My embarrassing trigger with my kid, any suggestions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in the 80's and never needed a water bottle. He will survive without one.

This is what I call disconnect. In the 80s there were plenty of water fountains in schools, stores, parks, etc. FF 30-40 years and there are not. How many working water fountains- not those with bottle fill-ups- are in your local schools? Enough for every 100 persons in the building? What about your local grocery store or soccer fields? The soccer fields we play at dont even have bathroom access much less drinking water available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you keep sending a $40 hydro flask with a 7 year old then that’s on you

I don’t. It’s not a hydro flask and I don’t care about brands. I don’t care whether it’s hydro flask. I just need to send him with something that keeps water cold when he’s in outdoor settings for 8 hours daily in 90 degree heat. I have a couple of the bottles I prefer and in the meantime I basically scour places like Ross, buy nothing groups for things to use.

OP, we’re telling you that’s it’s fine for him to drink the “hot” water at camp. It’s what all of the other kids are drinking and they’re fine!

[Anonymous]

I love cold water and so do my kids. One of my kids can handle keeping track of a more expensive metal insulated one, the other can't.

Buy one good water bottle and if it gets lost they don't get a good one as a replacement. They get, as someone else said, a disposable type with a sports top (it can be filled half way and frozen then topped off with water, and plan on reusing it so you're not totally wasteful). It's natural consequences for losing a bottle. They can try again next summer with a new bottle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get one of those long kink spiral cords (like the kind for telephones) and tether the water bottle to his bag/beach bag.
The cord should be long enough where he can still easily drink from the water bottle and even be able to tuck the water into the side pocket so it doesn't dangle.

I never thought of this, but it's SO smart! I used to tether little teething toys when they were babies but never thought of it for big kid stuff. (NP)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So for example DS was signed up for a fishing camp earlier this summer. Camp van picked him up daily and drove 12 kids around to different lakes in Fairfax county daily to fish. 90+ degree days fully outside, so I think it’s important to have an insulated metal bottle to keep water cold.

My 11 year old has spent WEEKS ever summer for the past 6 years in outdoor camps in temperatures over 90, even over 105 at times, and has survived perfectly well with ordinary plastic water bottles with no ice or insulation. Unless they leave their water bottles in the sum, they usually don’t get up to ambient air temperatures, and even then the water is still perfectly drinkable. You may PREFER insulated bottles, but you child will be just fine without cold water.

[Anonymous]

Just get namebubbles labels with your phone number on it. My kids lost and found our water bottles 10x at camp already this year. Sometimes they don’t get foudn this way, but much easier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP I like the expensive water bottles too. Can’t name the brand off the top of my head but after trying so many and finding ones I like i get it. I make her take the nice one to camp where it’s outdoors or places where I think it feels better to have cold water. I let her use the cheap ones for other things where the temp doesn’t matter as much. Is his name on them? How is he losing so many? DD is 10 and only ever lost one.

So for example DS was signed up for a fishing camp earlier this summer. Camp van picked him up daily and drove 12 kids around to different lakes in Fairfax county daily to fish. 90+ degree days fully outside, so I think it’s important to have an insulated metal bottle to keep water cold. 5 days of camp, and he lost two water bottles over the five days. In this instance I was prepared - one of my neighbors had given away a tub of water bottles and I found a few that I’d be ok losing (they were too tall to fit in my cabinet and had screw caps-also a non-starter for us bc I don’t think kid can keep track of caps that need to fully detach in order to drink).

OP - it sounds to me like your son could benefit from some good old natural consquences. It doesn't sound like he currently has ever experienced this because you expect so little of him and keep rescuing him. Tell him you are not buying any more resusable bottles. If he loses the one he has he can either replace it with his own money or start taking disposable. THEN ACTUALLY FOLLOW THROUGH. He probably cares what temp the water is less than you do anyway.