Just keeping the controversial topics going today
I just got thinking after seeing my DD's dance teacher post something on FB about her 3 year old having a soda. My DD is 3 and has never had a sip. I'm sure it wouldn't be the end of the world but I am going to avoid soda as long as I can with my LOs!!
At what age would you/have you started to allow your LO to have soda?
Re: What age will you let your LO have soda?
Not until 10 or 12...which was how old I was, I believe. We don't drink soda here, though so it's not even in the house.
She will take sips of my husband's sweet tea. But it is just because she wants to drink from our glass not because she wants the sweet tea. She gets just as excited to drink my water. Ha!
I don't see giving it to her in her own glass for may years. I think water or milk is all you need. It will probobly be one of those things she can have at someone elses house but I won't serve it to her. Growing up we only got coke on Saturday nights and that was because Saturday was pizza night.
I'm not sure. We are kinda against junk food. DH and I try to eat pretty healthy. DD has never had any junk food or sweets yet. I think it's a no brainer, but people I know IRL think I am uptight. For her first birthday we plan on doing a special, no sugar added cake for her. I think I will be against regular cakes/desserts until she is at least 2. As far as soda goes, I have no clue. I'm interested to see what people say.
DD just had her first soda. She is 5.5 years. I am sure DS will be younger, but he hasn't ask. We have been letting her have lemonade when we go out for about a year.
Edit: She does get soda in her smoothies to mix them together. Orange soda without caffine, but she doesn't know about it. She thinks it is just peas, fruit, and peanut butter. It is a very small amount, but it makes it taste much better, since it has a strong flavor.
For as long as we can avoid it. DD is 5 and has never even had a sip of soda. She has no interest, and why would we ever want to give something junky to her that she has no interest in trying?
I will also admit, with opening myself up to possible flames, that I fully judge kids walking around with soda in their sippy cups.
I know, I hope not! Ya never know though.
Wait, you don't give her juice regularly, or you've never given her juice? I only ask because DD is 6 months, and the pedi suggested we give her watered down pear or prune juice on the days she has foods that tend to back her up.
DD is 6 and has had a sip. She doesn't like it, she calls it 'spicy' because of the carbonation. DS is 3 and IMO thats to young to be giving him empty calories. But we don't buy soda
DD LOVES sweet tea though.... but I'm a mean Mama and she only drinks water or milk usually.
Pear and prune juice serve a purpose and generally are still the fruit juice- as opposed to a Capri Sun or something like that. Aside from prune juice we only have OJ in the house.
Ok, that makes more sense; I hadn't even considered those types of juices. Thanks!
I can't stop giggling at this!
And I would totally give my LO Sierra Mist too if the hospital needed to so he could leave recovery!
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DS1 has had soda on numerous occasions, as young as 9 months. It is the most readily available carbonated beverage when we are eating at a restaurant or at the ILs and he gets food stuck in his esophagus (due to his birth defect). The carbonation helps to loosen his stuck food.
So, I've got NOTHING against soda for any kid at any age. You never know what's going on in that particular situation.
As for serving it to him as a beverage rather than a tool, I don't know. I don't really care. We don't buy it, we don't drink it, so I don't imagine he'll have many opportunities to drink it in the near future.
Same here! Although Emily is over 5yrs now and has still never had it.
We don't drink it.
eclaire 9.10.06 diggy 6.2.11
I don't really know. DD will be 3 in April and hasn't tried any yet. My mom keeps wanting her to have a sip of coke but I don't see the point. Dh and I are recovering soda addicts lol so we try not to keep it in the house. At this point I would say maybe if she was at a party and was maybe 5 or 6?
I will have other alternatives for her, like cranberry spritzers made with carbonated water maybe? We are not against junk food, in fact my DD loves chocolate lol!
Not for a loooong time. He's almost 4 and has never had as much as a sip. It's crap and he doesn't need it.
I was at a children's museum in Philly a few months ago and this grandmother had her (maybe) 18 month old grandson on her lap, and he was guzzling from a 20oz of Diet Coke. It's bad enough she was giving him soda, but that it was diet made it 10 times worse. My friend and I just stood there in disbelief.
When will I let my LO have soda? Probably never. When will J let LO have a soda is a better question... He thinks I will be depriving my children by not letting them drink soda and eat hot dogs or whatever. I bet the first time my kids have a soda it will be with their dad.
That being said, I occasionally drink ginger ale-type beverages and I like carbonated things like plain mineral water. Right now I have some lemongrass sodas in my fridge. They are very low sugar, though, and I'm sure would not be pleasing to a child's palate.
Hello my name is eaglesfan and I am a diet coke addict
That said, my kids have never tried it and I don't plan on ever offering my kids soda. As of right now, they know that diet coke is an adult drink. I am sure they will try it somewhere along the line and if they ask for it we will decide what we want to do, but I doubt we will have it available before they are 10.
Juice is a once a week treat in our house, so I can't see us letting them try soda
DS 3.12.08
DD 7.11.09
DD 8.01.13
They both tried it for the first time this year. We were at a wedding, so I decided to let them try it as a treat. I would have preferred to wait longer for the younger one, but since the older one was trying it was kind of hard to restrict it. They shared one small glass of soda.
DH and I don't drink it. We stopped years ago and both completely lost our taste for it (I had a sip recently and had to spit it out it tasted so nasty to me), so it's not in our house and will never be a regular thing for our kids since we don't buy it.
As it is, DD1 is 2 and rarely even drinks juice. Milk and water are sufficient and SO much better for her.
My youngest is almost 17 months and has never had juice. And my almost 4 year old has had juice a few times in his life. We only drink water or sparking water with lime or lemon. I really dont see soda anytime in the near future.
Noel - August 2010
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When she's old enough that people start having it at birthday parties and such. I probably won't buy it for the house until she's a teenager having sleepovers. My mom steadfastly refused to have so many things in our house that I went completely insane in college. I ate oreos and fruit snacks for meals and would drink over 12 Dr. Peppers a day. When I lived with her still I used to hide candy in my room, which in my mind is completely ridiculous.
I think with everything, junk food and sweets included, you just teach moderation. Some things you eat every day, some things you don't.
DD was under a year when she had her first soda. I was carrying her and a soda with a straw at the same time. She wiggled herself over and stole a drink before I noticed what she was doing.
So far she hasn't had an actual serving of soda, but I think it is okay every once in a while. If she went to a party and the other kids were drinking Sprite, I would let her have some. She has had Capri-Sun at preschool and I would consider non 100% juice drinks along the same category as soda.