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?

There are additional needs that mean water is an issue, I work with children with feeding problems. Some have dysphagia (swallowing problems) which mean they literally can't drink water as it makes them ill. This can mean things like enteral (tube) feeding or adding powder to drinks which changes the consistency to make it thicker. The powder makes the water taste pretty nasty so I do advise adding flavour or squash and write to schools instructing them to allow instead of plain water.

Some children with ASD or other learning difficulties won't accept water. Even from weaning, I work with these children as infants and they literally won't accept it after having milk. It's not that they have been offered tastier things first or poor parenting. In extremes I've had children refuse food and/or fluids to the extent they have had to have feeding tubes placed to survive even though no physical reason to not eat or drink.

Generally though drinking water should be encouraged and I obviously only see children with problems. I'm just posting this as lots of parents with children with additional needs feel judged and wanted to raise some awareness.

I’m confused how you know this - did the teacher take it from the child when you dropped them off and then chat to you about it, or did the child call you? Or the school call?

I get lemon juice or flavoured water.. we get an email every so often saying water only

When Ds was younger he was allowed to drink squash at school because it was all he would drink (he is autistic and has arfid) but his squash was kept away from the other bottles and Ds couldn’t drink it at tables etc understandably.

thankfully we managed to after a few years get him onto flavoured water and now age 12 he will fill his bottle with water when he has drank it all

Water only at our primary. I agree with this to be honest.

There are many children who only drink water at home but often will happily drink water at school when their parents/other options aren't there. It's another thing schools have to show they are addressing. Squash all day is bad for kids teeth. Schools will get pulled up on it if they're not dealing with it.

Dgc can only have water. Must bring in see through drinking bottle. Schools sells these too. No fizzy water drinks either.

It was water only at our primary too and they also insisted on clear bottles so they could make sure there was no juice or squash.

Water only. Juice is nightmare in classroom. Sticky spills, attracting flies, some kids complaining dont like smell of another juice.

Yes, and I don't recall as much spilling as people on here seem to be experiencing.

For those saying their children don't like water, that is because you have given juice too often. If you had never offered juice and only ever offered water it would be their norm and they would drink it. You make a lot of these issues.

Water only, and our weather can be very hot - high 30s in summer.

Water only apart from a few kids with SEN needs. Can have squash etc at lunch I think.

It wouldn't occur to me to give my kids kids anything other than water, apart from a cup of milk with breakfast and dinner (2 and 3 years old). They don't need juice. If they'd never been given it, they wouldn't be missing it!

Water only and bottles provided by the school (and filled at school).

For those saying their children don't like water, that is because you have given juice too often. If you had never offered juice and only ever offered water it would be their norm and they would drink it. You make a lot of these issues.

Bless your ignorance.

We offered squash as an alternative to hospitalisation. Not drinking is fucking serious.

What about the larger bottles with the removable core which you fill with fruit to naturally flavour the water.

My dc used to use these and pop them in the fridge the night before so they were well chilled and flavour infused.

Strawberries, cut orange segments, cut lemon segments and cut line segments to maximise flavour.

Staff also used these in the classroom.

Mine is starting in September and we’re using the summer to get her to drink more water without squash since they don’t allow it

If only it was that simple!

I assume you have never had to chase a child around a hospital ward trying to her them to take some fluid, any fluid orally so they can be discharged.

or ever has a child need to be tube fed because their intake is too low to sustain them.

OP, could you give your child flavoured still water? You could decant the flavoured water into a reusable clear bottle and it would be clear liquid so they shouldn't be able to tell the difference?? Schools seem to be so strict these days... I don't remember ever liking plain water as a child. Had to be juice or flavoured water at the very least

You are very fortunate not to have children that struggle with food/drink. Please don't be so quick to assume it's a parenting issue though. Often children with disabilities don't drink water (one of mine didn't, one only drank water) there is nothing a parent can do in that situation others then give the squash that helps them stay alive. Yes I am catastrophising but i have heard how it was my 'fault' for the best part of 20 years. I thought people were more aware of differences now.

That's the same as ours. I send squash in his drinking bottle and when that's finished they fill it up with water (which he doesn't drink, ongoing battle).

Get a non see through bottle??

Or maybe some children will refuse water to the point of hospitalisation and parents give squash because they don't want their children to end up in a hospital bed on fluids?

I was a water refuser as a child and still won't drink it now unless it's sparkling. If I was forced to drink a glass of water (especially lukewarm water) I would vomit.

Exactly!! Where do people come up with this? How can he never drink water?