Should baby drink Coke or go thirsty?

[FoundDoveInaSoaplessPlace]

We are travelling in SE Asia with a baby and toddler.
Yesterday our planned journey of a 2 hour drive and 30 minute ferry took a total of nine hours. Because of the road delays ( road works and further on a bad accident) we missed the ferry and had to get into a small local boat.
It was hot and humid all day but we got through it ok until the final leg on the boat. Our 12 mo baby got very thirsty and the only drink left was a new bottle of Diet Coke. Baby got extremely agitated and our friend poured some into her bottle as I was holding onto our toddler.

DH who was holding her refused to give it to her and said she would have to wait for clean water. She screamed for 15 minutes until she wore herself out and fell asleep. It was dark and the sea was choppy so I couldn't stand up to give it to her.

DH is extremely anti sugar but AIBU to think that he could have put his principles aside on this one occasion?

I think you are both unsuited to travelling with a baby and a small child. Your priority needs to be keeping them safe and healthy .

kr1stina- when you set out on a 2 hour journey are you always prepared for a 7 hour delay?

Your DH should get off his lazy arse and retrieve the water from the front of the boat.

Or just give the poor child the coke. It won't ruin them for life. I seriously question the sanity of any person or persons who thought a young baby hysterically crying themselves to sleep from thirst is better than a few mouthfuls of soft drink.

AlisonWunderland Read the thread- they weren't on a ferry
No, but they were on a route that usually has a ferry, so not in the middle of the wilderness where there's nowhere selling bottled water! (In which case they shuld have water purification tablets anyway...)
At some point it wold be getting dark, you'd realise you were going to miss your boat, and might need food/water supplies... I just can't see there being nowhere, even after dark, on a route popular enough to have a ferry.

'This sounds like a journo trying to find out if mumsnetters would rather let their baby dehydrate than drink coke '

Ohhh. First post under this name too. So yes, you are probably spot on.
Stereotype validation?

There's a number of poor decisions the OP made here. Assuming its true .

I'm assuming that the rough seas made it impossible or too dangerous to move about the boat to retrieve your water which i would have been way more concerned with than giving a baby some coke or even some water.

Thank you again for the replies. As I say, it became choppy and walking around this boat was not an option.

We had stopped twice for food, refreshments and a bit of a wander on the way - we were in reasonable shape but as anyone with DCs knows, things can go from hero to zero very quickly. She started trying to wriggle out of her life jacket, obviously DH had to restrain her, the tantrum started, she spotted an empty bottle littered on the ground and it went downhill from there.

It may seem utterly stupid to have done what we are doing but apart from the hellish boat yesterday it has been a great experience.

DH maintains it was much fewer than 15 mins and this may well be true, time seems to stand slow when your baby is screaming.

DH is a fantastic Dad just too fixated on danger of sugar at the moment!

Oops, missed the post about having water in another part of the boat. If this is true, why on earth would you not make sure the water was next to you? Surely the need for water would have been apparent before getting in the boat?

Also agree with comments re. inflexibility of DH. The idea that he's so inflexible whilst apparently travelling so far off the beaten track clean water is unobtainable doesnt quite add up though...

This sounds like a journo trying to find out if mumsnetters would rather let their baby dehydrate than drink coke
Ah. Yes.

They had water, just not within reach - read the thread!

Agree you both sound completely unsuited to travelling with small children.

Op - How long did the boat trip take ?

In the circumstances I would have given your baby the coke. It would have quenched her thirst and be better than her getting dehytated

Have you grasped yet that there's no sugar in Diet Coke?

Of course you should have given the baby the Coca-Cola.

It's humid the baby is thirsty, dehydrated. It's not the baby's fault you are in SEAsia. It's not the baby's fault that you are disorganised and do not have enough clean water for the baby to drink.

You would drink the Coke if you are thirsty / why deny the baby?

If it was only 15 minutes then I don't really think that's a problem although you would've saved a lot of argument if you actually mentioned that in your OP.
Your husband is a belly end though.

i seriously question the sanity of any person or persons who thought a young baby hysterically crying themselves to sleep from thirst is better than a few mouthfuls of soft drink

Yy

The boat was so rough no-one could get the other bag, yet your friend managed to pour coke into a babies bottle?!

Anyway... if this is true, your DH is being ridiculous. Letting her have a few sips of coke, knowing she can have water very soon is fine! I guess you know for next time to have the water on you at all times. Hope you enjoy the rest of the trip, I don't think you sound stupid if it really was just 15mins without access to water.

Seriously you have to ask this question. Not perfect died coke has nasties in which makes even full coke is better (normally i never even consider coke for children) but if you thirsty a small amount will not harm the baby. Bettter than the effects of not having anything. Please carry water with you for the baby next time.

Your husband is very stupid if he thinks there's sugar in diet coke.

I don't want to hammer you for being unprepared for an exceptionally long delay. I'd never choose to give coke (of any variety) to a child of that age as a drink, but in those circumstances I would have. I think as a parent providing for your child's basic needs comes before your principles.

What a blinkered man. Dehydration is very fast in children, she could have been seriously ill. A little bit of Coke in a medical emergency, ffs.
For the record, I have only ever let my kids have it once (long story) and I would have given it to your baby in a heartbeat.
You're the mum, your instincts are pretty much always spot on.

Yes it is better than nothing. armchair however prepared you are, sometimes things happen, that's life!

DH here has some strong opinions on various things to do with the DCs; he is a very strong advocate of limiting sugar/junk intake. As his equal my opinions are equally as important and, frankly, I overrule him if I think it's necessary/needed. In a situation like this he wouldn't get a say, I'd give the DC whatever I could to soothe them.

Diet coke isn't ideal, everyone's agreed on that. But it won't actively cause harm. Whereas dehydration can. And fast. Perhaps next time don't give your DH time to argue; do what you know to be right and tell him you made a choice without needing his input.

Didn't anyone else on the boat have any water? I'm sure they would have shared a bit with your baby.

But if the choice was really diet coke or nothing then obviously give the coke.