How often do you wash your child's water bottle from school?

[zdl]

Our school sends the bottles home on Fridays for parents to wash. Since they only have water in them, I think that's fine. They don't need cleaning more often (imo).

2 of the other mums with a child starting reception this week are HORRIFIED. They also restrained themselves from saying that I'm a slattern, for thinking once a week is fine. They think bottles should be washed daily.

Just wondered, what do other schools do, parents think?

How do you mean the 'school sends them home', or 'we only get them home weekly' - can't the children fetch and carry them at will? Are you not allowee to ask your child to bring it home? Ours wasn't issued by the school, we bought it - they gave us specification - had to have sports cap, not be glass etc - maybe some children don't bring them home every day from Ds's class - but most do.

Why on earth can I ask does the school supply the baottles?

bottles even

Ours were issued by the school - part of the City Council's "Thirst for success" programme (or whatever it is called).

All children have easy access to a supply of chilled water.

In addtion, ds has a carton of juice that he takes in for snack time - but often doesn't drink.

BLu - sorry! I meant OURS go in the dishwasher, it wasn't a directive!

Our school 'highly encourages' their own water bottles, and most use them. They're much better quality than other ones I've seen, don't leak, and have a variety of coloured lids - and all for £1 - bargain. Each child is responsible for collecting them at the end of the day and bringing them home.

Everyday here too.

Was getting a bit annoyued with DS as he didn't seem to be drinking his water till I discovered that the teacher has really been encouraging them to drink and if they need their bottle to be refilled they get a sticker! So his btl is being refilled most days too.

Great idea about breezing some water before topping up - will try it tonight.

Just to make Blu happy 'Germs are nothing to worry about'

I rinse his bottle everynight, and refill and put it in the fridge. I intend to put the sports top in the dishwasher at the weekend, but I bet it'll get forgotten.

Like you zdl, I don't see it as a problem not washing it every day (altho ds did go thru a stage of spitting back into his, so it got some fairly unpleasant looking bits floating around in it. Used to wash it out everyday then!).

And how do you find water bottles that don't leak? Having bought 3 special bottles over the last 2 years, that all leaked, ds now uses a standard 'Highland Spring' bottle with his name stuck on it. When the bottle gets grotty, He starts a new one from Tesco's.

'Fraid I would be horrified too! There is a fair amount of bacteria in water and that's why you shouldn't leave bottled water sitting around for days opened. I wash mine every day. Sorry!
But I can assure you I have top slattern credentials elsewhere (I'm from the mouldy-and forgotten- satsuma-in-the-bottom-of-the-handbag school of hygiene!)

dd1 and dd2 have got metal water bottles,
we bring them home and wash them everyday

Every day..... have to soak them if they've had juice in because they smell otherwise....

every day. im horrified to think of them only being washed once a week isnt there a risk of legionaires disease or something from drinking stale water?

Good heavens, if there was legionaires disease in your tap-water it wouldn't matter how long it hung around in a bottle.

Although I appreciate how much you all want to protect your darling children, I am astounded at how much people are worried about bacteria in non-existant or low-risk places.

Drinking tap water that is a couple of days old isn't likely to harm anyone. Just like eating stuff that is a couple of days over it's sell-by date. The press and marketing people really do cause the public to increase their worry-factor, don't they?

lordy, looks like a fully signed up slattern. water botles come home every day, but i just empty out the old water and put some fresh in.
If the top ever looks really manky i give it a bit of rinse

Thank you MartianBishop, I feel MUCH better now!

I am fussy about DS's water bottle. I wouldn't leave water in an aluminium one, for e.g, because of the aluminium and because it would taste horrible.

I use a ridiculously expensive SIGG bottle because it has a lining which doesn't make the water taste, and they are leak-proof and indestructible. Also DS actually drinks from it because he likes the cool pattern.

But thanks to this thread, I have dispelled on of my 'bad science' neuroses! Someone posted below about freezing water in botttles. I have avoided that because I read (in Guardian Food supplement!!) that it caused dioxins and PCBs to be released from the plastic into the water. But, before mentioning this in reply to the post, i googled it - it turns out to be an urban myth!

Hurray, one less thing to worry about!

Daily. Would be worried by water (mixed with saliva) left for a week.