Do you allow your children to drink pop/soda?

[gardenmom5]

I want to say - soda around here has always been a 'treat', like on pizza night or such. not a regular thing.

 

I have allowed it even when young BUT, we have since learned dudeling cannot clear mercury from his system and that the caustic soda used to make high-fructose corn syrup contains mercury. (some caustic soda manufacturers are changing their ingredients, but there is no way to know.) Most people can clear small amounts from their system, he cannot. His mercury level last spring was 7.4 or the equivalent of swallowing a mercury thermometer.

 

now - he is not allowed ANYTHING that has HFCS in it. (and we don't do diet.). hansen's rootbeer and mexican coke are about the only kind of pop he can have as they actually use sugar. (yeah, I know there are "boutique" sodas - but I'm not paying that much for a kid to drink pop.)

[lailasmum]

It's not something I generally allow them to have. Once in a bue moon we'll buy good quality lemonade or the canned fizzy drinks in the health food shop that are just carbonated springwater and juice and real sugar but it is a huge treat. My eldest has tried sips of coke a few times but doesn't really like it. I'll have a coke or something once or twice a month but it's generally something I buy when I'm on my own.

[poiema]

I voted other.

 

We never buy or serve soda, so our children generally don't drink it. However, it's not that they aren't allowed to drink it. When soda is being served in social setting, then they are certainly free to drink it if they want to. We just don't keep it in our own home as a lifestyle choice. They have all tried it and they all claim the carbonation burns their mouth.

 

Exactly this. Even the part about the carbonation burning their mouths. They say its too spicy.

[Χά�ων]

DS thinks soda is nasty. I do not buy it and no one drinks it. DS loves ice cold water.

[AimeeM]

Yes, we do.

When? I don't really remember.

[Woodhaven]

They have it occasionally, when we are away from home. For instance, if we are at someone's home and they are offered it, I allow it.

 

We don't buy the stuff for our kids, even though we like the taste.

[Joker]

We allow soda. My dds are healthy (and skinny), have healthy teeth, and caffeine doesn't seem to affect them at all. It just isn't something I worry about.

[ChristusG]

We don't give our children soda, for the most part. DD8 has never had any and refuses to drink it. DD5 LOVES Sprite. I made the mistake of giving her some when she was around 3 years old and had an awful stomach bug. I thought it would help settle her tummy. Well, it did and she thought it was the best thing ever. Now she asks for it often but I only allow her about once per month. It's usually the size of a small size at a fast food place. The 1 year old has never had any and I'd like to keep it that way.

 

I have the occasional soda (usually Sprite) maybe two or three times a month.

 

DH is the addict and I cannot get him to quit drinking diet coke. It's obviously addictive. He drinks it daily.

[swellmomma]

When my big kids were small they didn't have it more than a sip of mine until the oldest was 4 and 2nd was 3. My younger kids have had sips since a year, and they own cup since about 2. It was always a treat not a all teh time thing. My teens buy their own now. I go through times of drinking tons and so the kids have it more then, and then I don't buy any for months. I classify juices, slurpees, pop etc all in the same realm so in the summer mainly they have 1 of those per day usually, but 90% of what they drink has always been water.

[KungFuPanda]

We always have soda in the house. A 2-Liter lasts us a while. DH likes it with dinner. If we're having pizza or spaghetti, the kids want soda, but they usually prefer water or tea.

 

I've never limited it, but neither of my kids were ever that interested.

[Farrar]

Allow is a funny word to me here. Yes, I allow it, just like I allow candy bars. I personally really dislike soda because I don't like carbonation and dh doesn't like it much, though he likes root beer sometimes. Basically, they almost never have it and I don't know if they've ever had more than a sip of the big commercial brands - they've had locally made root beer and so forth more. We like other treat foods a lot better.

[mytwomonkeys]

yep. we allow it. i don't keep it in the house because we would all be coke heads (pun intended). but if we are out somewhere, i do not prohibit soda as an option.

[Elinor Everywhere]

I voted "other" because I never buy it, and drinking it at a restaurant isn't an option for them. But now that they're 15 they do have one at school or at my mom's now and then. They don't love them, and prefer water with lemon, or if we're eating out, an Arnold Palmer.

[Susan in TN]

I voted other.

 

We never buy or serve soda, so our children generally don't drink it. However, it's not that they aren't allowed to drink it. When soda is being served in social setting, then they are certainly free to drink it if they want to. We just don't keep it in our own home as a lifestyle choice. They have all tried it and they all claim the carbonation burns their mouth.

