Lack of healthy options for kids drinks?

[Eseedeepee]

Anyone else genuinely fed up with how unhealthy kids drink options are? Obviously they drink water most of the time, I’m thinking more the options when you’re out - cafes, restaurants, kids parties, a nice alternative for them etc.

I’ve got young kids and I feel like I’m constantly choosing between options I’m not really happy with:

• squash / cordials full of sweeteners
• kids drinks full of sweeteners
• juice that’s loaded with sugar

What really frustrates me is that adults now have endless healthier choices - kombucha, sparking waters, functional and clean drinks etc.
…but for kids it still feels like the choices are basically stuck at sugary juice or brightly coloured squash.

I don’t want loads of sugar, but I also don’t particularly want them drinking artificial sweeteners all the time either.

So I end up doing watered-down juice a lot, which feels like a compromise rather than a proper solution.

Surely I can’t be the only one who feels like there’s a huge middle ground missing here?

Do other people feel the same, or am I massively overthinking this?

What do you actually give your kids to drink?

Well what do you want them to have? Water or milk when out is fine if you still don't want the sugar from an apple juice for instance.

Well that’s kind of my point - there aren’t any other options that are healthy but so many for adults

So just get the kombucha and give it to them.

Which ‘healthy adult drinks’ do you think aren’t also suitable for children?

We quite often get soda water for children.

I'm not sure the adult drinks are all the healthy, either. They might be water alternatives but nothing is as healthy as water.

My daughter, 14, is quite partial to an sugarless spiced chai with vanilla stevia

Also milk sweetened with vanilla stevia, though she usually has plain water

Things like kombucha say don’t give to kids on the bottle (as have green tea) and then I thought kids shouldn’t have sparkling drinks - my kids are under 7

WTF is kombucha

Anyway mine have a coke zero or water.

Most 'adult' drinks aren't healthy either, nearly always full of sweeteners.

But nearly everywhere has orange juice although you might have to watch them like a hawk and be very persistent to actually get it instead of cordial. And again to get them to put in the requested soda water not lemonade.

When out and about M&S have cans that are just juice and sparkling water.

I feel like you’re about to start selling me some wellness influencer snake oil any second now.
Just buy them one off the adults menu if you’re not happy with the options advertised at kids

My kids have an occasional fizzy soda thing on holiday but they mostly like sparkling water with a squeeze of lemon. They’re also cool with plain old H2O unless it’s a special occasion.

Got to admit I’m a bit confused by this. Why do they need a ‘kids’ drink why can’t you just by them whatever you deem to be a healthy drink? I’m may be a bit naive but I don’t really do healthy drinks. I just drink water if I want something caffeine / sugar free

Just water or milk at home - sound draconian but it’s just habit, healthy and cheap. As adults there is coffee, tea, wine etc
When they go out to eat, etc they will get juice, fizzy drinks, milk shakes -they are older teens now.

Water is about the healthiest you can get

Anything that’s not water is not as healthy, for adults or not.

Massively overthinking it. Mine had the odd glass of squash or juice when out for food or at a party and then it’s just water on the menu at home. If it was a special treat or on holiday I’d let them have the occasional glass of coke. No one died.

Just saw this.
If under 7 then j would definitely just stick with water. Otherwise you will find they will drink whatever sweetened /flavoured drink constantly for the taste and won’t eat much and reject water.

My dc love a babycino, sometimes with sugar free vanilla syrup from Starbucks. The options usually include things children actually drink. There’s lots of kids in my school who only drink squash and won’t touch water.

Unless you're taking your kids out every night for meals I don't see the issue. Its all about balance. If their drinking water at home and school the odd drink out isn't going to matter. I always drank squash as a kid and the occasional fizzy drink, milkshake and juice I can't remember ever drinking water. And my teeth are perfect I had 1 filling at 32 and I was stick thin as a kid and I wasn't bouncing off the walls or hyper or anything like that.

@Eseedeepee - sorry I meant to say I think your solution of watered down juice is sensible.
At their young age, they will still feel like they are getting a treat or something different when out, just like the adults. No reason to give them things you would rather not - plenty of time for all that and when teens they will definitely be accessing all these sweet drinks!

But there is only water, milk or sweet (whether with sugar, sweeteners or naturally occurring sugars in juice) in adults drinks too? Except maybe a bloody mary which may be lower sugar and no sweeteners. If you don't want water, milk or anything sweetened...I don't know what you want or what you think is available to adults that isn't available to children. Booze?

There are those flavoured water drinks (the ones like dash and aqua libra and similar - not the ones with sweeteners)?

kids can have sparkling water as well as adults.
dont forget that eating out is supposed to be pleasurable so as long as it’s in moderation an occasional drink of something other than milk or water is not going to do any harm to your children.

YABU, as children have almost the same options as adults, barring alcohol and tea/coffee. I do find it annoying that venues in the UK don't sell milk in small cartons (same size as juice boxes), like they do in northern Europe, but I suppose they can have babyccinos as an alternative.

Children can have sparkling water, and if you want something with more taste but don't like artifical flavours or added sugar/sweetners, you can always take your own water bottle and fill it with fruit (you can buy water bottles with a central funnel for fruit, so the flavour goes into the water, but you don't get bits of fruit in your mouth while drinking) or a squeeze/slice of lemon or orange.

I mean how often are you eating out? It can't be more than once or twice a week. In which case a glass of sugar free squash once a week sounds more than fine to me. Or even juice! Live a little!

I just order an apple juice and dilute it with water if we’re on holiday and eating out a lot and/or it’s hot and I want them to hydrate. I wouldn’t be getting worked up about a juice or squash if we’re talking occasional meals out. Lots of places do also have diet lemonade if the sugar is your primary concern, and nothing stopping the kids having a dash water if they’re on the menu. I’ve never heard the under 7s thing (I thought that was slushies?) and I know a lot of young kids don’t enjoy fizzy drinks, but if your kids aren’t toddlers and it’s very occasional I can’t see what harm it could possibly do. Really they have the same options open to them as adults ex. tea, coffee or booze.

Am I the only one wondering how often anyone can afford to eat out for this to be a problem you'd think seriously about?