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?

If this is genuine then you both behaved like arses. If a child is crying from thirst, then they need liquids - if all you have is diet coke, then you give them that.

Surely that's better than them potentially becoming ill, or are your husband's control issues more important?

I hate Diet Coke now. I was addicted to the stuff for ten years and it made me very ill. I thought I had fibromyalgia. I'm pretty sure I can blame the Coke because I took nothing else out of my diet and my muscle pains had all gone within six months, and even my eyesight sharpened up. I was slowly poisoning myself.

I would rather go thirsty than drink it again because I know I get hooked on it and I know it causes me health problems, but I would rather give a baby a drink of DC - or almost anything except spirits - than refuse them a drink at all. A 12 month old isn't going to develop a problem with caffeine/aspartame because you're in charge of what she drinks!

"I'm confused why one of the three adults couldn't get the water?"

Maybe they didn't want to risk capsizing a small boat in rough seas!

Was your baby really dehydrated OP anyway - i doubt it if you had water with you and were on a short boat trip. She was probably feeling crap from the boat.

Anyway, a few sips to keep her quiet wouldn't have been the end of the world - even if she wasn't shrivelling up from dehydration - which you are only guessing at.

Internet cafe? Is op travelling to the nineties? I imagine she has a phone!

These people are idiots

You've let your baby scream from dehydration rather than give her diet coke?

I don't believe it for a second.

This is one of the most stupid things I have ever read. Your DH isn't just wrong, he's a dangerous idiot. Although that said OP, I really don't understand why you didn't overrule him since you must've realised he was so wrong?!

Maybe they didn't want to risk capsizing a small boat in rough seas!

Maybe, but what on earth were they doing on a small boat in rough seas with two small children. Madness, if true.

Also, though there is no sugar in diet coke, if you do become dehydrated a sugary drink can help as you need to replace the sugar that has been lost...thats my excuse anyway!

If you dh is that fanatical about sugar you would think he would now what drinks actually contained sugar.

I know you only want to talk about your dh's coke aversion.

However, people in small boats on choppy seas without food or water, with children are what worries many at the moment. They are usually Syrian refuges fleeing a terrible war and near certain death in their home countries. They still get frequently attacked for putting everyone, especially their kids in danger. What humongous reason brought you into such a situation?

The whole situation sounds like a massive catalogue of stupidity, mistakes, pig-headedness and disorganisation.

Of course your DH should have "allowed you to give your child some pop. He sounds like an utter arse.

He should also have gone and fetched the water but there you go. His principles are clearly more important to him than his family's wellbeing

Anybody else thinking of this?

I'm not quite as bad as your DH, but pretty strict I wouldn't have even hesitated in this situation. I also agree with the other people who have asked why you didn't over ride your husband, or send someone else to get the water, OR ask if someone else on the boat had some.

That said, I don't understand why, having missed the ferry, you didn't wait for the next one? Even if it was the following day, surely you've budgeted for emergencies and could have booked into a cheapish hotel?

I hope the rest of your journey is fantastic - some friends of mine did a year around the world, largely in Asia, and it was wonderful for them.

It can't have been a tiny boat. They took their "air conditioned" car on it

This is either the biggest lot of specious bollocks I have ever read it deeply troubling. My DH is a dentist and frankly would have given precisely zero fucks under the circumstances as (a) duet Coke contains no sugar and (b) although it is acidic and bad for the teeth if taken in regular quantities, only a complete fanny would think it better to let they're child collapse with dehydration/uncontrolled temp. As he's just pointed out, there was particular risk as it was humid.

He would like to know if your husband is one of the stupid twats he sees regularly who assure him smugly that their DC ingest little to no sugar apart from honey on porridge etc.

We are currently in hospital with our 16 week DC who basically collapsed on Wednesday night - terrifying how quickly she became unwell. This thread makes me feel sick at the risk for your DC and violent towards both of you. HTH

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It can't have been a tiny boat. They took their "air conditioned" car on it

Well spotted.

Glad to see I'm not losing it, fire. even though I've had about 4 hours sleep on the last 72

Hope your baby is better soon Gobbolino.

You took your baby and small child in a small local boat on choppy seas in south east Asia . The sea conditions were so bad you were wearing " life jackets " ( probably buoyancy aids ) and you couldn't stand up because you were worried about capsizing the boat .

Yet your biggest worry is the sugar / sweeteners in the Coke ?

as a one off in an extreme situation it's ok imo.
any safe hygienic liquid is better than none or dangerously unhygienic water.