How many fizzy drinks, if any, do you allow your kids?

[Teessider]

And by kids, I mean older ones.

My youngest is 14.5 and he'd drink Diet Coke all the day long if I let him. I don't of course and he has a couple of cans at the weekend, probably a bit more what with half term next week. The only other drink he has is water and his diet overall is excellent and varied

I'm obviously soooo mean in only allowing a few cans on the weekend - but I think this is more than enough.

How about you? Do you restrict it or ban it completely or are you relaxed about it?

If we get a takeaway we usually get fizzy drinks to go with it - that's once or twice a month. Also in the cinema. Other than that if the older kids want it they have to buy it themselves when they're not with me (and I'm sure they do)

I drink a lot of fizzy juice. Far too much. I have done all my life I dont remember mum ever buying diluting juice I grew up drinking cola and irn bru. I usually let my oldest have a can at the weekend. Or if we go out for something to eat she's allowed a cola or fanta. I just don't want my children getting into the same habit as me.

Oh sorry just seen you asked for older children mine is only 9 .

My son is 11 and has never had a fizzy drink. We don’t have them in the house anyway, but if he wanted to try one at a party then that’s fine. He refuses to drink anything except milk and water though. My 7 year old would like to drink more fizzy stuff as she has a very sweet tooth but we don’t have it in the house so she can’t if she had some at a party then that’s cool. Not that there’s been any parties recently. I wouldn’t want them to drink fizzy drinks regularly, I almost destroyed my teeth with fizzy drinks when I was younger so I don’t drink them at all now.

16yo has a job in takeaway. They give him a fizzy drink end of each shift (3x/week). So that's that.

I guess we have always restricted fizzy flavoured drinks in that we don't routinely buy it. I have some Diet Dr. Pepper in house right now for me -- luckily, the others don't like it. I try to steer them towards other drinks when we are out at a restaurant. Which is a rare event, and they are used to only water being available in general. In a cafe might ask for hot chocolate, Milk, lassi, etc. I react to caffeine so steer them to lemonade instead of colas.

Two boys under 10.

Pretty much never. I allow rarely now and again at a party or out and about but dizzy drinks are pretty awful - full of chemicals and highly addictive.

We usually have them just at weekends- with dinner on Saturday night & Sunday night. I buy one bottle of something the boys like (coke, cherry coke, Vimto etc) per week & that's it. Also if we go to a pub/restaurant/party they can choose their drink but only the eldest tends to choose fizzy. They are 12, 10 & 7.

I do worry about DD12’s consumption. We don’t have a lot in the house( usually just a 2 litre bottle of Diet Coke as DH drinks that & I do occasionally) but DD will often have quite a lot of it & she buys cans of other fizzy drinks with her pocket money. We fall out over those Monster drinks, which I think are pretty awful. Where I work you have to be over 18 to buy them. DD insists they’re fine & don’t affect her!

I have a blanket ban on energy drinks and so far I'm certain he hasn't had any! I appreciate though that this will probably change but I certainly won't be buying him any. I have an adult DD aged 23 and she is very fond of a can of monster. Ugh

We always have a few cans in the drinks fridge, but DS (almost 13) has the ask and usually only 1-2 a week or a bit more in the holidays. Always of we are out for a meal and free for all if we are away on holiday. Probably quite a lot now I've written it down. All full sugar as I hate sweeteners

When they were little, I didn't allow it at all. I was very strict until they were at least 8.

Now, I don't restrict at all, but because they never had it when they were little, they don't actually like it that much. My eldest in particular would always order a fruit juice or J2O over a fizzy drink every time.

We don't normally have them in the house but if i've got some in for guests then DD (19) will have one a week plus an occasional one when she's outside home.

DS (16) doesn't drink fizzy drinks and never has. He has water with meals, occasionally squash but he's not bothered about that either

Very rarely in our house.

We have tonic for gin and the fancy fizzy drinks like Belvoir ginger and lime with Saturday dinner occasionally.

Coke annually on 4th July.

DH and I don't really like fizzy drinks so DC haven't grown up with them.

However as late teens they probably drink too much coffee.

My Dsc never had fizzy drinks whether with us or their mum, both grown up now and have no interest in them. Same with fast food etc. Neither have ever had a filling my dss is 30

Mine have a glass of something fizzy most days. It's sugar free so I don't see the problem with it. I drink a lot of sparkling water myself.

My child is 3 so granted not older. Occasionally at birthdays he has lemonade or fizzy flavoured water. If poorly he will drink more if it tastes good.

I plan to stay pretty casual with it. Friday night takeaway sure have a can but not a routine drink. When older tea, milk or water will be the standard.

None unless it's a special occasion but mine do have ADHD.

Soda stream fizzy water whenever they want. Sweet fizzy drinks at most one a week.

We only buy them at birthdays, Xmas and meals out. Kids prefer water when at home anyway. And we don't keep them in the house.
It's about instilling those habits now so they don't become everyday drinks.
I associate excessive diet coke consumption with Donald Trump, would that help put your boy off 😬?

*Mine are a similar age to yours (12 and 14).

My eldest are 14&13 and I rarely buy fizzy pop for drinking at home. They sometimes buy a can themselves from the corner shop but that's less than once a week. If we eat out, go to the cinema or have a day out they can have pop too but again, that's not a regular, weekly thing either.

I've found a good alternative though (or I think it is!). I've got 2 younger kids as well so I feel this is a good swap for fizzy pop. The supermarkets do sparkling no added sugar flavoured water and it tastes EXACTLY like pop. There's a few flavours but my kids love the lemon/lime (tasted like Sprite) and apple and raspberry (really strong flavour).

My 15yp son has a Fanta once in a while but never drinks Coke or energy drinks. I've asked him not to do it and he doesn't! My 24yo has grown up the same.

When I was growing up my BF used to drink about 12 of those massive (2l?) Diet Coke bottles a week and that's always put me off having any in the house at all.

@1starwars2 ha I could try!

He had a couple of friends round the other weekend and they ordered on pizza etc and the boys brought some 2 litre bottles of Coke along. I think he had rather a lot becomes interestingly, he was asking for Diet Coke for a good few days afterwards and a little frustrated when I said nope. I think the increase in drinking it in larger quantities created a 'need' for it. It had worn off within a few days and he stopped asking but it got me thinking.

Anyway, it's hidden away and I'll just dole out a can as I see fit over half term

Teens and preteens here. They have 2 fizzy cans over the three nights of the weekend, They choose which nights, but normally Saturday and Sunday. If we go out they would have more than one per night. If we went out during the week (very rare) they would probably choose a fizzy drink but it depends what else is on offer and where we are. In a coffee shop they would always choose a hot chocolate or some kind of coffee drink over a fizzy drink.

If they are out with friends, I reckon they would buy a bottle of fizzy over a bottle of water but then so would I and I figure they have to make those decisions themselves. I figure there’s far worse things my 15 year old could be consuming while they are out that a bottle of coke is fine with me.

My dc are 13, 11 and 4.

Dc1 and 2 didn't even taste anything fizzy till about age 6 and then only once in a blue moon.

Now, they generally have fizzy drinks if we have a takeaway, a meal out or a special dinner at home - birthdays, Christmas, Easter, BBQ etc. But generally, the every day drink is water, squash or milk.

Ds3 is 4 and we've been far more lax with him. From when he turned 3 probably he's had pop regularly, but infrequently - on the same occassions as the older two. So far his dental health is still perfect and it doesn't affect him in any way that I can tell.