To let my 10 month old have squash?

[TinyMystery]

My 10 month old is OBSESSED with all things cup/bottle/drinking related. As a result of this, he has ended up having sips of our drinks when we have squash. He is now desperate to drink squash and will spend an entire mealtime shouting at us an pointing at our glasses, rather than actually eating his dinner.

This evening I poured a very small amount of squash into a (normal child size) cup and diluted it a bit more so it was very weak. He drank it all up and then cracked on with his dinner. Seems like a sensible enough solution to me but I don’t want him to start refusing water! Currently he will happily drink gallons of water if you let him so not really an issue.

I'm not saying adults shouldn't drink squash, just that to me it feels a bit weird because I honestly don't recall ever knowing an adult drink squash! It can't be that common because I don't think I've ever seen it on a menu either

It really is a slippery slope.

I have twins who are almost 3. They only had milk then only milk and water. One has hypoglycaemia and when the doctor cocked up his prescription we were told to give him full sugar Ribena to get his sugars up.

He then went back to milk and water, except when he had chicken pox he wouldn’t drink and was getting dehydrated. We gave him squash and he drank plenty.

He still only has milk and water in the day but won’t go to sleep without squash now.

@MrsLinManuelMiranda I dont think NewAccount was being judgemental, she was just surprised. I dont think I know any adults who drink squash either.

He is 10 months old. Very likely to know that he has water and you have squash.

Very UNLIKELY

I'd drink water around him, there are so many children who refuse to drink anything but squash and lots of schools have a no squash policy. But then I only drink water (or alcohol )

Yes you are absolutely being unreasonable. 10 months old is a baby. What is wrong with water? If he wanted someone else's Coke, would you let him have it? Course not.

Good friend of mine is a dentist and categorically one of the worse things you can give young children is squash / juice in bottles / sippy cups as it just pools around their teeth

Just give him water!

As for comparing breastmilk and squash.... WTAF?

Water and milk only at that age or you'll never get him to drink water. My DD didn't have her first taste of squash until she was 2.5 and was in hospital. She'll have it occasionally now but usually asks for water.

As an aside, I drink squash often as do most people I know. Even my inlaws drink it and they're posh.

Thanks, nevergot - I wasn't trying to be judgemental, though I appreciate it may have come across that way. I know plenty of people who drink things that are way worse for you than squash (eg fizzy drinks) so it's not like everyone I know is a model of health, but I just don't think of squash as something adults drink - you can buy Coke or juice in a pub or restaurant, but you never see squash on offer!

@NewAccount270219 I drink squash and so do some of my friends. We tend to drink squash that contains loads of sugar after we have done a long run. I ac

OP if you were having a glass of wine would you give it to him? Nope? Then act like squash is a glass of wine and simply say "grown up drink" to him and then him shout and scream or distract him with something else.

10 months seems really young for squash. You can add a tiny bit of flavour to water with cucumber or fresh fruit.

Squash is total junk food - processed and artificial. If you can avoid it I would.

Why not get opaque cups so he can’t see that you have squash?

I’m with other posters - drink water if you can to encourage your baby to also drink water. Water or milk I would give. I do sympathise if it’s the only way to get your baby to eat food.

My DD is almost 10 months old and all she drinks is water or milk. I see other mums giving juices and squash and when they grow up they won’t drink just water always favouring sugary drinks.

@NewAccount270219 so do you not have diluting juice in your house and do you never drink it?

@TinyMystery I think 10 months is a bit young yet for squash. My DS is over 2 and I didn't let him have any until, I would say, the last 3/4 months. I was probably the only mum at toddlers still giving their child water. I've probably become a bit lax of late so this thread is actually going to make me give him more water again now and keep squash for once a day, though he does have milk morning and night.

NewAccount270219 I didn't think you were being judgmental at all.

But I do think it's strange you don't know any adults who drink diluted orange/lemon/lime/blackcurrant etc.

I never really thought about menus, as most restaurants will have drinks like that behind the bar as standard, usually to mix with alcohol IYSWIM.

you can buy Coke or juice in a pub or restaurant, but you never see squash on offer!

You do actually. I don't drink much alcohol so often drive if we go out to the pub or for a meal. I don't always fancy Coke so you can often find me ordering a blackcurrant squash and they give me a pint of it. My daughter used to have some as well as she hated fruit shoots which seemed to be the 'kids' drink on offer.

I would not make the same decision, my 18 month old DD only has water or milk. But you make your own choices for your own child, therefore YANBU.

I'm not sure I know many adults who dont drink squash every now and again to be honest... certainly all my closest friends / work colleagues and family do.

I dont think its ideal he has it all the time but I don't think every now and again will hurt.

@Ginger1982 no, we don't, and it's never in the list of things other people offer me in their houses (again, they would standardly offer juice or coke, so it's not like everyone I know lives some sugar free existence!)

I drink wine at meal times, don’t share that 😂🤷🏼‍♀️

Why on earth would you give a baby squash? You'll be complaining soon because he has a sweet tooth, won't drink water and turns his nose up at vegetables. Milk or water. DS tried to grab my cup of coffee earlier, should I make him one?

NewAccount270219 I wasn't accusing you of being judgemental, I was just just surprised that you don't think adults drink squash. I know lots of adults who drink it at home, and work.

My 4 year old has been allowed one cup of squash a day since the age of 2. She knows other then that it’s water or milk. My 20 month old has only just started to notice she gets this and wants it to. He will be allowed the same from the age of 2. I can’t remember now where I got the age of 2 from, but I’m sticking to it.
In the great scheme of things a little won’t do much harm, but I would try and hold off for as long as you can.

I never really thought about menus, as most restaurants will have drinks like that behind the bar as standard, usually to mix with alcohol IYSWIM.

Thinking about it the pub I worked in had lime and blackcurrant cordial behind the bar but I don't remember anyone ever ordering them as soft drinks - the only time I remember using the cordial was for snakebite and black. We seemed to have the same bottle of each the whole two years I worked there so we definitely weren't going through much of them!

Anyway, I didn't mean to derail OP's thread, and maybe if I start looking I'll see adults drinking squash everywhere that I never noticed! I promise I really didn't think adults drank it though - it's not a weird lie or an attempt to put people down!

Sorry, put my phone down for a bit and came back to madness!

I accept that IABU to give in for the sake of a quiet dinner.

I’m still not that worried about him having very dilute sugar free squash as an occasional treat though. He eats a great diet, has a healthy appetite for a variety of foods, and will happily drink water. He also drinks out of a normal cup, so not a sippy cup or bottle.