Drinks for 21 month old in nursery

[Crazylou]

Does anyone know how much cups of water should nursery provide for your child for a full day, my little one only gets given 3 1/2 cups a day and he's ended up badly dehydrated with it

My daughters nursery has always given the under-2s unlimited access to their water cups and prompted during the day. However I'm sure 3 half cups is the most she would drink...

I am a nursery nurse, work with babies from birth to 24 months. Unsure what you mean here, when a child's cup needs refilling we just refill it? Are you suggesting they won't refill the juice cup? If so that's ridiculous

They only offer water at 3 times a day, AM snack time 170ml cup, lunch time 170ml cup and PM snack time 170ml cup, he's seeing a dietitian and she wants a detailed food diary done, and they write in he's only drinking 1/2 cup each time.

He took a seizure on Friday and was in hospital with bad dehydration I just don't think he's getting enough fluids from 8am until 4.30pm

Are you sure they only have access to drinks at these set times? Because we give the children their juice cups at meal times but then we encourage them to drink throughout the day too. Paragraph 3.47 of the early years foundation stage statutory framework states 'Fresh drinking water must be available and accessible at all times.'
Have you spoke to them about making sure DC has access to water in between meals? I can't imagine they will refuse especially when it specifies it in the eyfs. 


I would never suggest this as I am very anti juice... but if it's a case of DC becoming dehydrated and hospitalised then how about adding a very small amount of fruit juice to their water?
It does make me cringe when I see young babies with juice in bottles and sippy cups but if they genuinely won't drink water then atleast it's getting some fluids into them.

How long is your DC at nursery for? Typically water is offered at every meal/snack time usually 8,10,12,2 and 4. It should be available at all times but this often doesn't happen in practice. The cups would be put on a side for example and if the child indicated they wanted a drink they would get one at any time but they wouldn't necessarily be left in reach outside of meal times. My DS would be unlikely to drink more than 3 1/2 cups though.

Have you asked them to monitor his drinks or just record what he has drunk?
Because there is a difference
Have you asked them to make sure he is drinking plenty during the day?
Do the children have access to their water bottles during the day?

The answer to your question about how much water the nursery should provide is as much as the child wants
They should have access to a drink throughout the day, not just at meal times

Don't know why anyone would cringe over a bit of juice... but anyway... I was also going to say maybe he isn't drinking much because it is boring/tasteless to him. A drop of sugar free juice in the water might get him to up his fluid intake.
But obviously speak to the nursery too, to find out how they monitor drinking.

I have had to request for him to get additional fluids for weeks before he became dehydrated, dietitian insisted that the nursery need to write exact portions of food they are offering, how much he eats, and how much fluid they over, i.e. Mls - and how much he drinks each time as his health isn't good at the moment, always getting infections every month. Dietitian doesn't think they are giving enough portions of snacks etc, or enough fluid, therefore I've requested that they monitor his intake and write down what they give and what he drinks, its clearly not enough. Their Terms and Conditions state they give fluids at am / pm snack times and I even have an email from Nursery Manager indicating they offer fluids at these set times, Every time I go into baby room there is never a jug of water in sight, and the cups are kept up out of reach, and they have clearly confirmed that they only give them to them during snack times. He doesn't have a problem drinking water as when he gets home he drinks 240ml straight away.

Move him to a different nursery and complain to ofsted? Don't keep him there if it's affecting his health

So it isn't the fact that he doesn't drink it

It's the fact they don't offer it. Right?

In that case it's unacceptable and I would be removing my child and reporting them to ofstead

I agree, water should be accessible to children at all times. I would first speak to nursery manager about it but if you don't get anywhere I would then notify ofsted.

My youngest son goes to nursery and they get given water with meals/snacks there but also each child has their own juice in a sippy cup from home on a low table at the back of the room so they can always access it

Remove DC from the nursery. Adequate food and water is the most basic thing a nursery should be providing.

This sounds terrible. I ageee that you have to remove your son from that nursery.

This is taken from the statutory framework

Paragraph 3.47 of the early years foundation stage statutory framework states 'Fresh drinking water must be available and accessible at all times.'

The must means it's a statutory requirement and the nursery is breaking the law if they don't do it
Report them to ofsted, and send a copy of the managers email along with what your dietician has said

They will get an inspection unannounced so ofsted will be able to see for themselves this breach of the requirements

I'm a cm and have a water dispenser and cups the children access through the day we get through loads the under 1's always have a full cup which is typically refilled 3 or 4 times plus we all sit to drink 4 times a day. We don't use lidded cups as children don't drink as much from them the children quickly learn to drink at the drinks tables and its not messy after a few days. As the rule is one pump drink refill there isn't much to spill...about 1 third of a cup, and its only water. If I can do it on my carpet a nursery should be able to on purpose laid floor. The ratio isn't much different in adults to under 3 so its not that they have lots more children.