Drinks All Day?

[Kia]

Just wondering, do you allow carrying sippy cups around all day? I have one who consumes the entire cup all at once and then asks for another and keeps me in the bathroom all day. She also says she has to go potty every time she gets bored with what we're doing. I'm going to limit drinks to 3 a day. Good choice?

[finsup]

Nope, I don't. Too many kids leaving them places and other kids drinking from them. Now I've got a kiddo who cannot have milk, if a kid had milk in their cup and he got it he'd throw up. Not what I want to deal with! I give milk/milk alternatives at breakfast and lunch and about 1/2 cup of water with snacks. Unless it's super hot out, then they bring water bottles outside but generally two full cups of milk at breakfast and lunch, and the water with snacks is more then enough!

[AmyKidsCo]

Nope! I have water bottles available for children beginning around 2 years old, but they have to stand by the counter to drink. The second time a water bottle wanders off it's put away until the next day. They figure it out pretty quickly!

[Kia]

Nope, I don't. Too many kids leaving them places and other kids drinking from them. Now I've got a kiddo who cannot have milk, if a kid had milk in their cup and he got it he'd throw up. Not what I want to deal with! I give milk/milk alternatives at breakfast and lunch and about 1/2 cup of water with snacks. Unless it's super hot out, then they bring water bottles outside but generally two full cups of milk at breakfast and lunch, and the water with snacks is more then enough!

Thank you. Just wanted to see if I was making a good decision. I'm constantly trying to get cups out of the wrong mouths.

[Kia]

Nope! I have water bottles available for children beginning around 2 years old, but they have to stand by the counter to drink. The second time a water bottle wanders off it's put away until the next day. They figure it out pretty quickly!

My culprit also demands juice and throws a fit if she gets water. I caved at the beginning because she was my first one and I was just giving her what she gets at home but the other kids have water. Not fair. She's gonna be so mad at me. Lol

[Baby Beluga]

Another nope from me.

The children have spill proof water bottles that sit on the edge of my desk in our room. They can get a drink whenever they need to but they must stand by my desk to do it. No walking around with cups or water bottles. Milk is served at the table during meal times.

These same water bottles come outside with us. They sit on a picnic table and when a child wants a drink they stay by the table and drink. They are not allowed to walk around outside with cups.

[Blackcat31]

My DCK's don't even get sippy cups or water bottles at all.

I use regular cups with no lids for all ages.
Children are free to ask for a drink of water (no other options) any time during the day that they need one.

Other wise, it's milk at meal/snack time and periodic group water breaks through out the day.

I do not serve juice at any time for any reason.

We use child sized cups that are easy to manage for all ages. None are designated to any one person.

[Ariana]

They get cups of water at meal times and that is pretty much it, unless it is hot outside. When I worked at a centre we had to have water available at all times. So we had dixie cups in the bathroom but we all know how that went. Lots of kids going to the bathroom to get water "for fun".

In my opinion kids should be ok with getting water 3 times a day...again unless it is hot outside.

[Kajada]

We drink water all day. No juice at all and milk only if a family requests it - none have so far. Open cups at the table and sippy cups (the hard spouted kind, not straws) or water bottles the rest of the time. The cups and bottles stay on the kitchen table though; the kids don't carry them around. I drink so much water every day (and all night ). I would have a really hard time being limited to 3 drinks a day, so I don't impose a limit on the kids.

[AmyKidsCo]

My culprit also demands juice and throws a fit if she gets water. I caved at the beginning because she was my first one and I was just giving her what she gets at home but the other kids have water. Not fair. She's gonna be so mad at me. Lol

If she's used to juice you could gradually wean her off juice by adding more and more water until it's all water. If you want to avoid the drama. IMO sometimes it's not worth the drama.

[Blackcat31]

I drink so much water every day (and all night ). I would have a really hard time being limited to 3 drinks a day, so I don't impose a limit on the kids.

I drink TONS of water all day too but what I do and am allowed to do is different.
I am an adult and they are children.

I am also not potty training or newly trained so my liquid intake (and out put... !) are MY responsibility. ::

[Ariana]

We drink water all day. No juice at all and milk only if a family requests it - none have so far. Open cups at the table and sippy cups (the hard spouted kind, not straws) or water bottles the rest of the time. The cups and bottles stay on the kitchen table though; the kids don't carry them around. I drink so much water every day (and all night ). I would have a really hard time being limited to 3 drinks a day, so I don't impose a limit on the kids.

It is not limited to 3 drinks a day it is limited to it being served 3x a day. Each meal takes about 1/2 an hour or more to finish so they have access to as much water as they want in that time period. I have refilled cups 2-3 times at lunch or at snacks and have no problems doing it! Some kids choose not to drink anything and I remind them to drink at that time as well. Once they get into a routine they start drinking more at those times if they need it. We really don't need as much water as you think!

[Kajada]

I drink TONS of water all day too but what I do and am allowed to do is different.
I am an adult and they are children.

I am also not potty training or newly trained so my liquid intake (and out put... !) are MY responsibility. ::

Fair enough! And I have to say the kids stop for a sip of water only once or twice betweens meals. It's really not much. If they were drinking several extra cups a day, I'm sure that I'd be 100% Team Hide the Water. Who has time for that many diaper changes?

[daycarediva]

Nope! I have water bottles available for children beginning around 2 years old, but they have to stand by the counter to drink. The second time a water bottle wanders off it's put away until the next day. They figure it out pretty quickly!

Another nope from me.

The children have spill proof water bottles that sit on the edge of my desk in our room. They can get a drink whenever they need to but they must stand by my desk to do it. No walking around with cups or water bottles. Milk is served at the table during meal times.

These same water bottles come outside with us. They sit on a picnic table and when a child wants a drink they stay by the table and drink. They are not allowed to walk around outside with cups.

All of this except NO water bottles, color coded open top cups. They have a pitcher on their table to pour their own water in between meals.

Op, if the child is potty trained, do you HAVE to go into the bathroom with her?

and NO JUICE. EVER.

[Pandaluver21]

For licensing:
We are required to have milk at lunch (or milk alternative if a child can't have milk)
Juice is allowed 1 serving a day (though we don't offer it at all)
and water must always be offered and available all day.

Each child has their own cup- sippy cups (provided by parents) for younger children and "snackies" cups (provided by us) for older children. This cup is on a shelf throughout the day with water (occasionally with a small bit of flavoring added)

At lunch, milk is provided in regular open cups, or cups with straws/lids.

No age is allowed to carry cups around. They remain on the shelf and even the little ones figure it out
(we have ages 18m and up)