child only drinks soft drink

[JNP]

Hi everyone,
I have a 4 year old child at my service who will only drink soft drink. The children bring water in their own drink bottles every day. I tried to explain to the father that we have a water only policy, but he insists that the child bring soft drink in a coloured drink bottle so that no one sees. I am torn on this issue and don't know what to do. On one hand the child cannot go for 7 hours without a drink but on the other hand our policies and procedures clearly state that children should only drink water while in our care. I have suggested to the father that maybe he could water down the soft drink or maybe dilute a little orange juice with water but he told me that he has tried that and the child knows and wont drink it.
To add to this....the child has really difficult, aggressive behaviour and I'm wondering if the coloured soft drink is contributing to this.
Do I stand firm and insist that the child only brings water and take the risk that he wont have a drink, which I really don't want to do because I am worried about him becoming dehydrated, or do I give in and let him have the soft drink???
I have spoken to the team leader about it and we have decided to write a piece in our newsletter about healthy eating and the importance of drinking water but I have a feeling this won't change the father's mind.
Any ideas would be much appreciated..
thanks
Jules.

[Lorina]

Hi Jules,

I think you need to stay firm and strong regarding this matter and insist that the child is only to be given water while in your care. You have a water only policy so you have every right to refuse the parents to bring soft drink during your care. Soft drinks are unhealthy and may also contribute to child behavioral problems as they have a high percentage of sugars and artificial flavors and more! Even if the parent says that their child doesn't drink anything else, you at least need to try and encourage this child to drink water.

- Use a sticker chart for every time he drinks
- Read stories about water and how it makes your body strong and healthy
- Sing songs about water
- Add natural flavors to the water like a slice of lemon or a quarter of an orange to make the water a different taste. How about adding ice cubes to the water
- Give the boy a special water drinking cup that he can use while with you

I'm sure if your are persistent and offer positive encouragement (and a little reward maybe) this child may be able to start drinking water. It's also a good idea to include some information about the bad effects of soft drink which you can add to the newsletter to keep your parents informed...

Hopefully you're able to change this child's mind,

,
Lorina

[JNP]

Thanks Lorina,
I really love your ideas. Thank you for your support, I really feel strongly about this and feel that I have to educate the parents as well as the child. You are right and I'm going to persist and offer lots of positive encouragement and see how we go.
Hopefully we will get this under control before we are assessed in a couple of weeks.
Thanks again, you are amazing.
Jules.

[JNP]

Just an update about the child who only drinks soft drink. After lots of praise, encouragement and a new special drink bottle the child is now drinking about 1/2 a bottle of water during our session. The child does not ask for soft drink anymore. The staff were ecstatic about this breakthrough. However, we received an angry phone call from the child's parent yesterday. The parent was very upset because they still believe the child is not drinking enough during the session. The parent is demanding to talk to the team leader and we will be having a meeting with the parent next week. In the meantime I've been busy googling benefits of drinking water, how long it takes for a child to become dehydrated etc...
As staff, we all agree that we are not ready to give up on this. The behaviour of the child has been better since he has been drinking water and we are concerned about his health.
We can't control what the parents do at home but we can control what happens when the child is in our care.... Hopefully!!
Jules.

[Lorina]

Jules!

What a great achievement by you and your team! You should be extremely happy about this child knowing that what you are all doing is in the best interest of the child's health and well being! That's so great! A child has gone from refusing water to now drinking it and the parents are mad? Seriously... It's so frustrating isn't it....!

You go to that meeting with your head held high and the confidence in knowing what you did is right. Not only can you discuss the benefits of water etc but you can also mention the positive changes you have seen in the child recently ever since you have begun giving water only. There is no way that the team leader will suggest that the child go back to soft drinks and you should continue to stay firm and strong on this issue. You've already won the battle of the child now it's just the parents...

A job well done!

,
Lorina

[JNP]

Thank you for your kind words Lorina, your comment has just brought tears to my eyes! I care so much about the children I am working with and am really proud when we make a breakthrough like this. I sincerely want to make a difference in children's lives. Hopefully we can convince the parents that we just want the best for their child.
I'll keep you posted.
Jules.

[linsaa fdc]

Hi JNP,
Another thing to keep in mind is that no other service or family day care service would allow soft drink either. We all have policies for the child's health and well being. We all have children come into care who won't drink water and won't eat fruit but that doesn't stop us guiding them in the right direction for their best interests and the child ends up doing for us what they won't do at home. Definitely no soft drinks in family day care as well.

linsaa fdc

[JNP]

Yes you are right. Thanks Linsaa.

[Lorina]

Thank you for your kind words Lorina, your comment has just brought tears to my eyes! I care so much about the children I am working with and am really proud when we make a breakthrough like this. I sincerely want to make a difference in children's lives. Hopefully we can convince the parents that we just want the best for their child.
I'll keep you posted.
Jules.

Hi Jules,

It's my absolute pleasure! Your dedication jumps right off the screen!

Hope all goes well with the meeting!

,
Lorina

[JNP]

Well, we have had 2 meetings with the child's mother. At the first meeting the mother stormed in and accused us of forcing her child to drink something that he didn't like. After talking with her for an hour and a half we managed to convince her to let us have 2 weeks to turn this around.
After 2 weeks and a lot of praise and encouragement, the child is now drinking a full bottle of water each session. The mother is really happy and told us that she is going to try and encourage him to drink water at home.
Yay!!
Jules.

[Lorina]

Fantastic Jules! What great news! Finally to have the parents on board!! You and your staff have done an exceeding job! Make sure you document this as "evidence" for promoting children's health and well being!! You should be very proud of yourself!

,
Lorina

[JNP]

Thanks Lorina.
xxx