advice on soda and kids

Monica - posted on 04/25/2010

yuck!! there's no heath value at all in pop!! how can u give it 2 a baby?! they don't need it, like alot of other mom's have said, they don't even need juice!! just a healthy diet! ok, i have to put that strawberry syrup crap in my 4 yr old son's milk for him to drink it, but at least the milk is good for him!! pop is all sugar, soooo bad!! trans fat, sugar, corn syrup, vegetable oil, all that is garbage and u shud try your best to keep your kids away from it!!
:D

Ashley - posted on 04/25/2010

my son is almost 10 months old and i let him have soda only caffinie free kind and i delute it with water.. but if you want to give her some i would just give her the caffinne free kind like 7up.. and then when she older let her have non caffine free kind

Katie - posted on 04/24/2010

I do not think giving your child soda is a good idea until he is older. I also have a 3year son and even though I drink soda a lot am HIGHLY aganist my kids drinking it at a young age, my problem was my inlaws were going behind my back giving my son soda everytime I left the room, they thought it was funny that he would get hyper and thought it was cute, and well it's not..because of the large amount of sugar and caffine in soda it rots a teeth, and it's not a slow process either. We have brushed my sons teeth usually 3 times a day since a got teeth and he still got 4 cavities by the time he was three. Since we have move away his teeth are in much better health and he loves water..and if you have a hard time getting your kids to drink water I buy mini waters and buy Kool Aid fizzers they have 0grams of sugar and fizz like soda so he might not know the difference.

Brooke - posted on 04/24/2010

my little girl is only 16 months, I don't like her drinking juice! If I get it my way soft drink will be out of the house by the time she is two and she'll have no idea what it is.. therefore she won't want it. Juice alone rots teeth, and we all know that soft drink is much worse! We need to keep there baby teeth healthy for the adult teeth. Not to mention the effect it has on there moods!

Lyndsay - posted on 04/24/2010

My son is two and a half and sometimes when we go out for dinner I let him have ONE glass of Sprite or 7-up, and he's also had gingerale with the tummy flu. His fatheris a huge pop drinker doesn't see the problem with it, so it's a constant battle for me to keep it away from our son.. but I do.

Sunny - posted on 04/24/2010

We let our son have plain mineral water. He likes the bubbles and still thinks he is getting a treat even though there is nothing in it lol

September - posted on 04/23/2010

A 3 year old does not need soda! Stick to water, milk and juice as a treat!

C. - posted on 04/22/2010

Personally, I don't agree with giving young children very sugary beverages like soda.. Occasional juice is fine if watered down a little, in my book.. I have a family history of diabetes, so it's very important to me to not give my son a lot of sugar in general.. And since I grew up with diet sodas in the house b/c of my siblings being diabetic, it's never been an issue as to whether he is getting too much sugar, but whether he is getting a sugar substitute, which I also don't agree with (they have warning labels on things like sugar-free candies, warning about consuming too many will cause a laxative effect, the same thing happens with soda, too.. And on a little tummy.. I just couldn't do that to my son.) I also don't agree with giving a young child lots of caffeine, which many sodas have. Too much caffeine can cause ill-effects in the brain in adults AND in children.

Anyway, to get back to your original question.. I think maybe after 6 or 7 if you're worried about weight becoming an issue later on. By that time, she may not even like it that much. She will bug you, but explain to her that it's not for young children, that she has to be a little older. Give her a mini juicebox (they really have those, if you're interested.. They're about half the size- more or less- of a standard juicebox) if you're concerned. Good luck!

Stephanie - posted on 04/22/2010

I do not allow my 3 year old any soda. I'll admit I drink a lot, but we have always told her she cannot drink it because it will ruin her teeth.

Jessica - posted on 04/22/2010

i think ginger ale or something like sprite would be fine.. my son is 5yrs. now and i only give him soda as a treat like when we go out to eat or something...and plus dark sodas will stain teeth soo i wouldnt recommend that...but its your child & you do whats best for them...

Nicola - posted on 04/22/2010

I personally think 7 at the youngest because thats when it starts to be normal and starts getting harder to stop them doing but otherwise im the same as monica on this one, although we do have it our selves. Its a really bad thing for young teeth and can rot them really quickly, fruit juice is the same hence why you should always heavily dilute but fizzy is alot worse. My bother and sister in law both drink lots of coke and when there daughter turned 3 she too wanted it so what they do is put a tiny amount (about just enouth to cover the bottom of the cup and then put in water that way it makes her think shes having the same as its the same sort of colour but its alot better for her.

Morgan - posted on 04/22/2010

im a soda addict lol so its hard to keep it away

Monica - posted on 04/22/2010

my son's almost 4 and he's only ever had ginger ale as a treat because he was sick and hadn't eaten anything. i'm not a doctor, but i'd say it's up to you to keep your kid healthy! maybe keep it as a treat for birthday parties, but I personally would never let my kids drink pop at home, not even til they're like teenagers lol. i'm gona try anyways!! i don't buy it myself though so i'm trying to set an example :)