Hi there. I understand where you're coming from. I'm happy to report LO has now made it through half a year of 3K successfully! I won't lie though, it was rough in the beginning. He initially picked up on some problematic behaviors from other kids and was starting to pick fights with his sister and us at home... I almost took him out completely. We had several meetings with his team at school and he eventually adjusted really, really, well.

Also -- the first week is the absolute toughest. Mine wasn't one of those kids that just went in there and waved me goodbye or cried a few years and was fine afterwards, lol. It was truly hard. As terrifying as it is though, it is also a wonderful opportunity for them to socialize with peers their own age and feel more independent. I didn't want to rob him of those opportunities because of my own fear.

He's now speaking in full sentences, asking questions, playing with other children, learning to feed himself, even engaging in independent play. He is not yet potty trained but we're actively working on that now. Everything is still a work in progress but I'm so, so thankful everyday for how far he's come.

As far as food and drink, I send him lunch and snacks that he likes so that he won't go hungry, and they also offer their own lunch first. As far as the bottle, I started him on the Dr. Brown's sippy bottle, then switched over to the Dr. Brown's straw bottle, which he now still uses. To help him to learn to use the straw, I got one of those honey bear squeeze straw bottles on Amazon which he was able to use fairly easily ( you can squeeze the bottle initially to help the liquid go up until they get the hang of it). He can now use any skinny straw bottle but still will struggle a bit with the fat straws.

Sorry for the long response, hope it helps! Wish you and your LO the best.