AIBU to be surprised by a five-year-old given cola in a bottle?

[Freshtona]

On a flight the other day and a child of about 5 was having total meltdown and was given a baby bottle with Coca-Cola to calm them! The parents had bottles of coke with them to top it up!

I think child was ND, but regardless of that, why would anyone give that to a 5-year old child??? I try not to judge other parents and my own DC aren't strangers to sugar but cola is not allowed. The caffeine and sugar would surely make meltdowns even worse, not to mention the effect on teeth.

Maybe it’s a one off to calm them down in the plane and not a regular occurrence 🤷🏼‍♀️

I’d assume the parents know what they are doing and it is likely a rare occurance to manage a public melt down.

id really try not to judge op. It isn’t a good look.

People do all sorts of different things, sometimes they have a good reason, sometimes a bad reason, sometimes no reason at all!

If it had been classic Coca-Cola in the glass bottle with a straw I would be cool with it, but otherwise I will join you in hoiking my judgy pants. Parents these days, pah!

YANBU, there is not a single good reason why a 5 year old should be given cola. It’s indicative of the type of parenting, poor kid.

Giving them sugary caffiene cola is hardly going to calm them down yanbu.

You do you and let them be

yuk

Couldn't give a shiny about this.

I remember seeing a lady fill a toddlers baby bottle with Dr Pepper and give it to her in her buggy. I was horrified. Child must have been about 2.

re the parents giving the 5 year old cola it’s absolutely unacceptable. Even if the child is ND there is no need for it. They only know about fizzy drinks because the parents allow it. It isn’t necessary and is seriously unhealthy

Yes I agree, if it was delivered stylishly it would be much better

Maybe the child is addicted to it or whatever... there's something going on if a 5 yo is drinking from a baby bottle...

and actually it is a temporary measure instead of having the fallout on the middle of the plane?

Considering it was a flight, I can't get bothered by that! Better to have a quiet child than annoy the entire plane full of people. There's literally no difference between drinking some Coke and giving a child sweets or chocolate as a treat which lots of parents do.

That's weird.

A bit of Coca Cola as a one of treat, maybe, but sounds like the has it often and why in a baby bottle?!

"I try not to judge other parents ...", but posting about other parents is a-okay. 😜

Seriously, ofc giving pop in a baby bottle to a 5 year old is odd. Clearly, there are reasons, though. All that matters is that it worked.

The West Coast of Scotland ‘broon bottle’…

Coke mixed with formula rather than water. I was staggered when I first learned about it.

A 5 year old with a baby bottle is highly unusual. I would have guessed the child had autism, but I wouldn't judge the parents. They've probably desparately tried countless ways of averting meltdowns, and found one that worked. It's really none of your business.

You try not to judge other parents and yet here you are judging other parents.

I saw the same recently. Younger than 5.

I was disappointed but not surprised.

I mean it's obviously not a one off - who would come up with the idea of giving a kid coke in a bottle to calm them down as a one off?

It's not ideal OP, but sometimes things aren't ideal when you're trying to enable an autistic 5 year old to be able to cope with things that they really struggle with.

Why does it sound like it’s often,

it would hardly calm him down if it was often, how ridiculous.

this child was having a tantrum, it was on a plane, the parents know what works, potentially at some point the child saw someone drink it, and tried if when no one was looking,

as an occasional treat this does no harm, none at all,

I really abhorr this judgey attitude some people Have, I never gave my child this, but I sure as hell wouldn’t judge a parent on a busy plane with a tantruminf child either.

I bet most of us who grew up from the 60s to the 90s had Coke when we were small and it didn't actually kill us...

Wtf..I saw a kid in a buggy being given a baby bottle with coke in it years ago..outside the local sheriff court.
Never heard of the broon bottle.
I'm NE Scotland.

star no! Is that an actual thing?

I know about baby rice in bottles and young kids being given coke though, I see that quite often in town.

Could be that the child needed to suck to alleviate pressure on the ears.

But agree. Didn’t need to be coke.