To ask at what age you let your DC regularly drink soft drinks?

[UnderTheAntenna]

i.e. not just water or milk (hot choc). How old were they when you let them drink soft drinks on non-special occasions?

My oldest started to have fizzy pop on a weekly basis (Friday - stemming from my family's tradition of Can Day on a Friday) from about 5 or 6 and I regret it, wish I had never started that. Youngest is still a baby and I plan on doing things differently with him, luckily the big age gap will make it easier.

Likeacow, your post is hilarious. Just because you are underweight doesn’t mean that the majority of the sugary drinking world is. The point is that these addictive sugary drinks are marketed at kids and sold to them and their parents so corporations can make money from you consuming this rubbish. Of course they are not good for you or your kids. To deny that is completely ridiculous.
I’ve never had an unhealthy relationship with food. I have a normal BMI, am very sporty and have been a stable weight since adolescence. If you read my first post you would have seen that I wrote they can have any food if they ask for it. But they actively decline sugary drinks at parties and we don’t drink them so we have never offered them, and never will actively encourage them to. If they ask for a cake at a party they can have it, but they know you don’t eat them everyday or have it at home.

Also absolutely hilarious that you assume the lack of sugary drinks in my kids lives mean they lead a boring existence. I’m sure my kids would agree with you. They are taken on two exotic holidays a year plus an annual ski trip and a couple of European breaks. We spend our time together hiking, cycling, climbing and taking them to shows. My 3 yr old has been helping in the kitchen since he was 2 and is very interested in food and cooking. Both DH and I have interesting and high flying jobs which means my DS has had the chance to ride in a helicopter and on a private plane.
But sure, I’m sure you and your kids lead a much more exciting life, drinking cans of fizzy drink whilst watching another Disney film on repeat

@Anon10 Oh I just saw the last bit...

Are your children not allowed to watch films or TV either?

"No DS, you'll not watch Frozen (or do anything fun/child friendly/unstructured) like all those 'common' kids. It'll turn you into a fat, diabetic who mainlines sugar on an hourly basis. Now, run along and finish your glass of water - we're going on a hike soon to burn off the calories!"

Mine had only water or milk until 12. I just never offered juice, squash or any other soft drinks.

Elder one started having the odd diet coke when out, younger always stuck to water.

Eldest is 20, and apart from loads of booze at uni, he still drinks gallons of water and a fair bit of milk.

Youngest is 16 and drinks vast quantities of tea and water.

I feel so glad that I did this. They just never got the taste of shitty carbonated drinks or juice. Small children don't need flavoured drinks I don't get why parents give them.

I was at the dentist yesterday and he said that energy drinks are the 'bain of his life' as he now has to give fillings to so many teens. As someone with a filling in every molar, I'd be genuinely gutted if mine had to have a filling.

Mind are 17, 4 and 7 and the choices in this house are water or milk. Or a cup of tea and make me one while you're at it....

14 not 4. And none of mine have any fillings either so it must be doing something good because they all happily chomp down on sweets and chocolate.

I never let them have them and now they don't regularly have them even as teens (13 and 23!)

We have a flat ban on squash as not only does it seem to make them constantly need the toilet, but it sends them both batshit loopy.
They are 7 and 5, both with imminent birthdays. 7 year old loves Pepsi Max, he had it at a BBQ for the first time last summer. We allow it on occasion (cinema trip, one glass with a meal, regulated to stop him necking it). In the house it's unlimited milk and water, apple juice up to lunchtime (see previous about needing the toilet, can't be doing with wet beds) and things like Innocent (Aldi/Lidl) smoothies when we buy them.
School have a water only rule, excepted for Reception who have access to milk.

I don't think there's any harm in allowing a fizzy drinks occasionally in moderation. Their dentist isn't complaining. There's a boy in my youngests class whose teeth were black and falling out at 3. He's regularly seen swigging from a full fat Coke can at pick up and on occasion I've seen it on the way to school! There's your issue! Hitches up judgy pants

Still only a special occasions thing in my house. My kids are 19 and 14. I buy fresh juice, milk, almond milk and the occasional carton of fruit smoothie in my weekly shop but no fizzy drinks. Kids will drink coke if we go out for a meal, or with a rare pizza takeaway and we get a few bottles of coke and lemonade in for Christmas and New Year but it's not a regular thing in our house. Eldest has 1 small filling (from falling and chipping a tooth) and youngest has none.

The thing I have found is, if you make the choice to not introduce sugary drinks, carbonated drinks, sweets, crisps and chocolate - several people will say that once your kids are older, they will be mainlining crap having been 'deprived' of it their whole lives.

