Do you let your child drink pop?

Marie - posted on 03/15/2011

the only time my 2 1/2 year old has anything like that is if he sneeks a sip from daddys glass, but i don't let him have his own and to be honest i don't think he actually likes it, my partner is the only one in our house that has fizzy drinks and my son see's it as something diffrent so he goes for a sipends up with bubbles up his nose and then ignors it, he may go back for another look if my partner hasn't had a glass for a few days be cause he has forgotten about the bubbles, but no my son dosent have coke or any thing that fizzes, he sticks to warter or juce

Carmine - posted on 03/15/2011

My daughter is a little over 2 and i refuse to give her pop. Toddlers/young children have enough energy and carbonated beverages at an early age do nothing but start the destruction process of your insides sooner rather than later. She RARELY gets sips of even iced tea now since she's potty trained, juice is full of sugar and goes right through her so we end up with more accidents. Therefore she only drinks milk, chocolate milk or water.



As far as sweets go, they are a special treat. She still has smarties in the candy cane from christmas! She gets two maybe once a week? Other than that she has cookies & crackers in the cupboard (we don't really like them but she does) and gets them at snacktime on a saturday. She's a HUGE fruit fanatic and we've just gotten her to start liking more varieties of veggies & meats (not that we didn't feed them to her before, she just didn't like them until she got more teeth to chew them with!). Even fast food we try to limit on, some french fries at the mall from A&W maybe one saturday, or every second. Otherwise she eats what we eat, and we are trying to eat much healthier!

Juliea - posted on 10/09/2009

Nope. I do not. Every once in awhile I let them have caffeine free soda, like if we're out somewhere. I just think it promotes an unhealthy lifestyle. (my kids are 7 and 12)

Samantha - posted on 10/08/2009

NO! My son is 2.5 years old and we only give him very diluted fruit juice or water. He also doesn't have sugar, the only treat he gets is a marie biscut. I feel if we don't develope his sweet tooth then he will have healthier habits when he is older and can make his own choices!
My daughter is 11 weeks old and we are going to do the same with her. It has helped my DH too as he loves chocolates, and now if when he wants one he has to wait for the kids to be asleep first, that way he has less too!!

Gizella - posted on 10/08/2009

I don't allow my children to drink soda's expect when we are out and then only if it is a special occasion, and definately never coka cola. My Daughter (10) is so use to it now that she doesn't even ask anymore, she would rather have a fruit juice or water. What really annoys me though are parents out there that give there kids soda and then complain about their behaviour and the fact that their kids are hyper. Well I hate to tell them this but that is what putting 1/4 cup of sugar down a kids throat is going to do..... My kids don't even get it when they feel sick. Milk of magnesia works just as well and also gives them a healthy dose of calcium aswell.

Jessica - posted on 10/08/2009

I've always let my daughter have soda if we're eating out. We made a rule that she's only allowed to have one soda a week. Everything in moderation. I really don't think that a little junk-food here and there is going to kill her. Just keep the regular every day things they eat and drink healthy and they should be all good.

Shameron - posted on 10/07/2009

My kids are 6 and 7, the only thing I have ever let them have has been 7-up when they were really sick and throwing up to calm their tummies. It also makes them feel a little better to have something they normally don't get. Other than that, the only other time they have had carbonated anything has been this previous new years where they were allowed to stay up for the first time. Other than that, it's juice, milk and mostly water. No reason to introduce it to them at all and better to encourage the healthier stuff.

Mel - posted on 10/07/2009

wow nice post Jenn Maivia

Jenn - posted on 10/07/2009

My 3 1/2 year old has a had a few sips of my pop as a treat, but not his own can of it!! I guess he probably tried it for the first time when he was like 2 1/2 or 3 (can't really remember).

~Jennifer - posted on 10/07/2009

Quoting Jodi:

LOL Jenn, I knew it was bad but thanks for that - I'll show it to my husband.....the only Coke in my house is the stuff my husband drinks, and he can do what he bloody likes to his system, I'm not his keeper. Even I can't stand the stuff, and there is no WAY I will let my kids drink the stuff! But there are actually some awesome other ideas to for it!!

I know....I think that the only product that does more than Coke is WD-40 ....and I wouldn't let my kids drink that either.

LOL!

Jodi - posted on 10/07/2009

LOL Jenn, I knew it was bad but thanks for that - I'll show it to my husband.....the only Coke in my house is the stuff my husband drinks, and he can do what he bloody likes to his system, I'm not his keeper. Even I can't stand the stuff, and there is no WAY I will let my kids drink the stuff! But there are actually some awesome other ideas to for it!!

~Jennifer - posted on 10/07/2009

I don't give my children anything that can strip the paint off of a car or clean a toilet bowl.

(and if you don't believe that - go pour a can of coke on your vehicle and see what happens.)

