Friend adding sugar to her toddler's water

[FurrySlipperBoots]

I have a newish friend (met at the end of summer this year) with a two year old. She's a good person and I don't want to rock the boat, but I'm disturbed by her adding sugar to her toddler's drink! She has a LOT of pure fruit juice which was worrying me already, so I was relieved to notice her drinking water one time - until I saw my friend refill it, and adding a tablespoon of sugar! She just said 'she doesn't like the taste otherwise' and we moved on, but it's been on my mind since.

On the one hand it's none of my business how she raises her child, but on the other how will I feel after hearing the poor munchkin has to have a bunch of teeth out under GA, and I'd never said anything to try and prevent that from happening? Surely my friend knows the damage sugar does? I mean it's not exactly a secret is it!

YABU - butt out, it's nothing to do with you what someone elses toddler drinks!

YANBU - advocate for the child and say something now!

It's wrong but she will know this.
It won t help telling her you know it's wrong.
enjoy the friendship and move on from it pretend you don't know.
in the 7os I had tea as a baby with sugar in a bottle and full sugar squash for years as rhere was nothing else.
sweets daily and I have no fillings I'm not obese. yes it's not right but in the scheme of things it's not worth a friendship

I'll take "things that didn't happen" for £500

Do you believe in the existence of Social Services - and that a lot of parents are horrendously abusive and neglectful of their children to the extent that SS have to step in?

If you do, do you somehow think that all parents are either perfect or so bad that they need to to have their kids removed - and that there's absolutely nobody in the middle ground who might genuinely love and care for their child, yet nevertheless still make terrible choices such as getting their babies addicted to sugar?

@KarlKennedysDurianFruit

My older DN has been drinking squash and fruit juice from six months, and they've bought him the little tins of pop from about 3 that he has most days. I saw them giving the younger one slush puppy with a spoon when he was about 8/9 months on a day out. They think I'm weird and strict and DH 'just goes along with it' because we don't allow our not yet two year old to have haribo

Are they complete morons?! Aside from the sugar, haribo is a massive choking risk for a 2 year old, you'd be a proper eejit to give them that. Good job you're holding firm!

@GrumpyHoonMain rinsing a child's mouth will not, alas, get rid of the sugar stuck to teeth.

Too much sugar is terrible for health, especially for babies and small children.

However, I'm also in agreement with the minority here about the likes of Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners. There may have been many studies done that purport to prove them as safe/not harmful, but the same was true of the cigarette industry a few decades ago. There are loads of issues where you don't get 100% of experts agreeing at all, so it can depends on which experts you choose - and experts are no more or less likely than other people to allow their principles to be 'massaged' by fat brown envelopes.

I don't know about the likes of Stevia, but Aspartame and Sucralose etc are specifically designed to trick your body into thinking that it is taking in a lot of sugar - and thus your pancreas can easily react inappropriately by releasing insulin to counter sugar that is not actually there. Aspartame in particular has had a somewhat chequered and controversial history and has made Donald Rumsfeld an extremely rich man. I think it's a ticking time-bomb, personally.

In the 20s and 30s, many poor people in this country lived on a diet of sweet tea and bread and jam. George Orwell's 'Road to Wigan Pier' is an eye-opener.

That’s bad but it’s probably no worse than the likes of ribena, fruit shoot etc. I would honestly mind my own business and concentrate on your own kids.

YANBU but she isn’t going to like it.

Mind your own business.

I don't think this sounds true. Also just because she'd having a bit of sugar in her water doesn't mean she has to get her teeth out under general anesthesia. Bit dramatic.

A tablespoon isn't 'just a bit'; I'm wondering if the OP really meant a teaspoon.

No, a tablespoon, as in a large serving spoon. It wasn't even level!

In that case I think you should comment next time you see her do it. that is a ridiculous amount of sugar.

@myusernamewastakenbyme

Mind your own business.

If the OP's friend is from the Middle East then she won't be offended by it being gently brought up.

@Gancanny

Butt right out unless you want the friendship to end. You haven't been friends long enough for your advice to be at all well received and, even if the friendship ending doesn't bother you, if you like locally then you're likely to encounter her for some time to come via activities, nursery, school, etc and do you want to be known as the Uptight Sugar Police when she tells people about it?

Its not ideal to put sugar in the water but its not the worst thing in the world and realistically is no worse than fruit juice or squash which lots of people wouldn't think twice about.

It really IS bad. That child will have no teeth by 7

Nothing to do with you. At all. Butt out.

Aren't most places in lockdown? How are you seeing this sugar being added?

Who needs enemies

YANBU OP. If you see her do it again I think I’d have to - gently - day something.

Say!

Bloody phone.

Friends of mine would give their kids sugary coffee and milk with honey in it. Just before bedtime. It made my teeth itch.

@Toddlerteaplease

Friends of mine would give their kids sugary coffee and milk with honey in it. Just before bedtime. It made my teeth itch.

Doesn’t caffeine have a calming effect for those with adhd? I don’t agree with what your friend did btw but it would make me wonder if she had stumbled on a fix to calm her children and was self-medicating.