 

 

I never buy it and I'd prefer that they not drink it, but if they are at a restaurant or at someone's home and it is offered, it's not forbidden. They don't care for it much, or will take a sip and ask for water instead.

[Dandelion]

No, with the very rare exception. We don't buy it, but they might have one 1-2 times per year when we're at a restaurant (usually they drink water or juice at restaurants).

[KrissiK]

Yeah, they drink it. I didn't let them till they were about 4 years old. I don't buy it, but they get it when we go out to eat.

[Donna]

We have soda so rarely in our house...less than once every few months and usually only have it available if we are at a party or someone else's home. I let them drink it when we have it. They did not drink soda until they were school aged. We usually only drink water or milk at home and occasionally juice or iced tea (more tea in the summer than this time of year).

[melmichigan]

The kids have caffeine free pop about once a week on average. Coke slushies are a treat every 4-6 week, ironically enough it's usually after they have their braces adjusted if they get good hygiene reports. (4 of 5 in braces). They didn't have any before age 4.

[Tammyla]

I never kept it in the house, but if they wanted it at a restaurant that was okay with me. One of mine would never drink it, and ds enjoys a nice rootbeer ever now and then.

[JFSinIL]

Once they are old enough to use their own money to buy it, they can. They seldom do - they don't want to waste their money on it :-)

Now - my son with autism does get one can or bottle a day - of select brands I buy from Amazon that use sucralose, nothing else, as sweetener. The other kids know to stay out of Joe's soda.

If he didn't have it, he'd drink more juice, and I am trying to limit his sugar calories.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I said other, because they are only allowed to drink them at parties or celebrations at a restaurant. Only ds1 likes soda anyway. Ds2 tried once and decided he didn't like it.

[kesmom]

We have let our kids try it around 2 yrs old, but none of them have liked it so far. It wouldn't bother me if they did. Dh and I rarely have it in the house, mainly because we prefer fountain sodas. The kids' "treat" drink of choice is chocolate milk.

[nukeswife]

Yes, my kids were always allowed a sip when they were toddlers, if they wanted it. They can have it when ever they want now too. My 13 year old son, tried it once and never cared for the bubbles so he's never had a soda again. He prefers milk or water, he never liked juice either. My dd likes her pop. She prefers caffeine free, but we recently got a soda stream so she has more choices of fruit type flavors now which are caffeine free so she likes that. My youngest likes his ginger ale and sprite type sodas. They are allowed it whenever they want, but they all drink plenty of water or milk too and they don't have issues with cavities. My oldest who never drinks soda actually has the most dental issues of them all.

[Ewe Mama]

They sometimes have ginger ale for a holiday treat, but that's all and only if a relative brings some to our house. Otherwise, none of us drink it.

[texasmama]

The three littles are allowed one soda a week. One son has sworn off them entirely by his own choice. Dh and I don't drink them at all. I didn't give them sodas when they were little, but I forget exactly what age they were first given sodas.

[Heather in Neverland]

I voted other.

 

We never buy or serve soda, so our children generally don't drink it. However, it's not that they aren't allowed to drink it. When soda is being served in social setting, then they are certainly free to drink it if they want to. We just don't keep it in our own home as a lifestyle choice.

 

 

This explains my family as well except that we let them have it when we got out to eat. We do not have it in the house. We all drink water at home.

[LucyStoner]

I WOULD as a treat at parties, out to eat, trips etc but aside from the odd root beer float or even rarer sips of root beer (1x a year at a theme park we go to in June) for my younger son, neither of them ever chooses it. My older son is a milk drinker and drinks a lot of water. My younger son prefers water and rarely drinks milk. Water is the only real between meals drink and they each have a water bottle. Both drink some (small servings) of juice more regularly than soda but not daily- more like parties and at their cousins. 100% juice is really no better than soda pop (sugar sans any fiber) really so I see it as pretty much the same as letting them drink soda pop. My older son really HATES fizzy drinks. The closest thing they do have to soda is slurpees (HFCS + unnatural colors) but that is a treat for our area's pretty rare hot summer days. My brother takes his kids and mine out for fast food and his younger/same age kids are drinking 16-20 ounce cokes but the boys never ask for/order a soda pop for themselves. Milk usually, sometimes chocolate.

 

My older son was about 4 when he tried it the first time and my younger son was 3.5, at our last trip to the theme park with the root beer.

