to think that giving an under 3 anything other than milk or water to drink is terrible parenting?

[Dukketeater]

I even saw an 18 month old drinking coke from a can...

Yanbu Op! Op? Where are you...?!

My dd drinks jagerbombs.

I was in the pub one Sunday lunchtime with my husband. There was a couple there with their two kids (junior school age) They were then joined by a male friend.

The conversation then went like this:

Woman: How's the new baby?
Friend: Oh he's well, thanks
Woman: Is he still waking in the night
Friend: Yes, he's still being fed
Woman: Do you help?
Friend: Yes, I keep a bottle of coke by the bed, and when he wakes, I give him the coke.
Woman: (shocked) How old is he now?
Friend: 4 weeks
Woman: (even more shocked) You can't give a 4 week old baby coke! It's bad for them!
Friend: (looking confused) Why is it bad for them?

Me and my husband were gobsmacked. If we had any idea of their name/address we'd have seriously considered contacting Social Services.

Oh to be perfect...

Saw a 2 yr old having a lager shandy in a bottle the other day in the park.
That's terrible parenting.

Agreed

If you truly think anything other than milk and water is terrible parenting then you have lived a very sheltered life.

You really need something more interesting to dwell on...who gives a monkeys as long as the child is not given a constant steam of fizzy juice, a bit of squash won't make that much difference.

Ohhhh! No, it is not terrible parenting at all. It is variety and choice.
Children, as we do, like a variety of tastes. Nothing wrong with the odd glass of squash (particular favourite here at the moment is Rose's Lime Juice Cordial - but we've had lots of squash phases). He's tried coke and lemonade - but doesn't like! Main drink is water, but nothing at all wrong with squash or fruit juice (though dentist has said only one fruit juice/smoothie a day). Dentist has never mentioned squash - I think lovely diluted squash is perfect for children. Water can be very boring really.

Come on OP, if you're going to start an inflammatory thread for the entertainment value, at least stick around and reply to comments to complete the job.

I've heard that squash is worse than watered down juice- maybe because it's a concentrate, I don't know.

Wonder if you're pissing and moaning about me. I was in a cafe today with ds. He had a bottle of water but wanted my juice.

I, quite frankly, couldn't be arsed with the battle. So I gave him some. He's just gone 2. Shoot me now.

No problem with diluted squash or juice. But I wince when I see a small child slurping on fizzy drinks.

Tooth enamel begins to be destroyed when acid levels in the mouth drop below 5.5 on the pH scale, which has 7 as neutral and 1 as strong acid. The most acidic beverage is Coca Cola, with a pH level of 2.5 and 12.5 teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml (17.5 fluid ounces) bottle. Juice has a ph of between 3 and 3.8. Diluted juice is better. But coke is just shitloads of sugar and chemicals.

My dentist said that after drinking juice, smoothies or coke, a drink of water will wash away some of the acid. But he's seeing three year olds with decaying teeth now.

It wasn't that long ago that gripe water contained alcohol and mothers were encouraged to add a nip of brandy to milk to help the child sleep. My mum was told to smoke to 'relax' her when she was pregnant. There were also 'quieting grains' sold in chemists to put under a child's nails for them to nibble at and soothe themselves to sleep - they were made of opium!

I don't think its bad parenting but I don't see why you would if the child is happy to drink water & milk.
Water is free after all

AnnieIncognito

God why would anyone give a baby coke? Irn bru is much better for them.

Please phone social services and snitch on me!
My 2 year old has had: milk, water, fresh orange juice, fresh breakfast juice, fresh apple juice, Robinsons My5, Fruit shoots (low/no sugar), ribena (full and low sugar), Tesco value orange squash, Tesco High Juice - Raspeberry and Apple as well as Orange. Cola (Tesco, Pepsi, Coca-Cola), lemonade (Schweppes and tesco - diets and full sugar), Madeira wine (admittedly by accident), sips of red wine, mikshakes, er, can't remember if he's had anything else!

So, according to OP, I am a bad parent. Probably worthy of a visit by SS and my child taken away because he is being damaged, neglected, abused in some way. My God, I am so ignorant.

Whilst you're at it, snitch on my class of 6 & 7 year olds too. But because giving anything else but milk or water deems you to be a 'bad parent' I challenge you to pick out every child in my class who has had other liquids besides milk or water before the age of 3. It should be easy because if you're such a 'bad parent', you'll easily spot these 'kids' a mile away because 'damage' to them will be so physically obvious to anyone who is Holy, wears angel wings and has a gleaming, shining halo floating above their head!

Seriously, as a teacher, the things I have seen and experienced, there are FAR MORE worse things that you could do to a child.

Well, count me in with the terrible parents, lol. They had diluted juice.

Just wait till your dc starts mixing and mingling. Everyone under the sun will be pushing cakes, chocolates and candies your way. You'll feel like King Canute trying to stop the tide from rolling in.

So OP, you've clearly never had to persuade a small child to drink Movicol, have you?

Perhaps you would like to explain to my 1yr old that his fresh orange juice is evil, even though it's the only thing that deals with his constipation?

Here, have another (organic, sugar free of cause)

Pass the OP a bloody halo.

It's people like this OP that make good parents paranoid! No, sugary juices and fizzy drinks aren't the healthiest options but it does NOT make someone a bad parent.
However, putting it into someone's mind that they are terrible for allowing their child juice (in any quantity) makes a terrible person. Who are you to judge anybody?!

OP is right. Ribena ruined DS's milk teeth. My fault for giving it to him.

junkfood

That's a crime. It's a criminal offence to give a under 5 alcohol.

Won't somebody please PLEASE think of the children? Can't we all just get along in a world of terry nappies, breast-is-best, organic goat breath muffins & judgemental finger pointing mean girl mothers? Probably not...