Do you allow your kids Lucozade/sports drinks?

[DrNortherner]

Ds is 9 and full of energy. He does not have any fizzy or sports drinks on a daily basis at all.

However, lots of his friends at various sporting activities take sports drinks and ds is begging for the same.

On a Thursday afternoon ds does Athletics squad after school till 4pm, then he plays football from 5pm till 6pm. I give him a banana and normally juice, but am thinking it won't be so bad to give him a Lucozade sport will it?

I am a runner so always have Lucozade in at home and he sees me drinking it after a run so he knows it is not an everyday drink.

Thoughts?

One or two now and again won't hurt. I'm not wild about fizzy drinks as a regular thing, but we split a Coke at the weekends. Special attention to teeth-brushing, of course, and acidic fruit juice is just as bad in that respect.

Lucozade sport is not fizzy. Just very sugary!

I have exactly the same dilemma with onw of my DCs who plays regulat sport. I don't allow energy drinks for training sesions but do for matches or in a competition so maybe one every couple of weeks.

I don't think its too harmful but did read this recently www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1392634/Doctors-warn-giving-energy-drinks-children-claiming-contain-toxic-levels-caffeine.html although lucozade isn't mentioned other similar drinks ar so I'm now a bit unsure.

I don't think it's any worse than squash and actually it has vitamins added so I guess it's slightly better. If you're concerned about sugar, calories or caffiene (although i don't think most lucozade drinks contain caffiene), then how about giving him sugar free squash in a lucozade bottle so that he can feel like he's fitting in with the trend?

smash09 - I'm pleased to hear that you don't think it's too bad. My DCs are only allowed to drink plain water at school and have squash at home so a Lucozade type drink isn't a regular thing. Luckily my DC isn't worried about fitting in but has become convinced that an energy drink has some kind of magical power that will improve performance.