lot of gagging.

DS rarely drinks anything but water. We're waiting for assessment for ASD, and he's limited in what food and drink he'll have. His diet at the moment is essentially cheese (gouda only), ham, chicken, bread (preferably tiger bread, nothing brown, with seeds etc.), weetabix, apples, carrots, bananas, and the water. None of that is anything to do with me or my habits.

Not everything is down to bad parenting or subconscious passing on of traits.

uk.air-up.com/collections/bottles

We had a parent who claimed this and tried to call us abusers until we pointed out that their child drank water all day and we have photos to prove it that we've taken during the course of activities. Not one child has refused water in over 20 years experience with me including SEN.

Last night on the news they had a health experts who said that we should remember that we are not just replacing water but salts as well. That we should be drinking squash and tea to help.

That's not true.

My ds would never drink water. Ever. Right from the get go. I tried everything as we lived in a hot country.

He's also autistic and if he doesn't like a taste of something he cannot tolerate it. Same with things he doesn't like the look of.

I'm not dehydrating my kid over some rule that only applies to 6 hours of the day for 39 weeks of the year.

Dehydration kills. Squash does not!

I normally obey school rules and usually send in water. I know neither of mine drink it though unless they are gasping, despite reminders from me and the teachers. For these ridiculously hot days I’m sending in watered down squash. If we get told off, then I’ll revert to sending in water again. I’d rather just make sure they on some fluid.

@finalpunt

True but children are at school for what 6-7 hours and are also eating foods that have salt etc. in it. so it’s over the course of the day.

@finalpunt Nothing to stop them drinking squash at home.

God I’m so glad I don’t have to deal with primary schools anymore! Such stupid rules. The best one at ours was ‘no chocolate’ but cake and chocolate biscuits were fine.

One of my autistic children would only drink two or three drinks a day and definitely would never have drunk water! I hate sugar and sweeteners as much as the next person but sometimes you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. Luckily it was my other son who refused to take his jumper off (at school) 30 degree heat!

Also, I would like to point out that in some areas the quality of the water is atrocious. In Cambridge it tastes ok (not sure about pesticide content though) and my son will drink it straight from the tap. When we’re in Yorkshire visiting my mum he won’t touch it because it absolutely stinks of chlorine.

I give mine sparkling water, got away with it so far

So much ignorance on this thread (by a minority, thankfully. Best ignored. There is a reason certain posters are spouting nonsense online, and are not advising in a professional capacity.

You've not returned OP, but don't be disheartened by silly comments. Even if your child does not have additional needs, your feelings are valid. The point is, we aren't present at school to see to our kids, so these things worry us. I agree they should make concessions in this weather to ensure all the kids are adequately hydrated.

Super tasters do exist in the general population.

I'm not one but have lived in many different parts of the UK - and the taste of water does vary in different location to me.

Filtering might help - had some friends who tried that in one place we lived actually that was Yorkshire -though I personally found London water the worst.

Is there really a north-south water taste divide?

This give article gives a map of hard/soft water but also says people process chlorine differently with some being more sensitive - and others just unlucky they are very closer to treatment works as it dissipates over distance.

They can and also @RaleighDurham you are also correct.

In fairness I was replying to the question about why a heatwave needs squash rather than the right or wrong of water in school.

Luckily all of mine are grown up and I now have DGC but equally if a child doesn't like/won't drink water and starts to get dehydrated then they are likely to feel sick/have headaches/tired so probably won't eat either and then home time is a long way off.

As a migraine sufferer, lack of fluid is a trigger and I don't drink just water (it makes me feel bloated and doesn't seem to quench my thirst) but I am very aware of fluid intake. If I was at school and too young to understand then I would have given myself a migraine and then been physically sick and more dehydrated. I get no pop etc but I just can't see what harm squash is going to cause in this heat, and if it encourages them to drink more then surely that is better. It isn't as if we are a country that has extreme heat that often or for that long.

Having a preference isn’t fussy. There is more to life than forcing myself to consume things I dislike. I also can’t afford to shell out on multiple bottles of bottled water a day… that I still wouldn’t drink or enjoy. A bottle of squash lasts me a fortnight and only uses one plastic bottle instead of multiple.

I do hate the taste, you are looking foolish insisting you know my preferences more than I do. I’ve never met you and you think you know my taste buds more than me… wow that’s confident.

In this situation I'd try and have a word with the teacher - it's possible the child may drink water in school when they won't at home possible due to peers doing so- if not I'd want to work with the school to get liquid in the child.

What's wrong with sugar free squash? Better they drink something on a hot day.