To not understand why most people in the UK give their toddlers and small children 'diet' drinks? Is it a fad?

[Bellarosa1234]

I have lived in the UK for several years and now have a toddler DD. I have noticed all my English friends feed their toddlers diet drinks? Like robinsons squash, supermarket no added sugar squash, no added sugar flavoured waters etc. Am I missing something? Why do toddlers and children need diet drinks? When I lived at home we would dilute fresh fruit juices at meal times for the children? I did that infront of a friend and she made me feel like a bad mother. She said fruit juice is bad and full or sugar? I went to have a look at some "squash" in the supermarket and it seems like it is a con? My friend said it was kind for children's teeth but it still has fruit juice and added acid. Am I missing something? Obviously I want to do my best by my children but I just can't understand why people think diet drinks are great for kids, can anyone enlighten me? Thanks in advance!

[Crunchymum]

Sugar free squash and flavoured water are not diet drinks.

[FuzzyOwl]

I don't see why a child that age needs anything other than water or milk.

[Rhythmsticks]

I do what you do or they have milk or water. I don't know many people who give their children squash and most of my friends ban fruit shoots etc? It may be regional

[FuckJeffGoldblumMan]

Diet drinks are rank

All full fat fizz for my son

[NeedACleverNN]

Sugar free squash and flavoured water are not diet drinks

This. Diet is something like Diet Coke, diet Fanta, diet red bull.

Sugar free squash is not diet. It's just no added sugar

[Fortybingowings]

Water or milk is better, but in an imperfect world with toddlers that are thirsty and fickle, then mine get no added sugar squash too. Both me and DH have grown up with grotty teeth so that's a big factor for me.

[NeedACleverNN]

I would rather my child drank sqash than just water.

I've seen plenty of research stating that it's better hydration to have drink with salt and sugar in it than plain water

[Bellarosa1234]

I call them diet drinks because they are full of sweetners like Diet Coke etc but just marketed at children? It seems really odd to me, what is wrong with fresh fruit juice watered down?

[BeatrixBurgund]

Sugar-free squash has sweetening agents though, doesn't it? So I'd see that as a 'diet drink'.

I'm not a fan of sugar-free drinks, and our kids always had fresh fruit juices diluted with water. We live abroad.

The only thing to watch is that the sugar in the fresh juice can be damaging to the teeth - our dentist advised us to offer juice with meals, not between meals.

They only drink water between meals.

[Chippednailvarnishing]

It all depends on whether you think sugar or artificial sweeteners are more harmful.

I've only give mine water as they would fill themselves up with drinks rather than eating.

[sonlypuppyfat]

I never buy drinks with artificial sweetners in I find they taste disgusting and I'm not keen on drinking chemicals, carry on with your watered down juice, your having it with a meal that's just fine

[VimFuego101]

Thankfully DS doesn't like fizzy drinks, but if he did I would prefer him to have full fat versions rather than diet.

[Bellarosa1234]

My dd doesn't like plain water by the way so she has diluted fresh juice at meals times and in between I just leave a cup of water out and hope for the best. She also has a cup of milk with her snacks. I'm hoping she will drink more water as she gets older but she gets about 1 litre of fluid a day with the diluted juice and milk so I'm not worried.

[thisisafakename]

They kinda are diet drinks though. They contain the same ingredients as diet drinks. But I actually think it's hard to find squash that actually has sugar in it these days. Unless you buy expensive cordial, it all seems to be the no added sugar stuff. Which IMO is worse than sugar as it's full of chemicals. Best thing is probably to avoid it altogether.

[OurLass]

How do you know 'most' parents do it? Have you done a survey??

[bibbitybobbityyhat]

"Sugar free squash and flavoured water are not diet drinks

This. Diet is something like Diet Coke, diet Fanta, diet red bull.

Sugar free squash is not diet. It's just no added sugar"

Oh dear at the ignorance! I can't believe what I've just read.

[WinterIsHereJon]

Only milk and water for the kids in my house, no diet drinks/juice.

[PurpleDaisies]

what is wrong with fresh fruit juice watered down?

It's really bad for your teeth. Water is the best thing to drink. My dentist tells me off for drinking fruit juice.

[manicinsomniac]

Nothing wrong with fresh fruit juice watered down.
Nothing wrong with fresh fruit juice not watered down.
Nothing wrong with sugar free squash
Nothing wrong with flavoured water.
Nothing wrong with milk.
Nothing wrong with water.

Just moderation and taste isn't it. As long as my kids don't get to do anything extreme such as drink 6 cans of diet coke a day (like I do!!) they can drink what they like.

[pigsDOfly]

Water or milk is all they need.

Until you introduce rubbishy drink into your toddler's diet they won't be aware of them.

[branofthemist]

I don't know anyone who does this. So I doubt most do at all.

I don't like full sugar dilute juice. But the kids prefer it. So I have 'diet' for me, and normal for the kids. That don't have it often enough to me to care.

If they are having fizzy pop, again the kids prefer full sugar I prefer the no sugar. They don't have that often enough for me to worry about that either.

From what I remember from having Ds (now 6) diet foods aren't recommended for toddlers at all, that goes for things like low fat yoghurts etc that have loads of sweetner in.

[DotForShort]

Squash is a very British thing, I think. I'm not British so it wouldn't occur to me to ever buy squash. Water or milk for little ones. They don't need the extra sugar or the artificial sweeteners found in various types of squash.

[bibbitybobbityyhat]

I can't stand the taste of aspartame or artificial sweeteners, so don't give it to my children. We do buy the expensive cordials, but also the non-no added sugar Sainsbury's High Juice.

[FuzzyOwl]

My DD might not like plain water but she knows no difference and as a result, she drinks it.

I genuinely don't know any parents who live near me and that I see at baby/toddler groups who give their child anything other than water or milk (formula or breast).

[Fortybingowings]

You won't get a truly representative answer of what all UK parents are doing from a thread like this anyway.