AIBU Diet Coke at a party?

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DD (7) has just got back from a party. The only drinks put out for the kids were Diet Coke! She did get some water in the end, but the drink provided for each child was a mini can of Diet Coke!

AIBU to think this is a bit weird/uneccesary for a birthday party of 7-8 yr olds?

Actually I've looked it up and there are in fact 150mls in a mini can.

Is it really caffeine and sugar that makes DCs 'hyper' or is it just that some children are not very well behaved?

I have seen a lot of children's parties and have never once seen a child who needed to be peeled off the ceiling even after several refills of fizzy drinks, and fizzy drinks were always on offer at all the parties my DCs attended.

Oh and you couldn't throw a brick around here without beaning a parent with a degree.

Yanbu, we usually serve dandelion and burdock or cherryade, much nicer.

It's not the op, it's the ones who said that giving a tiny can of Diet Coke is 'poor parenting'.

Doesn't good parenting ensure control over things which are genuinely dangerous, but also allow children the chance to grow up and increasingly experience the wider world, as they are ready, allowing them to make more and more choices for themselves, so they can become independent and responsible adults?

Apparently not

It wouldn't bother me that they were offered a small amount of a fizzy, aspartamine and caffeine containing drink. One small can isn't exactly going to kill them, at least not any faster than the haribo and sherbet chaser...

I can't say mine would have drunk it though because they, like me, think it tastes like fizzy petrol.

Fizzy drinks at a party is fine, it's not like they are giving them 2 litre bottles each, however I would personally offer juice/water as well because shock horror not all kids actually like fizzy drinks.

YANBU...I would never give diet coke to 7 year olds. Even coca cola suggests that their drinks are bad for health. Check out their advt in this video.

Am I the only parent who had no idea what their kids ate or drank at a party? They probably told me but that doesn't mean I actually paid attention!

DS had popcorn and pizza and a hotdog apparently at the party he went to today. I suspect this detail was only given to make his sisters jealous. That was established in 3 seconds and then we got onto the important things like how he mortally wounded himself when he tripped a little bit playing football....

I don't see a problem with fizzy drinks at a party. At parties you expect party food and drink. I probably would have put jugs of tap water out as well though.

But mathanxiety, I just want to share this with you. My son was prem and tiny (1 lb 12) So when he went on solids I was really careful what I gave him. I wanted him to be a vegetarian and he had a great diet, and I never gave him anything really sugary, apart from custrad cream bisuits and occasionally ice cream. He thrived. Wh, ate well and slept well.

When he was about 6 years old we went to the seafront early evening on holiday and I bought some donuts, and asked him if he wanted to try one. He did, and quite liked it. I don't know if it was because he'd never had anything with that much sugar on it in his life, but when I say that he was bouncing off of the bed that night, you just had to be there to see the change in him. He was usually out for the count at 8pm, at 11pm that night he was like Zeberdee from the magic roundabout, literally bouncing up and down, up and down, up and down. It was unbelievable the change in him, which I can only put down to the sugar on the donuts! We still laugh about that. I'm really lucky though because he doesn't have a sweet tooth (although is now a meat eater). I wish I was like him.

But to say it's bad parenting to offer fizzy drinks at a party is bonkers, I think. Everything in moderation!

I have 3 children 5,6&8. I have never known fizzy drinks to be served at a party. I have let my 8 year old try Coke once or twice (only as a treat I.e birthday, Christmas) but definitely wouldn't serve it a party. Wouldn't bother me if he was given some at a party though (he would love it as his mean Mum doesn't let him have it!!)

Final thought from me, I agree that just offering coke with no alternative is unusual. It's not something everyone will like, regardless of whether people think children of 7 should be offered it or not.
Perhaps there was something else available and the OPs child just didn't spot it. Perhaps the party host meant to have other stuff and left it at home or forgot to put it out, perhaps they just didn't think. I agree that having something other than fizzy would be usual and good. However, children of 7 are able to speak and ask for water .....so it's not a disaster. I would expect my 7 year old who has narrow tastes in drinks to do that and ask.
The 7 year old has been to plenty of places where things have been offered that they don't like or don't know if they don't like them because they haven't had them before, and things I wouldn't serve at home. They have been given hot dog sausages, which I think are foul, but understand lots of kids like. They have been given Chinese food including tea by a Chinese family, they have been given nothing but crisps and sweetest on one play date (both parents GPs) It's all an experience and they are learning that everyone lives differently. And none of the food or drink is a regular thing to cause concern, so why be concerned?

I thought that the link between sugar and behaviour was shown to be a myth by various studies?

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/feb/25/do-children-really-get-sugar-rush-hyperactivity?client=safari

I love your Nana! What a sensible woman!

Have not read the whole thread, but it shows how different things are normalised depending where you live/who you see. I have never ever seen fizzy drinks being served at a party for children of this age(i know people who would keel over at the sight of a fruit shoot). I would genuinely be gobsmacked if each seven year old had a can of diet coke at their place setting.
However, sweets and most other crap junk food(especially at soft play venues)are for some reason 'allowed'.
It is not that coke is intrinsicly worse, it just seems there is some imagined line(probably due to high media coverage), which, around here, is drawn at fizzy drinks.
It reminds me of when people discuss how we all live in a bubble(our social media, newspapers, neighbourhoods)that continually reinforces our own political beliefs and attitudes.
Where I live diet coke to young children = devil in carnate visits birthday party. But haribo, chips, and chocolate buttons are fine

A most unusual choice for a child's birthday party. There are plenty of 7-year olds who have never had a fizzy drink - I don't know why the parents would want to step into this minefield. They must not be MNers.

I wouldn't dream of discussing it with the hosts, though.

Have not read the whole thread, but it shows how different things are normalised depending where you live/who you see. I have never ever seen fizzy drinks being served at a party for children of this age(i know people who would keel over at the sight of a fruit shoot).

Ditto to this.

My children don't drink fizzy drinks so I'd find it odd. I'd expect a non fizzy option.

Was Tizer and lemonade in my day. We considered us to be well exotic as we mixed it!!

I made lemonade for my (PFB) DD's 7th bday party - they all turned their noses up at it and asked for water which I hadn't thought to offer whilst squeezing eleventy billion lemons. I can't imagine getting this worked up about whatever my child had been offered at a party, it's all going to be horrendously unhealthy isn't it? I'm a bit horrified by the judginess of it all - kids parties usually involve tons of work and are pretty stressy, just be grateful that someone entertained your kid for a couple of hours and if you can't cope with them having food they may not be allowed to have at home then maybe swerve parties altogether

Very chic Cheval 😄

My two have sparkling water to dilute fresh orange or Apple juice and I definitely don't object to them having Fanta or sprite at Parties but caffeine and diet drinks are not suitable for children under 10!
I'm a health professional...

Oh well, if you are a health professional, let's stop the thread right here

I think it's weird. Ive never known a kids party to serve coke. Usually squash, maybe at a stretch some fizzy orange or lemonade.

I've always thought of coke as an adult drink. I know all sugary drinks are bad but Coke has caffeine too doesn't it?

Parties can be weekly events, then there's meal out, grandparents, holidays and so on. I find it can be really hard to keep a lid on junk food, so adding cola to the mix doesn't help.

I disagree that children deprived will all rebel later in life.

I was given free access to fizzy drinks and sweets as a child, I still love sugary foods and drinks and find them hard to resist. Who knows how our children will end up, people just try to instil healthy habits.

'I'm a health professional'

😂😂