 

At the times we have had it in the house, it has been to feed my personal fondness for coke but I have quit that (once truly major habit.) I hardly ever was allowed soda pop as a kid and never missed it when I was a kid but I latched onto coke big time in college. That is one reason why I don't want it to be totally forbidden. Now that I am done with coke, the only time we have it is ginger ale as a holiday mixer.

[Wheres Toto]

I pretty much gave up soda a few years ago so we don't usually have it in the house unless we have company coming (two or three times a year). I might grab a soda while out once every couple of months, usually a bottle from a vending machine that I take 2 or 3 days to finish. If it's in the house:

 

Oldest dd never got a taste for it. The first time she tried it as a kid, she hated the feeling of the carbonation. She'll drink water 99% of the time.

 

Ds is an extremely picky eater thanks to sensory issues and won't even try soda. I'm not worried about encouraging him to drink it. He drinks water 95% of the time (Pediasure and chocolate milk are the rest of the time).

 

Youngest dd on the other hand has never tried a soda she didn't like. The rare occasions I have soda, no matter what it is, she wants some. I usually drink root beer, but Brisk iced tea, Mountain Dew, Cherry Coke, Dr. Pepper sometimes make an appearance. She'll walk up to me, point to my glass and ask me what's in it. I'll lie (yes, I lie to my 5 year old) and tell her it's anything but soda. No matter what I say, she'll say "I think I like x" and stand there staring at me until I let her have some.

[Guest inoubliable]

I never thought to allow it or not. We don't buy it so it's not here, unless it's ginger ale when someone is sick. They've asked a few times when we'd go out to eat and a lot of the time I'd absent-mindedly say "no" and they'd shrug and say "okay". My nieces and nephews drink it a lot, so do my siblings and parents. In the past, when we've been around them for meals, my kids have automatically gone for water (which is what they drink here all the time). They've been offered soda before and turned it down. Huh. I never really thought about it. I guess it's allowed, it just doesn't seem to be an issue or something that they really want.

[QuirkyKapers]

Yes.. we drink it. The kids didn't start until they were eight.

[Mélie]

I allow pop as a treat at a movie or a restaurant. Dh allows it whenever they go into a store or anywhere with a vending machine. But, we never have it in the house and they very rarely finish a whole glass/can/bottle.

[Mergath]

Nope. Juice is a rare treat for dd, never mind pop.

[TravelingChris]

We never have or had soda in the house. I don't like soda very much and dh prefers other things to drink, too. Out of our three children, the first is an adult who buys soda occasionally. The second hates soda and never drinks it. The third likes soda but can't drink it for two reasons- one, she has very thin enamel and soda destroys that and two, she now can't even drink it with a straw because soda contains citric acid.

[Crimson Wife]

Rarely, as a special treat and only kinds that don't have caffeine or artificial sweeteners. If I'm puchasing the soda, then it has to have real sugar rather than HFCS, but I do allow consumption of regular soda if it's served to them as a guest at someone else's event. Fortunately, most of the folks in our social circle serve the kids juiceboxes rather than soda at social events, so it's usually not an issue.

[BigMamaBird]

I voted no, but not because we don't allow it. We rarely have it in the home and when they have tried it they really disliked it.

[nmoira]

For those who allow/prefer juice over soda, why? It has as much or more sugar and calories, is acidic, and is of negligible nutritional benefit. Is it just the HFCS, or is there another reason?

[Mergath]

For those who allow/prefer juice over soda, why? It has as much or more sugar and calories, is acidic, and is of negligible nutritional benefit. Is it just the HFCS, or is there another reason?

 

 

I get a bottle of apple juice every month or two because otherwise dh claims I'm inhumane, lol. Otherwise, it's milk, water, or tea for dd.

[PachiSusan]

For those who allow/prefer juice over soda, why? It has as much or more sugar and calories, is acidic, and is of negligible nutritional benefit. Is it just the HFCS, or is there another reason?

 

 

I believe that people think that the chemicals, the carbonation, and the caffeine is worse for their kids. I hope that people read the labels on the juice if they're doing it because of HFCS...most juice boxes have it too.

 

I believe in moderation. She can have soda, juice, milk, water, ice tea - whatever she feels like at the time. I don't see any reason to deny it to her. She self regulates very well. :)

[TrixieB]

Mine are allowed but I rarely buy soda and my kids almost never ask for it. In fact I have had a couple of bottles of birch beer and orange soda (favorite flavors) in the fridge for a while and my kids have not asked for them. They'll remember "Oh, yeah, soda!" if we're at a restaurant but we don't eat out much.

[kalanamak]

Other:

gingerale or 7 Up when sick.