In my experience, the opposite is true. My 2 just don't have a sweet tooth. If they are bought chocolate, it will sit in the fridge for weeks on end. They wouldn't touch juice and might have one crisp from a bowl before I eat all of them.

I am completely baffled by this thread. My DD has had juice, fruit or cordial since small child. She just did not drink enough water and was hideously constipated.

Besides that, I can't believe people with children 12+ are policing what they drink. DD goes into the kitchen and chooses what she wants to drink/eat. I might step in and say enough sugar if she's had loads but generally she moderates herself. Sometimes she will choose a piece of fruit, other times crisps, chocolate biscuit or whatever. Sometimes she will drink milk, other times juice, other times water. She goes into town with her friends and consumes goodness knows what! I'm policing a little more now due to her having braces and needing to watch what she's eating and drinking, but, again, she's mostly doing that for herself. She knows what the orthodontist has told her. But she also has mostly healthy meals, and this week she has done gymnastics, been to the gym after school last night, gym and swim after school tonight and dances on a Saturday. She doesn't have any fillings and is built like a bean pole so I'm not going to worry too much.

I don't police what my children consume it's just that I think that juice is pointless as plain water is absolutely fine and delicious and so I've never stocked it in the house same with fizzy pop. So they can help themselves to whatever they want in the house without asking me but it's just never in.

I don't buy crisps or chocolate or sweets either or biscuits. There's plenty of fruit and I make lots of different cakes.

If they want to go and buy stuff for themselves from our local shop they are welcome to do so. I do think that having grown up like this they just don't aren't as bothered about it.

No one is policing their kids. From what I can see most don’t give those drinks to their children with they’re small and so their children just never develop a taste for them. I do not police my children they just do not like squash and tbh it used to be quite difficult at parties when there was only fruit shoots available as my kids wouldn’t touch them so I always made sure I had water with us or turned up with it when I picked them up. I’ve never drink tea or coffee in my life. My Mum never gave it to us so I never developed a taste for it. Honestly though people are flabbergasted by that “well what DO you drink then?!” Water. I will just have a glass of water please.

Who knew that eschewing squash could be so controversial?

I live near a high school, if I go in at lunch time 90% of the kids are buying fizzy juice or worse - energy drinks 🙈

I must be a terrible parent. My children are 15 and 10 and have drank robinsons cordial from about age 3. They like Vimto cordial now. They have a can of Diet Coke most days, probably since they were 8 ish. The also drink water, milk, orange juice and tea. Both healthy, good teeth and normal weights. They eat a balanced diet. I know people who don't allow certain drinks or chocolate/sweets. When they get the chance to have them they go completely overboard. One friend used to eat her children's chocolate they had been given for Xmas/birthdays because they didn't like it apparently. He went to a party that my son was also invited to and ate so much chocolate he was sick. I always think it's best to allow most things in sensible quantities. At 15, I think it's a bit controlling to not allow pop or fizzy drinks ever.

I literally don’t know a single child, teenager or adult who only drinks water. For full context, am from naice area

Wow I really thought squash was ok until reading this thread!! Like you @oohgossip I don’t know any either.

And @Anon10 sorry but can you use ski holidays and exotic trips on a thread without sounding goady...? And what the fuck is wrong with watching a Disney film on repeat lol.

I need to reassess my parenting and my own film choices obviously!

Mine had coke in their bottles from 6 months. The only way to shut them up sometimes.

Mine had weak squash from being a few months old and fizzy from around 18 months old.

@PhalangeReginaPhalange Anon seems to be a superior, stuck up cow who believes that being 'well-travelled', looking down on Disney films and only allowing her children is to drink water makes her superior...

Just want to say thanks to Anon10. I've had a really long and difficult day and your post gave me the laugh I needed. So glad you found the time to post between your ski trips, exotic holidays and 'high flying job'.

Anyway, I must go, Disney films just finished and I need to restart it ....and my Coke is going flat. Lol.

Anon10 you’re so full of shit it’s hilarious!
You should be embarrassed

I don’t actually think what anon wrote was that out of order. It’s just the flip side of the many more assertions on this thread that parents who don’t give their children squash and sugary drinks are controlling and laughable or just telling lies and you feel sorry for their children because their lives are so boring. Why do you all get to make those comments but anon isn’t allowed to refute them in her own way? Because you’re “right” in your views on sugary drinks and she’s “wrong” so can be ridiculed but you can’t be?

I agree with Carol. It's fine for people to question my parenting skills because I don't "allow" my children sugary shit drinks.
Sometimes it's a race to the bottom on here.