Coca cola for DCs of 3, 5 and 6 is just wrong, right?

[anonymousbird]

Isn't it?

I know exactly how caffiene CAN be addictive, that does not mean that everyone who drinks caffinated beverages is addicted, not in the slightest.
Drinking coke does not automatically make you addicted, and you will not become a drug addict because you like a can of pepsi.

Dr Pepper is way nicer than Coke anyway!

VictoryA, because I don't buy fizzy drinks often, I thought I was doing the kids a favour by buying the sugar-free stuff but having read this thread, I gather than sweeteners are worse than sugar. Are they worse for sugar in the dental sense or the make-your-kids-hypo sense?

more in the giving you kids cancer sense

Fucking heck

I thought I was pretty wise on the danger foods thing but obviously not. Should I be giving DS the non sugar-free Robinsons barley water too? Sorry to sound like such a clueless dolt.

cupcakeand bunting - just read up on Aspartame - some people want it banned as an additive here in the UK although the cancer scares are just scares at the moment, I don't think the studies so far back up the worries and concerns people have.

The products containing sugar are probably better, especially if consumed with a meal else it has to be plain water or milk. Even pure fruit jucies have acids which can attack teeth.

Cola drinks contain phosphoric acid - which can affect calcium levels in the body - although this is probably a problem for older people who are no longer able to build up calcium into their bones - particularly postmenopausal women.

As for me I keep Cola as a treat now and then (parties, holidays). Life is meant to be enjoyed and an occasional glass of cola - fine! Drinking it everyday - not fine same with most things.

'juices' oops

TBH, I'm in the milk/water brigade but give out very weak Robinsons Barley and fruit if DS has friends round etc, so I've never given the sweetener thing a second thought. I've just been reading up on aspartame and it's scary reading.

Thanks for your post and I'll definitely bear it in mind...

Yep, it's the cancer that bothers me. I wouldn't touch anything that contains aspartame, and I am a complete pain about it with the DCs. If they're at a party and there are those jugs of tooth-friendly juice, I do let them have it - but that's only a couple of times a year. Fortunately most people seem to go for fruit juice or lemonade at parties.

I personally think you should mind your own business. Why should it matter to you what another woman gives their child you don't know the full extent of the circumstances.

It is because people judge other mum's on so many different things that women are afraid and insecure and constantly worried about their birth choices/ feeding choices/nappy choices/education choices and now what drink they wanna give.

Don't be such a control freak.

I have given my boys cocacola
they are 3 & 6
they don't have it every day
they don't have it once a week
they don't have it once a month

even though they don't have it in the house if we are out as a family for a meal and the boys are offered lots of different drinks if they ask for coke I will say yes. if they want a 2nd drink they get something else.

I don't care what you think if you are sat next to me in a restaurant, I know my children have a healthy balanced diet - you don't.

My DS 5 has it if we go out for meal/ party with family etc which isn't often. I drink pepsi max and he has asked for a sip so I let him have a small amount (but inch in glass) at weekends. I don't have a problem with it as I know alot of children same age have tea daily so caffiene intake is higher.

I usually buy sparkling water and out fruit juice in it which keeps him calmer and he can have more then an inch of it.

Personally I don't get het up about what he eats / drinks everything in oderation and all that.

I was a bit of a drink Nazi with my kids. They had milk or water at home, but I did allow soft drinks (in moderation) when we went out/birthday parties/holidays. I now buy juice but we never get Coke - it is very acidic and really bad for teeth and bones. Of course the odd can won't harm you, but day in day out is a bad habit imo. Both kids (17 and 19) now seem to prefer tap water to soft drinks, but I can't say the same for alcohol .

Everything in moderation. Caffeine addictive isn't it? I know I get a bitch of a migraine if I go without for a couple of days. So I don't go without.

I don't give a stuff what other people do but as we used to clean the pub loos with it when I was waitressing I've never until very recently let my 3(6,6 and 5) try it.

My uncle is a medical scientist in North America researching obesity he thinks it's the devils drink which has put me off further from drinking it myself.

