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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

In refusing to send DCs to school with plastic water bottles?

291 replies

MadameCastafiore · 08/05/2010 15:10

Right may be a bit long winded but here we go.

DCs have a new head at their school and a couple of months ago were sent home with really shite plastic bottles with sports caps which we were told had to be used for them to drink water in class - now I refused - the bottles were made of the same plastic you buy evian, you couldn't put them in the dishwasher to clean them and IMO you can never get a sports cap properly clean and the ones on these bottles were really soft plastic which after they had been chewed a couple of times (which all kids do I think) they looked grotty and really filthy.

Anyway fast forward to DCs getting in trouble for not having these bottles - I worte to the head and told him about the crappness of the plastic and the fact that they were made of a type of plastic that was not meant to be used over and over again and I said my kids would be using their sig bottles due to the fact that they were easy to clean, did not have sports caps (a urologist I spoke to said sports caps are vile and harbour germs and he told all of his kidney patients not to use them but to sip straight from the bottle) and they were made of metal which did not leach chemicals into the water (don't want my kids drinking from bottles which leach chemicals that mimic oestrogen into the water they are going to drink) and they were not see through so sunlight and heat wouldn;t affect the water and make bacteria multiply if the bottles were not properly cleaned.

He then fought a bit and last week they were selling new bottles (because the first one was free after that you have to pay £1.50 if you lose or break them), new bottles that are made out of a different kind of plastic and can go in the dishwasher but they still have sports caps.

The headmaster says that the bottles have to be see through so he can be sure we are not sending the kids to school with juice or fizzy drink (doh flavoured water is what most of DSs friends have in theirs which nulifies the point to some degree!) I said I am quite happy for him to check the DCs bottles and to make sure it is just water or I am happy to send them in with empty bottles which they will fill up from the water fountain at school.

Now do you think I am making a big thing out of nothing, I do think it is silly to kick off about lots of little things but it grates on me that this man does not trust us enough to do the best for our children and I know some parents don't but really this level of control is a little purile IMO. DSs teacher hasn;t said anything else to him after the first few times but DDs teacher is on her case telling her she muct have this see through bottle.

Can he make us use them is something I would also like answered?

Thank you for taking the time to read my ranty essay.

OP posts:
oldandgreynow · 09/05/2010 14:53

Kittywise-I am not sure how much a child could drink from a waterfountain shared by 100 other people during a 15 minute break.

Perhaps if you had DC who were prone to UTIs and kidney infection (which can be a very serious illness) you would not be so glib.

MillyR · 09/05/2010 14:56

Kittywise - a lot of schools don't have water fountains. That is why they ask parents to send in bottles, and many schools let you take in whatever bottle you want. It is not a lot of parents making a fuss - it is just what happens in schools now.

MilaMae · 09/05/2010 15:17

Thanks again Milly for the link, need more bottles for hiking and would prefer stainless steel. Just noticed the caps aren't extra you just choose which one in the dropdown box,you get 15 stickers in the pack which will do all 3 of mine so all in all-mighty chuffed

Our dc play on a field with no water fountain so they do need bottles in the summer. The school insist on it and discourage fountain use. They really don't give a stuff what bottle you bring in which is as it should be. It's nanny state gone mad if along with being told what to put in lunch boxes we aren't even allowed to choose what container drinks come in-they'll be issuing lunch boxes and packed lunch menus soon!!!!

kittywise · 09/05/2010 16:15

oldandgreynow "
Perhaps if you had DC who were prone to UTIs and kidney infection (which can be a very serious illness) you would not be so glib." well as it happens I do have a child with scarred kidneys from chronic infections that were misdiagnosed for years and she manages perfectly with the fountains.

millyr, if there are no fountains then drink has to be taken in, of course, but there is no reason why it can't go in a plastic bottle. What this is about is the op not liking to do what the head has decided. It's not really about plastic bottles and germs blah blah It's about her wanting control rather than giving it to the head.

biddysmama · 09/05/2010 16:19

yanbu .... the school i did my ta placement at emptied the bottles on a friday afternoon and refilled them monday morning, unless the child finished the water, then it was refilled for them...... ds takes a drink in with him every day in a reusable bottle with his name on that i have filled

missnicely · 09/05/2010 16:34

I am a teacher and the only prob with going to the water fountain is that it is outside and becomes a little bit of a time out time for children and you end up losing them for a good 5 mins. Also they are not supervised during that time and that can be an issue for us as teachers.

I have children whose parents have said to me their offspring don't like fresh water and would only drink juice and within reason we allow that. The prob with juice is that when it spills all over the book bag then the school books are all sticky.

I agree about the sports bottles and risk of infections, but a jug and cups is much worse. Really the head should respect your feelings but it is difficult and imagine all 29 parents in my class making the same complaints about every thing we try and implement. But that;s not your problem.... make your point to the head and govenors if you feel strongly about it but don;'t expect miracles!

oldandgreynow · 09/05/2010 17:15

Op I really don't know why you are bothering discussing this with the head and more.Just send them with metal bottles and be done with it.What is he going to do about it?

oldandgreynow · 09/05/2010 17:17

Kittywise- and didn't her urologist stress the importance of drinking LOTS of water ?

lovingthesun · 09/05/2010 17:54

I think all these rules are ridiculous.

Stand your ground & let him get over it.

FWIW my daughter goes to school with a BPA free plastic bottle (which goes in the dishwasher with the lid) but NEVER drinks from it, prefering to drink from the water fountain.

