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?

Would the 16 year old be allowed a fizzy drink if they wanted one?

@pinkieTruscadero yes of course he would he doesn’t like it

Dc 7, 9, 11 and 12. Would only have soft drink if they attend a party and it’s on offer. I’d say about 50% of friends would offer it at parties.

I grew up on soft drink. Was never ‘taught’ to drink water. I was a really big teenager and in part blame soft drink. I’ve always been pretty emphatic that water is the usual drink at home, though we have sparking mineral also and kids love infusing water with their creations. Of course they want soft drink, but it’s just one of those things- you could guzzle2 lt without really noticing.

Usually posh cordial and sparkling water at parties.

I was judging the sanctimonious calls of those saying they never had any fizzy soft drinks cross the threshold of their abode. What on earth do they do during Pimms season? But then I realised they are not sanctimonious at all and use prosecco in their Pimms. It’s the only answer.

Going by all the people on mumsnet , you’d wonder at the shops selling all this fizzy pop ? No one buys it apparently 🙄

DD is only 5 so too young yet but I think I began drinking diet coke etc at home at around 16 (and haven't stopped since!) but I did drink flavoured sparkling water as my main drink (I wouldn't have tap water) from as far back as I remember.

I think once you get into the habit its hard to break so I'd hold off until late teens if I'm honest

My DC are grown now but we always only had soft drinks at birthdays and Christmas. I still only buy them at Christmas even though, obviously they can buy whatever they want at college.
It wasn't a big deal just we never drink them ourselves so it's not part of our lives.
I never had them growing up either.
We never had squash either.. Just something l never even thought of buying . They all just drank water.

My dc have had weak squash since they were around 3 though often we give water. They're 8 and 6 now and we allow fizzy if we're out for a meal as a treat.

My dm didn't ban my sister and I from anything and we regularly had cola and other drinks from a young age, though ironically we now both prefer diet drinks in flavour. Not sure if we just have odd taste buds though.

My younger but now adult cousin and friends were all banned from anything but water and I remember helping at his parties and the children going off the charts for drinks they weren't usually allowed so I try to strike a middle balance now.

I have never restricted squash, but rarely have fizzy drinks in the house (except tonic for my gin ). Both DS have pretty much given up drinking it, preferring milk and water, aged 9 and 13.

Is no added sugar squash really considered special? Mine have been drinking it from about 1. Fizzy pop if we have a meal out or trip to the cinema or we will get it on a weekend so it's a treat but a pretty regular treat. It's limited though and when they do have it it's usually limited to one glass.

Hardly ever. Eg birthdays or when eating out. Don't buy juice much either. Never bought squash. DS is now 15 and either drinks water, occasionally juice, or makes his own smoothies.

People here are hysterical. Teenagers only drinking water....give over. Utter madness.
99% of kids have squash, too. Get over yourselves 😂

Never have anything other than evian water in the house, even my 19 year old only drinks water, he has a good social life and when out with friends he only has a pint of sparkling water, the sparkles are a treat!
My younger ones aged 3 to 14 all have water, no sparkling yet. They love foraging for wild fruits to play around with exotic flavours, they love it.
Parents that give their children fruit juice, cordials, hot chocolate and heaven forbid a fizzy drinks should be ashamed and reported via 111.

I just never buy that stuff. Unless it's Christmas or a birthday. I would have no issue with it if we go out for a meal or they go to a friend's house and a friend's parent gives it to them.

Basically I don't thoroughly police it, or have any hard rules about it, I just never have it in the house.

DD has had squash and heavily diluted fresh orange juice since weaning.
She also drinks water, milk, milkshakes, Hot Chocolate, smoothies and the odd Fruit Shoot.

I always have squash, OJ, Coke, soda water, Fruit Shoots and milk in the fridge. Plus other drinks when I've been to Costco and buy crates.

I like variety and don't agree that DD should just have milk or water. If she wants something else then she can have something else.

I don't understand the necessity to stick to water - it's a means to an end. Her teeth are perfect, as are mine.