=)



I bet you didn't know Coca-Cola did this:





1. Clean a toilet bowl. Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl. Let the real thing sit for one hour, then brush and flush clean. The phosphoric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china, according to household-hints columnist Heloise.



2. Remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers. Rubbing the bumper with a crumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola will help remove rust spots, according to household-hints columnist Mary Ellen.



3. Clean corrosion from car battery terminals. Pour a can of carbonated Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion, according to Heloise.



4. Cook with Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Consumer Information Center offers a free packet of recipes including a Mustard Herb Dressing (an Italian style salad dressing made with one-half cup of Coca-Cola), a Twin Cheese Dip (requiring three-quarter cup of Coca-Cola and doubling as a sandwich filling), and Sweet-Sour Cabbage (using one-half cup of Coca-Cola and two tablespoons of bacon drippings).



5. Loosen a rusted bolt. Mary Ellen suggests applying a cloth soaked in a carbonated soda to the rusted bolt for several minutes.



6. Bake a moist ham. Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.



7. Remove grease from clothes. Empty a can of Coke into a load of greasy work clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular wash cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains, according to Mary Ellen.



8. Clean rust in a bathtub. Saturate an abrasive sponge with Coca-Cola and scrub the rust stain. The phosphoric acid in the Coke removes rust.



9. Clean milk stains from clothes. Saturate the milk stains with a can of Coca-Cola, let the garment sit for five minutes, then launder in your regular wash.



10. Make barbecue sauce. Make an excellent barbecue sauce by mixing Coca-Cola with Heinz Ketchup. Brush the mixture on chicken or ribs while grilling.



11. Prevent an asthma attack. If you feel the onset of an asthma attack, drink two cans of Coke. The caffeine in Coke can help thwart an asthma attack, according to the book Home Remedies from the Country Doctor.



12. Relieve constipation. Drinking a can of the real thing can have a laxative result.



13. Prevent diarrhea. When traveling through developing countries where the risk of getting diarrhea is high, drinking Coca-Cola helps minimize your chances of getting the trots, according to The Doctor’s Book of Home Remedies. The acids in Coca Cola help reduce the amount of E. Coli bacteria in your intestines, inhibiting the production of toxins that would otherwise prevent your intestines from absorbing water.



14. Condition hair. To give your hair a great shine, pour a can of Coca Cola into your hair, working it in well, then rinse your hair with water.



15. Fertilize azaleas or gardenias. Watering azaleas or gardenias with Classic Coke increases the acidity in the soil, which azaleas love, and boosts plant performance. The sugar in the Coke feeds microorganisms in the soil, increasing the organic matter in the soil.

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6. Clean eyeglasses. The phosphoric acid cleans the grunge from eyeglasses, then rinse with water.



17. Clean tarnished pennies. Fill a drinking glass with Coca-Cola and drop in the pennies. Let sit for one hour, then wipe clean with a soft cloth.



18. Strip paint off metal patio furniture. Cover the spot you wish to strip for one week with a bath towel saturated with Coca-Cola. Add more Coke every day to keep the towel wet. The paint strips right off.



19. Get rid of fruit flies. Use an electric drill with a one-quarter-inch bit to drill a hole in the cap of a two liter Coke bottle. Leave one inch of Classic Coke (not diet or caffeine-free) in the bottom of the bottle, and set outside. Fruit flies will crawl into the bottle to enjoy the Real Thing, but won’t be able to get back out.



20. Boost a compost bin. Pouring flat Coca-Cola into the compost pile helps jump start the microorganisms. The Real Thing increases the acidity and the sugar feeds the microorganisms, increasing the organic matter in the compost.



21. Prevent flatulence. Add a can of Coca-Cola to a pot of pinto beans when cooking to neutralize the gas.



22. Relieve an upset stomach, nausea, or the pangs of food poisoning. Open a can of Coca-Cola, let it sit until it goes flat (roughly thirty minutes), then drink the defizzed real thing. Coca-Cola syrup is used an elixir to cure upset stomaches, and it still works, according to The Doctor’s Book of Home Remedies. Letting the bubbles out of the soda prevents the carbonation from further upsetting your stomach.



23. Kill slugs or snails. Fill jar lids with flat Coca-Cola and set in the garden. Slugs and snails, attracted by sweet soda, will slither into the jar lid and be killed by the acids in the Coke.



24. Mousse hair. Mix equal parts Coca-Cola and water in a trigger spray bottle and shake well. After getting out of the shower or bath, spray a light coat of the diluted Coke over your hair to give your locks a tousled look.



25. Soothe a jellyfish sting. Pouring the real thing over a jellyfish sting relieves the stinging pain. The acids in the Coke seem to neutralize the venom.



26. Clean blood stains from clothes. Saturate the blood stain with Coca-Cola, let sit five minutes, then launder as usual. Coke removes blood from clothing—even dried blood that has gone through the washing machine and dryer.