Why do kids need to drink at their desk - why can't they have a drink at both playtimes & lunchtime ?

YANBU

kittywise · 09/05/2010 18:09

oldandgreynow Yes of course he did, but there are many schools of thought on this, whether lots of small sips or a large amount at break time in one go. In the end to help with the wetting they choose the lots in one go approach. So she would take in a cup and fill it from a tap at breaktimes.

MsHighwaterforPrimeMinister · 09/05/2010 20:08

kittywise, the head might be in charge of the school but that does not mean that they have free rein to control any aspect of the lives of the kids and their families.

What kids will learn from not following pointless, intrusive rules will, imo, be of more value to them than anything they will learn by blindly and unquestioningly following them.

The school can choose to supply only water. If the parents are expected to supply the drinks, it is up to them what to supply and in whatever container they choose, provided it will not cause harm to anyone else.

pointydog · 09/05/2010 20:58

but don;t you see? Do you really not see that there are dozens and dozens of kids at school and some will fill them with juice and staff do not have the time or inclination to check everyone's bottle, there is a school to run after all, and so it is just a simple solution to ask for clear bottles?

Do you really have nothing better to stand up for? No bigger cause than fighting with the head about using opaque bottles rather than clear ones?

MsHighwaterforPrimeMinister · 09/05/2010 21:04

Why would the teachers need to check everyone's bottles, pointydog? If they simply did not bother insisting on water only, there would be no need and the parents can choose a container to suit their needs.

pointydog · 09/05/2010 21:13

ah, so it doesn't matter if schools encourage poor dental health by letting kids slurp on juice in class? Ok, I see where you're coming from

cat64 · 09/05/2010 21:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

dustycups · 09/05/2010 21:19

'the school can choose to supply only water'

yeah but they would let them drink out of plastic cups!!!

what you have to understand is that some mothers only ever pile crap into there child and by the school insisting that children only have water during the school day because it means these kids are at least getting something good into them, just like they give lots of fruit, for some kids its the only fruit they see!!

to be honest ds and his class mates never seem to drink much of there water so im sure it aint gonna harm your kids to have a few gluggs from a plastic bottle throughout the day!!!

god forbid with ever had a huge natural disaster in this country i dont no how some people would survive! heaven forbid they wouldnt be able to have there organic vegtables and water from bpa free bottles!!!

MsHighwaterforPrimeMinister · 09/05/2010 21:29

Blanket rules that exert inappropriate control over everyone do nothing to address the problems facing, and caused by, those who "only ever pile crap into there child". In fact, they might even exacerbate that kind of problem by infantilising parents and encouraging those who ought to be sensible enough to make appropriate choices for their own kids to instead give up responsibility to "the authorities". Imo, anyway.

paisleyleaf · 09/05/2010 21:31

For me though, it's not about the BPA thing alone. It's also about plastics, I've really tried to cut back on the plastic use.
I'd've thought schools would be more keen on promoting environmental awareness too - children are often very keen on looking after the planet.
I'm not a 'the rules don't apply to me' sort of person, which is why the insistance on something I'm not happy about is going to make me feel uncomfortable.
Do I keep on using the same plastic bottle til it's old/scratched etc - or keep replacing it with another plastic bottle?

dustycups · 09/05/2010 22:01

how is stopping parents from sending in squash, fizzy etc by making sure bottles r seethrough gonna make a problem worse!!

just do what you want love!!! but its your children that r gonna keep getting told they not meant to take them bottles in!

piscesmoon · 09/05/2010 22:11

'Why would the teachers need to check everyone's bottles, pointydog'

I can tell you why-they don't want to teach DCs high on sugar and additives!! DCs need drinks and they need plain water. They need bottles that you can see through and they can't be glass. I think it is much better than having a, paper cups (wasteful) or b, plastic cups that don't get a proper wash.
If they don't have plastic, see through bottles I think that it would be banned from the classroom. There wouldn't be a problem if parents stuck to the rules.

piscesmoon · 09/05/2010 22:13

Water fountains are a nightmare-children missing, queuing, unsupervised. Seethrough, plastic bottles are the only practical solution.

cory · 09/05/2010 22:19

Can I have a with my drink?

MsHighwaterforPrimeMinister · 09/05/2010 22:23

piscesmoon, there wouldn't be a problem if schools would not exceed their authority. I'm not a "rules don't apply to me" kind of person either. Far from it. But, I object to rules that intrude where they should not.

There are valid reasons for avoiding plastic bottles - environmental reasons, before you even get to concerns about BPAs - and the reasons for insisting on clear plastic bottles don't stack up for me.

piscesmoon · 09/05/2010 22:26

In my classroom it is my rules. They have a plastic bottle or use the water fountain. You should try teaching DCs who are bouncing off the walls!!It is not exceeding my authority-they have access to the water fountain.

MsHighwaterforPrimeMinister · 09/05/2010 22:33

piscesmoon, your rules go so far and no further. You do not have absolute authority over the kids you teach. You could not, for example, give your consent to a medical procedure other than in particular circumstances so your authority is circumscribed.

In my book, that also means that you do not have the right to insist on something as inconsequential as the type of container that the children are permitted to bring to school to drink out of. A rule like the one the OP describes is idiotic because it has no justification. You might be able to support a rule that requires that only water is taken into class but when you start mandating the kind of container that can be used you go too far. As the OP has pointed out a bad rule had adverse consequences (difficult to clean = raised risk of contamination, etc) and the message it sends is that none of the parents can be trusted to follow the water only rule. That is not a message I would like my dd to be taught be her school.