People here are hysterical. Teenagers only drinking water....give over. Utter madness.
99% of kids have squash, too. Get over yourselves

Utter madness to have never developed a habit of drinking fizzy drinks on a daily basis? Ok then.

I personally can’t fathom the levels of astonishment on this thread, at something I don’t really think about at all. I didn’t give my kids squash because I didn’t see the point. My kids only have fizzy drinks, coke etc when we eat out or have a take away, so not regularly. Is this really so noteworthy and unusual ?

Not at all. They don’t need it

Growing up we were only allowed fizzy drinks on birthdays, Christmas etc and sometimes on holiday. I considered them a real treat. Annoyingly however I now have something of a Diet Pepsi addiction and drink some every day I also do love a full fat coke once or twice a week even though I know how full of sugar it is...

Frustrating that my parents’ attempt to limit the fizz backfired but it’s hardly their fault!

Not sure what the best way is though - banning it outright might make it seem more appealing but having it there daily isn’t ideal either ... 🤷‍♀️

Wow- didn't realise what a terrible squash loving mother I was until I read this.
We have unlimited access to squash in this house. 8 and 4 yo drink it every day.
I am also a Diet Coke lover and they have some occasionally or just a sip if I'm drinking mine.
When out and about they can drink whatever they like.
No teeth issues here.

Also- I don't know anyone who only allows their kids water and milk so this thread really is the opposite of what I see in daily life.

Never have anything other than evian water in the house, even my 19 year old only drinks water, he has a good social life and when out with friends he only has a pint of sparkling water, the sparkles are a treat! My younger ones aged 3 to 14 all have water, no sparkling yet. They love foraging for wild fruits to play around with exotic flavours, they love it. Parents that give their children fruit juice, cordials, hot chocolate and heaven forbid a fizzy drinks should be ashamed and reported via 111.

I can't work out if you're serious, joking, or Jamie Oliver.

Squash sometimes. Fizzy drinks are made with fruit juice and fizzy water in our house. Fizzy pop only for parties, we don't have it in the house. My youngest is 6 and it's only really since school parties she's had pop.

He can have it if we're out with a meal etc, out day to day? no. Also he chooses water 99% of the time. He knows fizzy drinks are shit empty calories. He prefers milk. Why are people so shocked by this? We eat healthy as well, I suppose people probably think that's madness too!

And imagine a crazy world where people do things differently to you?? Some people on this thread are ridiculous. My children are not deprived because they don't have squash and coke every day!

The DSC have unbridled access to squash here. The only fizzy drinks they have are cider...

At home they go though a few litres of fizzy drink a day as a family.

There's usually a jug of very very weak squash on the side they can help themselves to - deal is - when it's gone it's water until I re-make it at the next mealtime and they're fairly sensible with that now the novelty's worn off (just means I can control the concentration and not have them going through a bottle of concentrate in seconds and spilling it everywhere). They have the odd lemonade if they're out somewhere but to be honest - neither of them like the texture of bubbles very much so they usually giggle lots and then leave it barely drunk.

The one I have to block slightly is drinking glasses of milk as it completely constipates DD2 to the point she can become pretty damned incontinent until we whack the movicol dose up again.

Nanna's quite happy to let them pinch bits of her diet coke and lattes though - I'm fairly relaxed about it and tend to go for teaching them to self-regulate rather than completely banning stuff. I've seen the crap the local secondary kids come out of the shop buying on their way to school - if they don't learn to navigate their way through temptation then they're going to struggle hitting that age really.

I don’t get the big deal that some people don’t buy flavoured drinks or fizzy. I don’t like them much, DH doesn’t like them much, 2 kids don’t like them and the one who does has no off button and would turn orange from the amount of Fanta he would consume through choice. I originally stopped buying juices etc when I was on a food budget and balked at the cost and it reduced my shopping spend and never started again. As a child we had squash when I was very little and then my mum stopped buying it and we got used to water. Even now they have the odd can of Diet Coke and that’s it.

Mind you if you asked about wine you might get a different answer from me