27. Soothe a sore throat. Gargle with Coca-Cola. The carbonation in the cola loosens phlegm.



28. Neutralize skunk odor. Pour four two-liter bottles of Coke into a bucket, sponge yourself down in shower, and rinse clean. The acids in the Coca-Cola kill skunk odor.



....and that's just the short list.

Mel - posted on 10/07/2009

we give our daughter sips of everything we have, she is 18 months. we;ve been doing this since she was about maybe 9-12 months at a guess. it doesnt do harm in small amounts and shes just a bub experiencing new things and enjoying life

Paula - posted on 10/07/2009

My 4 1/2 year old only gets pop at special occasions if were out eatting, even then mostly he picks milk to drink. If I let him choose, sometimes he'll chose healthier then I would have lol. He often chooses fruit instead of fries at mcdonalds etc...no def not pop on a regular basis when they are young!!

Theresa - posted on 10/07/2009

it is soooooooo bad for there teeth i did not let my 16 yr old daught have it till she was in her teens only when we went out to eat. My 5yr old drinks a lot of water . Gatoraid and even capri suns are full of sugar they have 1/4 a cup a sugar in them. The best bet is water but we also do some juices and milk. She (my 5yr old) had no cavities on her first visit to the dentist. :)

Cathralynn - posted on 10/07/2009

My daughter is 16mo and she drinks nothing but milk, water, or yogurt drinks. No soda, no juice. I want her diet to be balanced and regular before introducing juice or other drinks like crystal light etc, that may take up nutritional room. I haven't decided when that will happen so far its not an issue. I don't let her drink from other people's cups so if she's interested in our drinks, we get her own cup with milk or water. She loves those and usually is just thirsty not demanding to have what we have, if she even knows the difference. We don't drink soda at home so it will be a treat when we're out. I have a friend's son who is in high school now and still won't drink soda, he just doesn't like it. Hope that happens to us!

Shelagh - posted on 10/07/2009

They don't need fizzy pop at all, so the longer you can keep them off it, the better. Don't have it in the house - if they have it occasionally at friends' houses, it's not the end of the world, but don't make it a part of their normal day-to-day diet. If they really do like the fizz (and let's face it, most of us do), you can mix carbonated mineral water with fresh orange juice for an 'orangeade' type drink - at least until they're old enough to read the label!

Carla - posted on 10/07/2009

nope, not at all. Emma is 4 1/2 and only has milk, water, fruit juice or diluting juice. Mostly milk or water. Especially no sugar free drinks that contain asprtame. I'd rather she had sugar than that sweetner, google it, its awful. She did have fanta once at a party, I wasnt happy as she knew she wasnt allowed it, so I tell everyone now NO POP! lol.

Betsy - posted on 10/07/2009

My son is 13...yes a teenage who doesn't drink pop! I never allowed him to have it and he doesn't even care to try it now. He likes V8-splash, oj and water! Wish I could do the same!

Amie - posted on 10/07/2009

If you are worried about soft drink (soda/pop) making your child overweight look at the sugar content in juice, this is often very high. And foods that we think are healthy for growing kids such as dairy products can be very high in fat. My reason for staying away from fizzy drinks is more about what it can do to their teeth.

Amie - posted on 10/07/2009

When my little girl was about18 months old someone gave her lemonade for a treat at christmas dinner, She didn't like the fizz and pulled faces and dribbled it out everywhere. Since then I have used that in my favour and at birthday parties etc I just tell her "That's bubble drink, remember you don't like bubbles", that way she thinks it's her own choice. However only recently she went to a party that I didn't stay at (she is 5) and they gave her soft drink and she very proudly came home telling me she had bubble drink and she likes it now. I had to tell her that was a special type of bubble drink and she wouldn't like any others.

Jodi - posted on 10/06/2009

My kids are allowed to have it as a treat occasionally, if we go out to dinner or something similar, but they are not allowed to have Coke at all. My son was 5 before he ever had any, before that, he was only allowed to have plain carbonated water or mineral water. My daughter, she discovered it much younger, because having older siblings, it is much harder to dupe them, LOL :) So she was probably 3 when she first tasted it.

Sharon - posted on 10/06/2009

No. No soda. Not diet, not caffeine free, not carb free, no soda in any form.



We have milk, 3 kinds of juices, v-8 fruit drinks, hot cocoa mix, apple cider mix, & filtered water for anything they might want. Also crystal light mixes and propel mixes.



Oh and yogurt drinks. We get a japanese yogurt drink but the kids like the dannon ones too.

Jennifer - posted on 10/06/2009

My son is 6 and I will not let him have soda! its not good for kids there is no need for them to have it when they are young maybe when he gets older! our family is big and I really don't want him to be big when he gets older.....thats what I think about!!!