Dp let the kids sip his recently and they all cried as they'd never had fizzy drinks -result!!!!!

Coke is a stimulant which kids don't need.

If I was ever to let them have a glass,it would be of the full fat version as I'd rather they had sugar than artificial sweeteners which are heinous.

Aside from caffeine being a stimulant and addictive are people aware that coke has been linked with osteoporosis?

Also if the full fat version has fructose corn syrup in it (think the US one has) steer well away as it can cause diabetes in later life. Too much fructose corn syrup in the US is causing big problems but then they do tend to drink coke by the bucket.

My friend is a paediatrician - he allows his DCs to have it in moderation as he believes that forbidding anything makes it coveted and therefore when the child gets older and can excercise a choice they tend to binge on whatever it was that they were not allowed.

And to be true to the MN reasonable type - YABU to judge this family - for all you know it may have been the first time that the DC were ever given it and only given it because their poor harrassed parents were at the end of their tether from cooking non-judgeworthy meals; finding fulfilling non-judgeworthy activities for their DC etc etc and just for once gave in to the pestering of the older child

I think a taste is fine (- but I would also let my LO taste my wine occasionally, and I do mean taste) but personally I don't want DD to get a taste for it. When she's older I suppose I will let her order it in restaurants but I won't be buying it for home, unless for special occasions.

sorry that post makes no sense at all.

What I mean is, develop a habit for it or some such, want to drink it all the time.

So I would say, try not to judge as others have said, you don't know the circumstances. It may have been a special occasion.

I can't believe that so few people are making a distinction between caffeinated and non-caffeinated drinks.
I'm not a huge fan of fizzy drinks (fortunately neither are DC), but I limit caffeine to tiny amounts very occasionally.
I'm physiologically addicted to caffeine myself, which isn't a big deal for an adult, as it's cheap, legal and probably non-harmful (apart from the effect it has on your sleep) - but it is a reasonably powerful stimulant if you're not habituated, and I think giving it to the under 5s is asking for trouble. I saw a friend's kid (4) drinking a can of Red Bull whilst with his childminder, and was - if it hadn't been a one-off I'd definitely have had words with mum.

(that said, I was given builder's tea with breakfast lunch and dinner from the age of 8, and apart from the addiction it didn't hurt me noticeably).

runny - I agree that Dr Pepper rocks over Coca Cola

I don't see what's wrong with a once in a while treat.

DS (3) doesn't like fizzy drinks. He asked to try some lemonade I was drinking, took a sip and decided it was disgusting.

It seems obvious to me:

1. Don't have it in the house, but don't ban if they get the opportunity=sensible approach-no big deal.
2. Ban it =coveted-something they will want to do as soon as old enough with own money.

Labelling anything -'good'or 'bad' is counter productive-in my view. All things in moderation. Now that mine can buy as much cola as they want, they rarely have any.

Six year olds crying as a result of a small mouthful of fizz?

They do seem to have led sheltered lives!

Dumpy - actually DS1 cried (aged 5) when he was given nothing but fizzy drinks for the first da on holiday (and I used to hate it as well until I was a teen)

When dd was having her birthday party i served fizzy drinks as having read the labels on the carbonated drinks and also on the squashes and 'kids' drinks i realised that the fizzy drinks had far less shite in them in comparison to the drinks marketed towards kids. Every single cordial had aspartame in it whereas 7up and fanta are basically just water, carbon dioxide and some veg extracts.

My 5 and 3 year old are allowed a half glas of 7up with popcorn and a movie every now and again too, it's a treat for them and i see no problem with it.

Not only that but when they have vomiting bugs it's handy to have some 7up in the house, it's generally the only liquid they'll keep down. [shudders at memories of vomited smoothie, milk, water and juice courtesy of ds1 this weekend]

and as for the cafeine... mine drink tea and coffee too, it certainly doesn't have any adverse affects on them (unlike chemical addictives which send dd up the walls) so i see no harm, they love sharing my tea and coffee.

My mother gave ds1 a taste of wine recently too... cheeky sod loved it and kept asking for more 'red juice'... she was counting on him hating it like me