to have a jaw-drop moment at a 6-month old drinking Diet Coke

[MadameChinLegs]

This may be my first AIBU, im not sure, but not my first thread. I am wondering whether I am either:

1. correct to hoik up my judgy pants or
2. out of touch with what is now normally accepted

6month old DNeice given a sip of Diet Coke at my house by her father, firstly from his finger which he dipped into his glass and second a sip from the rim of the can onto which he had poured a little of the diet coke. I did a bit of a shocked face but I do think it was taken as a 'wow, impressive' face by her father who said "ah she loves it, watch she'll be begging for more" cue him taking the can away from her and watching as she did a bit of a mini strop.

DNs mum was out of the room at this point, but when she returned, DN was crying and SIL was saying "why is she crying, she never cries, what's wrong?".

I am taken aback at a 6 month old drinking Diet Coke as surely they only need milk and a bit of water and, to me, there's just no need to give it (apart from in SILs DHs case where I do think he was doing it to try and impress).

I feel half guilt that I have a judgy pants wedgy and half frustrated that I just didn't agree with it.

I wouldnt say anything to SIL or her DH unless they actually ask my opinion, but wondered is it wrong of me to be so shocked?

also wtf with the 'other bigger risks are available so this hardly matters' talk?

It is funny that on this thread people are holding up smoking around kids as high risk where as if you go on an 'AIBU to ask my MIL not to smoke round the baby' you get a ton of people saying ohhh smoking around kid wont kill them and its hardly worth worrying about if you own a car etc.

If a risk (no matter how small) holds no possible benefit, as is the case here, then why take it?

It's very stupid of him to be deliberately giving Diet Coke to the baby, even if it is only a bit.
My son picked up a glass of it when he was about 18 months, that my sister had been drinking, drained the glass before anyone realised and was bouncing off the ceilings like Damien Omen II for about half an hour, and yelling for more. He'd only just started walking at that time, so although it was out of reach for a crawler, he pulled himself up and was able to reach it. We learned instantly to keep it out of his way after that!

I don't think a tiny taste is going to be a problem. It's a slightly odd and pointless thing to do but not harmful.

Also don't think such a tiny bit would cause the stropping and crying (not sure if youw ere saying that or not). There would have been practically zero sweetener and caffeine in what she had.

To me, it's more about the fact that if someone does one twatty thing with their child they are likely to be the sort of person who does other twatty things.

This argument does rather hang on the fact that giving Diet Coke is twatty, however...

''I had a friend who from 5mths gave her ds a bottle of tea in the afternoon and a bottle of Horlicks before he went to bed - every day. She wondered why he never slept well! ''

You know, I was just thinking that I've not seen tea in a baby bottle for years. It used to be really common iirc.

(common as in popular)

"why is she crying, she never cries, what's wrong?"

Yeah, except this blatantly never happened. Yeah okay, the mother of a 6 year old claimed her daughter never cries. IT MUST BE BECAUSE OF THE SIP OF COKE.

hahaha fuck off lying and trying to make it sound worse than it is. It's a fucking. sip. of coke. Seriously. It's not child abuse. When they start giving her the whole bottle, THEN YOU CAN BE JUDGEY. Until then get over yourself.

*6 MONTH old, even.

I'd hoik my judgey pants if you were talking about filling a bottle with Diet Coke and giving it to the baby, but a taste? Meh. It was probably just a silly thing done to see the baby's reaction. He probably takes in far more toxins being pushed along the road in his buggy at exhaust level of sucking on plastic toys.

Oh, heavens I once let DS eat a bourbon biscuit when he was 6 months old.

Disclaimer; In those days we were told to wean at 4 months.

Now, if I had a 6 months old I wouldn't give them diet coke, what the hell if this dad wants to. Give 'em brandy to make 'em sleep, I say.

Look on the bright side OP - at least it was diet coke.

YADNBU, I agree he is a supreme twat. Just why would you do it??? and

Nothing wrong with a little taste. I came on here thinking you meant actually drinking it!!

I give my son tastes of things (including a tiny drop of coke on the rim of a can) and he is alive and very much healthy!

Reminds me my mum put whisky in my bottle when i was a babe to get me to sleep so she could have a nights sleep... then stayed awake ALL night worrying.

I gave my then 4 month old a bit of ice-cream from my finger last year on holiday [shrugs] I don't think it set a precedent for twatty behaviour as a parent.

My problem with this thread title is the word 'drinking'

The baby got a taste not the bottle! I wouldn't give mine a taste of any fizzy drink but she's tasted everything else. Anything on mine or dp's plate goes into her mouth, she refuses anything she doesn't see adults eating. She loves sirloin steak and goes crazy for peanut butter, I'm sure people have been (silently) judgey about that.

oh ffs she wasnt drinking coke she licked it off his finger and rim of can.

fil gave out lollies to kids at a wedding once. ds was 4 months old. he opened it, dipped it into his pint of smithwicks and gave it to ds. was horrified ... more at the lollypop than the drink. he made me mad but said nothing, and once he turned around knocked it out of his hand and went "oooo poor thing dropped it" and took him for a push in buggy.

YANBU Ill happily throw on some judgey pants- I think it's terrible; yes it's just a taste but why start to give them a taste for carbonated sugary drinks? Why make it an acceptable thing to do- reminds me of the "but I didn't inhale excuse" Plus aren't the artificial sweeteners loaded with nasty chemicals? Rant over [still annoyed 6 years later at FIL letting my 6month old baby lick an ice cream]

She wasn't 'drinking it' OP - she had a taste. Don't be melodramatic!

wiggle - fair point. I think I may be unduly prejudiced against Diet Coke

aribura thank you for the fuck off....first time ive ever had that said to me. It was nice. And necessary.

I am not lying. What I have written is as it happened. Nowhere in my OP did I say the baby was crying because of diet coke she had a strop on and then staryed crying when SIL returned.

Whether or not DN has ever cried or not I dont know. I only have what SIL says to me to go on.

Yes, it was a taste..I am confused as to how you can taste a liquid without drinking it. FWIW I havent called SILs DH a twat, that has come from the responses.

In retrospect, my judgy pants are staying in place. I dont agree with it and never will but it has been illuminating getting other's opinion on it.

I said twat.

I don't like it when people do things or give things to children which are blatantly for adults, just to get a laugh.

OTOH there is a rather funny YouTube clip of a baby dancing to Single Ladies so I might be hoist by my own petard

I bloody love that video!!

i've seen worse

LOL at all the posters on 2 pints of stella by 2 months!

I think it's wrong and I would judge too.

I hate the there-are-worse-things argument. Just because something isn't the worst thing in the world doesn't mean it's OK. And as for all the bravado - "I was given razor blades to play with as a child and I'm fine" rubbish - that's just silly.

They give fizzy pop to babies in bottles round here. No wonder the dentists have huge waiting lists.