Rootbeer float once or twice a summer.

 

I brought kiddo up on seltzer, and he loves it. That he drinks every day.

[Izzy]

I voted other because the only reason they drink it is because they steal mine. I'm an admitted Dr. Pepper addict and they are constantly stealing sips (eh, gulps). Little buggers.

[scmama]

The only way my children get any soda is when we are out to eat...then it's a treat. My oldest is 14 and he's allowed sometimes when we are out for a long ride, and if he asks for it. My children were never allowed any as toddlers. My youngest son, 6, takes sips from mine every now and then...trying to break him of this habit now. :) Easier said than done. I'm a soda drinker....Some have their coffee, I have my soda. I never took to drinking coffee.

[Halcyon]

I do not allow it, but when they are at friend's house they might get some. Also, they go to afterschool at the Y two days a week and as a reward for helping clean up, or for winning a skate race, they get a soda. (And here I was thinking the YMCA was supposed to be promoting healthy living......:huh:)

 

Oh, and they can have ginger ale or Sprite at restaurants. No caffeinated beverages, ever.

[happypamama]

No, as a general rule; it's terrible for them (for anyone, really). Even when we go out, they don't get soda, but they're usually allowed one glass of juice, fruit punch, or flavored milk (all of which are big treats). We do indulge in craft root beer occasionally (like around the holidays), and I'll pour small glasses for the kids (not the baby). Once in a while, the older two have had Sprite at a function when out because there was nothing else (including water).

 

We don't generally keep it in the house, anyway, so it's not an issue. I remember being allowed to have it as a kid only when I needed to take medicine, at least until I was a teenager. I developed a strong taste for sweet drinks, though, which is really hard to break, so I was determined that my kids would drink water. And they do. They appreciate the occasional treat but drink water happily.

[Clarkd]

Ours are all still young and all have enough other issues that soda would just compound so many things. Neither of us drink it so there's none in the house. They mostly drink water. Milk once daily and 50/50 water juice once a day. We do eat out way too much, but only water when we do go out.

[DarlaS]

I've always allowed it. Not that it's always in the house, but it was never expressly "forbidden". I discourage it at certain times of day.

 

Every one of them gets a glass of water when they are thirsty though. Soda is just for when you are in the mood for a soda.

[prairiewindmomma]

I give my eldest a can of soda, rarely, for the caffeine which helps with his attention issues.

[Jean in Newcastle]

For those who allow/prefer juice over soda, why? It has as much or more sugar and calories, is acidic, and is of negligible nutritional benefit. Is it just the HFCS, or is there another reason?

 

 

If we do have juice (rarely) it is only 4 oz and more often it is a swish of juice used to flavor water Pop/soda is never served in that small a portion. I do consider juice to have more nutrition (vitamin C etc.) than pop too even though I don't rely on it for those nutrients.

[AdventureMoms]

Mine are little still, so no soda for them. DD wouldn't even consider it anyhow, she's not a fan of new flavors/sensations and the very IDEA of carbonation freaks her out. I don't like carbonation either, so she may not outgrow it, lol. We do have juice on rare occasion also, but we don't drink much of that either and I water it down to about 25% juice/75% water. we also only buy 100% juice with no added sweeteners. As far as soda vs. juice, I don't really think either is a terribly healthy beverage because of the sugar, but I do think juice is a little healthier because most of it has fewer additives (preservatives, artificial colors, artificial flavors, HFCS, other assorted sweeteners) plus the chemical processes to make it fizzy. The majority of the juice (even the cheaper brands) I see here are 100% juice with no additives or only citric acid. The healthier sodas are hard to find and very expensive, and still have more additives. I do know some juices are sweetened (why on earth one would need to sweeten juice, I don't know) but I can avoid those easily. We don't do juice boxes for the most part, because I can't water those down.

 

When out DD likes lemonade for an extra special treat. That happens maybe once a month. In the summer I might make it at home sometimes too (though I use about half the usual amount of sugar).

[redsquirrel]

Well, it isn't that I don't allow it, it just never comes up. I don't buy it, and I didn't grow up drinking it. No one in my extended social circle serves it. I would no more expect to see soda at a birthday party or in someone's fridge than cigarettes. It just isn't done.

 

Sometimes my mom will offer them root beer at a restaurant and I am fine with that. It is maybe than 4 times a year so I don't really see it as a big deal. But, if they get soda then that counts as their dessert. My sister won't let her kids have soda even if my mom offers it and my kids have it. But, her kids are younger.