Kids on Coke...and gum

[Arabica]

Got chatting to very nice mum also in her early 40s at a kids' theatre show today. We were just getting seats when she handed her little girl a bottle of cola--then yelled at her to stop! when she began to drink it. At first I thought she had obviously made a mistake with the drink and was going to hand her daughter something more suitable...but no, it was simply to tell her to remove her chewing-gum first!
Was shocked not just at the coke (child was seen drinking a new bottle of cola later) but at the gum, but am I being naive?

[Arabica]

Got chatting to very nice mum also in her early 40s at a kids' theatre show today. We were just getting seats when she handed her little girl a bottle of cola--then yelled at her to stop! when she began to drink it. At first I thought she had obviously made a mistake with the drink and was going to hand her daughter something more suitable...but no, it was simply to tell her to remove her chewing-gum first!
Was shocked not just at the coke (child was seen drinking a new bottle of cola later) but at the gum, but am I being naive?

[Arabica]

woops wobbly hand (obviously too much cola).

[sparklymieow]

how old was the child??

[Arabica]

Four years old!!!

[sparklymieow]

no way!! I have a 4 year and she isn't allow gum, she trys to get some but she isn't allowed. I did give cola for a while but it made her so hyper so she is banned from drinking it now....

[lucy5]

It's quite common here in Spain, I was at a party today and my 4 year old dd was the odd one out. My dd has even been given looks of pity, the thing is she has never shown interest, so im holding off as long as I can.

[lucy5]

Im siting here so self righteously, drinking coke and chewing chewy. Ive never told dd she cant have it, shes just never asked for it, (yet)

[Arabica]

I'm not mega strict with food myself, I don't mind DS having cake, biscuits etc a couple of times a week and when the weather's nice it's ice-cream every day. And of course I pour lots of caffeine down myself every day, but then I am 43 and making an informed choice.
But I just think 4 is a bit young for 2 bottles of cola--it's not just the tooth-rotting sugars in the cola but the caffeine overload, too. And I think chewing-gum is a choking hazard for a child so young.
On bus home also noticed a one-year-old being given a bottle of water to drink...with a hefty dollop of Lucozade added 'to give it some flavour'. But in a way this was less shocking because the woman with the baby was very young and maybe didn't know she was doing anything wrong.

[Tortington]

nah dont agree with the gum - if the coke was a treat or not i dont know? as long as she was prepared for a sugar rush!

i have a friend who gave her two year old a twix before bed - then wondered why he wouln't sleep - then gave him a twix for breakfast. she gives him bits of crap all day then wonders why he wont eat a meal - well that would be becuase chocolate biscuits are sooooooooo much nicer than a meal - thats why he doesnt eat it. then she tells me he is having his thyroid checked becuase he doesnt eat - bollocks.

[WideWebWitch]

I think the sugar + caffeine makes Coke completely unsuitable for children really. But I do very very occasionally let ds have it. It's incredibly rare but I suppose I might agree if he asked while we were out at something likethe theatre/cinema, although it's far more likely I'd say no, have water if you're thirsty. Gum, well, I chew it sometimes and let ds have it if he asks when I have it (I have it for paranoia over my breath purposes!) so I suppose I might have been that woman. And you wouldn't have known that our house is a junk food free zone and that both children eat a very healthy diet.

[nutcracker]

My kids only have coke at parties and my 7 year old was allowed gum for the first time about 2mths ago.

[FairyMum]

My children don't like fizzy drinks luckily and my 3 year-old has never had chewing gum or boiled sweets as I am paranoid about their teeth. I don't think an occasional can of coke is that bad though. Everything in moderation I think.

[tigi]

i have banned all fizzy drinks for ds (and radically changed his eating plan), including fizzy water, because he he gets so hyper. He now has a cup of tea or water in a sports bottle type thing, and he has been so much calmer . We have been to a party today, with his water, and he has been lovely! Even when I did used to allow pop, I would have never considered coke anyway! As for gum, I think he'd choke and swallow it!

[frogs]

Have several times seen people decanting Coke into baby bottles for babies well under a year.

[paolosgirl]

Mine get sugar free gum with xylitol a lot - it's actually scientifically proven to reduce risk of tooth decay, esp. if you have it just after you've eaten. Not to be used in place of tooth brushing, or to compensate for a bad diet but it stimulates the production of saliva, which helps to fight plaque.

[jodee]

Thankfully 5yo ds doesn't like fizzy drinks yet.

I was a little concerned earlier today though when he asked me if he could have some chewing gum. He said he had had it before and went to the cupboard to get some to show me (I was even more confused as no-one in the house likes gum).

He came back with an apple-flavoured Fruit Winder!

[paolosgirl]

LOL Jodee

[emmatom]

Paolosgirl is quite right about the gum. It's apparantly a falicy about the choking on it as well, you can quite easily swallow it like a sweet and it would cause no problems.

I don't by the way, but you could if you wanted.

More children choke on grapes would you believe (always worth cutting them in half).

Coke and other fizzies are bad for teeth at any age, without even thinking about the funny sugar stuff that sends some kids hyper.

[WideWebWitch]

Frogs, how depressing re Coke for under 1yos. Can you imagine how a baby must feel with that coursing through their tiny veins?

[morocco]

terribly common behaviour
I expect her ears were pierced also
imagine smiley face here

[paolosgirl]

And her mother was wearing Burberry and sovvy rings

[kid]

My DD (6) and DS (3) aren't allowed coke. If you were to ask my DS if he is allowed pepsi, he will reply 'No because it makes me bounce/jump off the ceiling!' He also can't have jelly or icepops, his reply to those would be 'No, because it makes me mad!'
I do let my DD have chewing gum, but DS knows he is too little and doesn't even waste his time asking for it!

[Pinotmum]

A woman I know runs a creche at a health club and told me she had had to speak to some mothers about bringing in bottles of coke for their 6 month old babies My two don't like the bubbles so one less thing to argue about Dd tried chewing gum last week becuase her cousin had some. She chewed it for about 3 seconds and said all the flavour was gone That's that sorted then. She'll never be an Essex bird at this rate