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Original poster

Buck’s Fizz and children

104 replies

Laura1192 · 04/12/2020 11:28

Can you help me settle a debate. At what age do you or would you let your child have a small glass of Bucks Fizz on Christmas Day?

I’m not a drinker and a glass of Buck’s Fizz on Christmas is the most I have so it seems crazy considering it to me, but my husband recalls drinking it very young.

OP posts:
PaquitaVariation · 04/12/2020 16:07

Early teens is fine. I can’t imagine wanting to encourage younger children to become any more wild at Christmas than they usually are!

Ragwort · 04/12/2020 16:16

baubling agree - not even going to comment on the age my DS was when he first tried a small glass of wine Grin.

Are you talking about decent, home made Bucks Fizz or the ready bottled stuff from M & S etc? That really isn't very alcoholic.

But as some else said, Nosecco (Co Op does the best non alcoholic Prosecco in my opinion) with OJ is a good idea.

ForeverBubblegum · 04/12/2020 16:29

I did from a very young age, maybe 5/6. I think it was relatively common at the time, though so was smoking round children, having 4/5 kids in the back of a car without car seats or sufficient seatbelts and giving 7 or 8 year olds a key to let themselves in after school.

Thankfully things move on, and it's just another thing to look back on and wonder what everyone was thinking.

baubling · 04/12/2020 16:34

A glass of orange juice with a thimbleful of fizz in it is not going to damage small children in any way.

The more you make something a forbidden fruit, the more likely it is that they will binge on it as soon as they get the chance.

TheLastStarfighter · 04/12/2020 16:41

Early teens, but only if they actively asked for it.

My parents used to offer me a glass of babycham every Friday night (age about 6-7) because they assumed from the name that it was for children Hmm. Apparently after a few I went off it anyway.

Fleetwoodmacs · 04/12/2020 16:44

Maybe 12/13ish? Heavy on the orange juice very light on the fizz. My parents started offering it to me about that age on special occasions and I'll probably do the same when mine are older.

Feminist10101 · 04/12/2020 16:46

My 10 year old has been sampling her dad’s home brew since she could sip and has a small glass of fizz at significant occasions.

Mamagotskills · 04/12/2020 16:54

Mine had a small glass of the M&S pre mixed 4% stuff from about 7/8

SleepingStandingUp · 04/12/2020 18:03

@evilharpy us too. So when one of the girls got drink and sick at a party and we had the choice of calling a taxi or putting her alone on a cab, guess whose Dad got called?

SleepingStandingUp · 04/12/2020 18:03

Sorry I meant because I was prob one of the few who could be honest

KarlKennedysDurianFruit · 04/12/2020 21:55

When I was 13 I was allowed a snowball, took one sip and declared it revolting. Had a weak bucks fizz the Christmas after so would've been 14 by then.
If you put the orange in first then a small splash of champagne on the top it will taste alcoholic initially, but has very little alcohol in it. I wouldn't give it if not asked for though.

Angel2702 · 04/12/2020 22:08

My Mum was really funny about alcohol even at 15 it would have been a big deal to allow it. I doubt mine would be interested and the rows over one being allowed and not the others wouldn’t be worth it for me. Otherwise I’d say 13/14.

MoiraNotRuby · 04/12/2020 22:16

I offered small amounts of weak bucks fizz from age 5 and never thought a lot of it. Age 11 my kids were allowed small amount of weak/watered cider/shandy and now they are teens they can have a glass of wine if they like.

In saying that. I think the last time either of them had any alcohol was August.

So I am maybe more relaxed than average but in reality it makes no difference iyswim.

MoiraNotRuby · 04/12/2020 22:17

(P.S. I had strict parents and when I was 15 I was secretly going clubbing and getting shit faced most weekends)

TrySarahTops · 05/12/2020 10:38

Weak Buck's Fizz from about 8 or 9. We're fairly relaxed around alcohol and have very much tried to normalise it at home.
So we allowed the children to have alcohol on special occasions from teenage years, and allowed eldest DD to drink cider (her choice of alcohol) from about 15. We've also given her alcohol to go to parties. My main rule - no spirits.

I'm still relaxed about it. Eldest is 17 now, considers the glass of Prosecco she had for her GCSE results to be "piss water" and considers her school friends who do like going out and getting pissed every weekend to be immature. She'll occasionally drink if we're having a party, but otherwise doesn't see what the fuss is.

She has a very healthy attitude towards alcohol. I'm sure that will change when she goes to uni... but so far, it's worked!

Original poster
Laura1192 · 08/12/2020 12:48

Wow, thank you everyone for your replies. I find it very interesting that there is such a divide in answers.

I should probably add for background that we were watching a Christmas film and a child had a glass of wine with dinner, my son who is 10, asked if he could have one to which I said no.

Later my husband and I were discussing and that is where the debate comes from.

I’m not sure if it makes any difference but we usually get a bottle of the ready mixed Bucks Fizz so no idea of the alcohol amount in it. I didn’t know that there was such a thing as Nosecco but I will take a look, so thank you to those who suggested it.

OP posts:
mrsdaz · 08/12/2020 13:41

I let my boys have a taste last year but they didn't like it (9 and 11). They prefer just orange juice.

My older ds was caught swigging prosecco when he was 8 at a wedding. He would have a glass of Buck's Fizz at Xmas after that as I wanted to take away the excitement of it if that makes sense.

He's 20 years old now and rarely drinks. He'd also rather just have an orange juice.

Alexandernevermind · 08/12/2020 13:45

I'll let my 11 year old have a small glass of Buck's Fizz. All my friends growing up in households where alcohol was treated like a sacred grown up elixir were the ones getting absolutely paralytic in parks.
Ditto!

vinoandbrie · 08/12/2020 13:58

I always used to have a bottle of babycham in my stocking, from as young as I can remember! I haven’t carried on this tradition with my kids!

PigletJohn · 09/12/2020 19:45

but the babycham was very small, I think?

6% alcohol so less than wine.

Ragwort · 09/12/2020 19:49

Ready mixed Bucks Fizz is £2 in Morrisons so it can hardly have any alcohol in it surely?

OverTheRainbow88 · 09/12/2020 20:01

Why would you let’s a kid around the age of 10 drink any alcohol out of interest?

I think it’s totally inappropriate when there’s so many non alcoholic drinks to choose from.

livingthegoodlife · 09/12/2020 20:02

Probably 8. Weak bucks fizz. And a sip for his younger sisters. I'm pretty relaxed about it. A tiny portion on special occasions.

My parents were relaxed and like said above, I had a more mature attitude than some of my friends. I do wonder if it was a bit different in the 90s though, I was given a shandy at a playdate after school once (with dinner) and at a school disco (aged about 12)!

StickTheKettleOnAlice · 09/12/2020 20:04

I was about 10 or 11 when would have a small glass only at Christmas and along side dinner

StickTheKettleOnAlice · 09/12/2020 20:06

Oh forgot to say my parents were relaxed and I think that’s why I was never really interested much in drinking. This was unlike acouple of friends who went crazy drinking on street corners and in secret etc because their parents has been so strict.

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